Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

The Conservation Movement at a Crossroads: The Hetch Hetchy Controversy

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
Should wilderness areas be preserved or managed? Class members examine primary source documents, including lecture notes, articles, essays and congressional records to better understand the Hetch Hetchy controversy that created a split...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immigration/Migration: Today and During the Great Depression

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders compare experiences of their families to those living through the Great Depression using famiy interviews, photographs, films and document from the Library of Congress.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

When Work is Done

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders create an album based on a thesis statement about life in the 20th century after completing the introductory lesson for a lesson on the web site "When Work is Done".
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The New Deal: North Carolina's Reconstruction

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders study North Carolina's reconstruction through an interdisciplinary project that emcompasses social studies, language arts, visual art, music, and technology.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

From Jim Crow to Linda Brown: A Retrospective of the African-American Experience from 1897 to 1953.

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research the American Memory collection to explore the African-American experience from 1897 to 1953.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

1900 America: Primary Sources and Epic Poetry

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Using Walt Whitman's Song of Myself and Hart Crane's The Bridge as models, class groups first craft their own epic poems for 1900 and, using primary sources, create a multi-media presentation that captures the sights and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Photographs: What Do You See?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
A study of an image from The Library of Congress collection Civil War Photographs 1861-1865 launches an investigation of the connection between the Civil War and American industrialization. After analyzing “Petersburg, Va. The...
Lesson Plan
National History Day

“War Is Hell. We Know it Now.” American Soldiers in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Understanding the soldier's experiences during World War I sometimes takes a newscast. Learners see the importance of understanding multiple points of view with a newscast project surrounding the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Compare and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Childhood Lost: Child Labor in the United States, 1830-1930

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Working in groups, middle and high schoolers describe and discuss photographs depicting working conditions experienced by child laborers in the 19th century. They then write a persuasive paragraph supporting an amendment to regulate the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stand Up And Sing

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine pieces of sheet music and identify context, purpose, and perspective with regard to the political, social, and economic conditions existing at that time. They create a cover illustrating a topic of the Progressive Era.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Honor and Passion for Glory: George Washington in the Ohio Valley

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine George Washington's life as a young British colonial officer during the French and Indian War.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

From Jim Crow To Linda Brown: A Retrospective of the African-American Experience from 1897 to 1953

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine African American issue between the years 1897 and 1953. In this African American history lesson, students research the social, economic, and political conditions of African Americans during the aforementioned time...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Depression in North Carolina: Experiences of the People

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars explore the Great Depression. In this research skills lesson, students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary sources. Young scholars write their own WPA interviews after they have...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ninteenth Century Women: Struggle and Triumph

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the role of women in US society during the 19th century and how this role evolved and changed in time. They then write a persuasive letter that domonstrates their comprehensin of the subject.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Oral History and Social History

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners examine the Great Depression. In this oral and social histories instructional activity, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of the America in the 1930's.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jackie Steals Home

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read articles relating to Jackie Robinson's breaking of the racial barrier in professional baseball. This leads to a deeper exploration of racism in the United States. They use a variety of worksheets imbedded in this plan to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

German Immigrants:Their Contributions to the Upper Midwest

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Learners study how contemporary lifestyles/cultures/traditions are influenced by the contributions of the settlers of that region; and use their prior knowledge of German to discuss photographs of people.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stand Up and Sing: Music and Our Reform History

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine events of historical significance in music. In groups, they are given pieces of sheet music and work together to try to determine the social and political conditions of the time based on the lyrics. They write their own...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Baseball, Race Relations and Jackie Robinson

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this race relations lesson, students discover details about how Jackie Robinson broke the racial barrier in professional baseball.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Change in Early 20th Century America: Doing the Decades

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students investigate and develop relationships between selected themes and resources. In this Us history lesson, students interpret, analyze, and evaluate shifts in continuity throughout US history. Students will create  multimedia...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

George Washington: First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this George Washington lesson, students research the details of Washington's military successes, his role at the Constitutional Convention, and his...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Photographs: The Mathew Brady Bunch

For Teachers 7th - Higher Ed
Students examine the photographs of Mathew Brady. For this Civil War lesson, students analyse primary source photographs from the Civil War. Students will be able to describe specific events and what life might be like during the Civil War.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Photojournalism: A Record of War

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students view photographs of the Civil War. In this photojournalism lesson, students look at Mathew Brady's photographs of the Civil War. They discover the evolution of photographic equipment and analyze Civil War photographs. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Evolution of the Book: Introducing Students to Visual Analysis

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students demonstrate visual literacy skills by analyzing the images from the mural in the Library of Congress. In this visual art analysis lesson, students examine the mural and further their knowledge by using tools of art and design to...