Curated OER
Last Moments of John Brown
Students read the history of John Brown. Using the internet, they research commentaries on the raid at Harper's Ferry. After observing a painting, "The Last Moments of John Brown," students analyze and write about what they see, think...
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Review of Ancient Greece
Students create Greek gifts out of paper as a review for an upcoming quiz. They are to use a manila envelope to create what they felt was an important gift the Greeks gave. Once the gift has been created, it is placed into a big bag...
Curated OER
Requiem The Song of the Murdered Jewish People
Students read poem The Song of the Murdered Jewish People, listen to Requiem based on poem, work on reading poem as music plays, discuss reasons for composer's musical choices, and investigate possibilities of performing a reading for an...
Curated OER
Declaration of Independence
Eighth graders explain the meaning of the Declaration of Independence. They view a political cartoon of the period, then do a writing assignment for homework. They write about how they would feel if the British were calling them traitors.
Curated OER
La Belle Époque [1871-1914]:
Progress through various aspects of the "The Beautiful Era" in this presentation. Political, technological, and scientific contexts surround the time of innovation and change in the world landscape. The short length of this slide...
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The Road to Democracy
Eleventh graders examine the road to the American Revolution. In this American Revolution instructional activity, 11th graders read Thomas Paine's works and identify the issues that the colonists had with the British government.
Curated OER
George Washington & the Classics
Students will compare and contrast famous philosophers with George Washington. In this history lesson, students work in small groups to define Classicism, Legalism, Democracy, Republic and Civility, then read some short excerpts so...
Curated OER
A Free and Open Press: Evaluating the Media
Students compare and critically evaluate the different media as sources of news, develop criteria for defining "news", experience the editorial process of selecting news stories and detect bias in news reporting.
Curated OER
AFRICAN-AMERICAN POETRY BEFORE EMANCIPATION
Explore poetry written by African-Americans before emancipation. 8th graders create collages, and explain why they chose specific stanzas. They display the collages on the class bulletin board that demonstrate an understanding of the...
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The Federalist Debates: Balancing Power Between State and Federal Governments
Students explain the basic positions of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. They chart the differences and similarities between state and federal governments. They write a persuasive essay in response to an open-ended question.
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The First American Party System: Events, Issues, and Positions
Students examine and discuss the philosophical differences that arose during the Constitutional Convention and how these differences played a role in the formation of the first political parties.
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Taxation Without Representation
Eighth graders empathize with how colonists felt when they were taxed without representation. They use a metaphor of students and a school principal to describe the strained relationship that developed between the colonies and Britain.
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Ancient Greek Philosophers:Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
Students discover the famous Greek Philosophers. In this Greek lesson, students find the contributions of Ancient Greece and their philosophers. This lesson includes brief bios on Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
Curated OER
Now's the Time to Learn About the Ancient Greek Olympics
You can take advantage of the history of the Olympic Games to teach about the contributions of the Ancient Greeks.
Curated OER
It's Debatable!
Students examine the basic elements and vocabulary of debating. They research an issue and write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper, and role-play a Parliamentary debate on a particular bill.
Curated OER
Discovering Aristotle's Three Forms
Learners, working in small groups, role play different kinds of governments--oligarchy, monarchy, dictatorship, and democratic republic. They portray their form of government in a skit, while other groups guess which kind of government...
Curated OER
Post-War Japan
High schoolers research the conditions of post-war Japan. In groups, they examine the plans that were put into place for the country and identify the attitude of the Allies. To end the lesson, they discuss the changes that came about in...
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The Glorious Revolution, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution
Students relate the Glorious Revolution, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution through web based research and scenarios.
Curated OER
The Glory That Was Greece: A Test
Did your class just finish a unit on Greek life, culture, and conquest? If you think they know everything there is to know about Ancient Greece, then put them to the test with this exam, which contains thirty multiple choice questions.
Curated OER
McMUN Model United Nations
If you have been searching for a plan to run a model U.N. simulation, this plan provides some bare bones for your lesson. Scholars break into blocs to research and discuss global issues and come up with collaborative solutions. In their...
Curated OER
Federalist and Antifederalist Papers
Students debate the Federalist and Anti-federal Papers after using the Internet as a research tool.
Curated OER
Exercising the Franchise! The Right to Vote
Students research Canadian election procedures, identify candidates and corresponding political platforms for current elections and hold mock elections. They develop a written report about a specific political party.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Democracy in America: Citizenship: Making Government Work
This unit on citizenship introduces the question "What is government?" from a philosophical perspective, and delves into the meaning of government, how it works, etc. through a Video on Demand, assignments, and critical thinking and more.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: John Dewey and the Reconstruction of American Democracy
Article and activity on the ideas and philosophy of John Dewey in which students critique Dewey's methods and evaluate the relevancy of his ideas for American democracy today.