Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

So! You Want to Start Your Own Political Party?

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students examine the emergence of third parties in American politics during the first half of the 19th century. Working in groups, they research a Third Party and determine why the party was founded as well as who were instrumental in...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Women on the Wall: A Vietnam Memorial

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students investigate the role of women during the Vietnam War. They conduct Internet research, and create a Chronicle of Women in Vietnam project that could take the form of a journal, PowerPoint presentation, or scrapbook that includes...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Boxer Rebellion

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students research China and the Boxer Rebellion. In groups, they gather information using the internet and other sources. Students participate in a simulation where they become foreign correspondents for a local television station. One...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Vegas and the Mob

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify with and interpret the role of organized crime in the development of one of America's most vibrant cities. Then they look into the city's establishment and development, follow the role of organized crime in its...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Red Hunts, Black Lists, and Communists

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students research and examine the unsavory history of the hunt for communists in the United States during the 1950s. They divide up into groups to review the Red Scare of the 1920s as a backdrop to the McCarthy era and write a short...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Eli Whitney: A Top Ten Inventor?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers conduct research and present their findings in a persuasive manner. Then they work in groups to enhance the development of cooperative work skills. Students also present their findings through persuasive skills in...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

The Space Race

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers investigate the historical events that have surrounded The Space Race. They conduct research using a variety of resources and focus upon the progress between Russia and The United States. Students describe the events that...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Designing the Common School: The First Educational Reform

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers perform preliminary research to explore education before public (common) education was in place. They design a public educational system of their own. Students construct a report outlining challenges and solutions for...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

The Education of Freedmen...and Women and Children

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils examine political debate surrounding Freedmen's Bureau, use primary sources to explore trials and successes of effort to educate newly-freed slaves of all ages, research reasons for creation of Freedmen's Bureau, discuss President...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Stories from the Thousand and One Nights

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students hold a Thousand and One Nights storytelling festival with each one memorizing a story to relate to classmates. While examining provided resource links, they select and practice a story they would like to retell. As a dress...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Language Arts: The Rise of the Operetta

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students develop an appreciation for the musical theater form, the operetta. In addition, they present parodies of songs from The Mikado. Working in small groups and accessing provided Websites, they compose their parodies. Once...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

School Reform, Again!

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students discuss their perceptions and experiences with changes in schooling. They work in small groups to prepare a PowerPoint presentation to explain the efforts toward reforming schools since 1983. Students speculate on the next...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

King Tut and All That

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students study the field of Egyptology and archeology. They create an artifact for posterity and create a special edition that tells the story in words, maps, and pictures. They create a storyboard for a "comic book" edition of the story.
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Will Rogers

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Learners explore the concepts of irony and humor. They discuss Will Rogers' history and determine that he was a humorist who many viewed as very wise. They read quotes of Will Rogers and determine that everybody is ignorant, only on...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

The Sport of Kings: Horse Racing in America

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils examine the history of horse racing. They discuss their experiences with horse racing and conduct Internet research. They select a topic related to the history of horse racing, write and present a report, and read and summarize a...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Don't Be a Duffer! Understanding the Sport of Golf

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students are divided into six groups to access the "History of Golf Since 1497" website, and familiarize themselves with the data on one of the six pages of the website. They then work together as a large group to construct a timeline of...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Ragtime: The First "American" Music?

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Learners investigate the concept of ragtime music and the times associated with it in American history. They conduct research using a variety of resources and listen to a sample before writing down some of the results of the information...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Let's Make a World Series Almanac

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers discuss the meaning of the word, almanac and then decide which statistics about the World Series they think should be included in the almanac, browsing some websites to get some idea of what statistics are available....
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Designing an Appalachian Folk Art Museum

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners investigate the concepts related to the Appalachian area and the movement of Folk Art. They conduct research using a variety of resources and use the samples as inspiration for creating their own works of art. They could...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Gibson Girls and Flappers: What is this "New Woman"?

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students divide into five groups with each exploring one section of the website, "The New Woman". After they complete their research, they discuss the nature and characteristics of the "new woman" and compare these to characteristics of...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Social Studies: Who Burned Down Barnum's Museum?

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Learners examine the social conflict of the 19th century and the destruction of the American Museum. In pairs, they conduct Internet research and attempt to solve the mystery of who burned down the museum. Clues to the mystery are found...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

E.T. Phones Home: The History of the Telephone

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students create illustrated timelines of the telephone's history. In groups, they research 25-year sections beginning in 1876. Once each group has completed their portion of the timeline, they are all assembled to create one banner.
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Michigan vs. Ohio State: A Serious Rivalry!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers discuss and research the pros and cons of school rivalries. In particular, they study the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry. Through their research, they think about how media accounts of college football games can be shaped...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Who’s on First? in the End Zone? at the net? in the Ring?

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Pupils are introduced to some sport heroes from the 20th century. They are told that although many sports have their own Halls of Fame, there is no one list of the top 10 athletes from the 20th century. It is their job to research famous...

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