National First Ladies' Library
Get Ready, Get Set, We're Moving!
Students use the internet and other sources to research the culture and history of the Philippines. In groups, they discover why William Taft moved to the Philippines. Students participate in a scenario where they make preparations to...
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Guatemala
Fifth graders explore what types of projects the Peace Corp is doing to help Guatemala.
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Unsung Military Heroes
In this instructional activity, students are introduced to the contributions made by African-American soldiers that have been excluded from traditional textbooks. To gain an appreciation for these unsung heroes, students engage in...
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Lincoln 2.0
Students investigate the Presidential history of Abraham Lincoln by completing a multimedia project. In this U.S. politics lesson plan, students examine the image of Lincoln on a penny and work in groups to research Lincoln's life...
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Across Five Aprils
Students read the novel, Across Five Aprils and investigate the theme of the individual vs, community loyalties. They keep a daily journal, role-play situations, hold a mock debate, and write a research paper on "coming of age."
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A Country Twice Divided
High schoolers study biography from the 19th century. They read "The Red Badge of Courage." Students research a topic from the list provided in the lesson and write a 5-7 page paper. They study lyrics and melodies of the confederacy and...
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Slave Narratives
Young scholars use a database to find and read examples of slave narratives. In groups, they read the various narratives and discuss their feelings about them. They also research the time period in which the narratives were written to...
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Mother's Day
Students construct Mother's Day cards. In this holiday lesson, students use art supplies to create Mother's Day cards. Students may include an acrostic poem about their mother or a coupon book for their mother.
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Levi Coffin on Trial
Students are introduced to Quaker beliefs about slavery and actual statements of conviction about slavery by Levi Coffin. They explore the federal laws about returning escaped slaves, specifically the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
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Current Events Activity
Students investigate world news and create a performance from their research. In this current events instructional activity, students identify major political or news stories in the media and create a performance based on a...
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Prairie Voices: German Immigrants Move to Iowa
Students create historically accurate travel journals. In this Iowa history lesson plan, students research the German immigration experience as they write travel journals that feature a German family's move into an Iowa county.
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Doing Our Share Lesson 1: Michigan History of Philanthropy
Students research the history of philanthropy in Michigan by looking at images and pictures while discussing the definition of philanthropy. They design a picture of the first time they saw a philanthropic act and write three sentences...
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Experimenting with Peanuts
Students investigate peanuts. In this science instructional activity, students explore the properties of the peanut and shell. Students burn a peanut to observe the peanut oil. Students taste test different types of peanut butter.
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History of Change
Students research the history of Liberia to foster a better understanding of the current situation and reflect on the role of the United States as peacekeeper there.
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Noam Chomsky
In this famous people activity, students read a selection about Noam Chomsky and complete a variety of comprehension activities including but not limited to a synonym match, spelling, writing and sequencing activities.
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Getting Around - Transportation Photographs
Students locate historical photographs of different types of transportation on a given website. They choose three to analyze and write about. If there is no information with the photo, students will need to research their chosen types of...
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Understanding Effectiveness
Students investigate the work of animal welfare advocates. In this advocacy lesson, students examine advocacy strategies and investigate their effectiveness as they analyze King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Students apply the advocacy...
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Second Graders Create Their Own Social Studies Book
Students develop their own social studies textbook. Students gain knowledge of American immigration and Ellis Island. Students discover the process of becoming a naturalized citizen and what it means to be a citizen
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Immigration and Helvetia
Eighth graders travel back in time. In this West Virginia history lesson, 8th graders research the contributions of Swill immigrants to the state and the reasons they emigrated.
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Understanding Causes of Global Conflict: Peer Interviews
Students examine sources of conflict. For this global conflict lesson, students discuss how peer pressure, bias, oppression, ethnocentrism, miscommunication, and fear contribute to personal conflict as well as global conflict. Students...
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Morse Code, Telegraph, and West Virginia
Students prepare for a visit to the West Virginia State Museum. In this West Virginia history activity, students research the Morse Code and telegraph. Students create their own Morse Code and discuss communication history prior to...
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A Colony is Born : Lesson 4 - What Went Wrong?
Fifth graders compare and contrast two early colonies and make a T chart. They list examples of worked well and what did not, and significant historical events. They use higher order thinking skills by deducing how different scenarios...
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A Divided Community
Students work in teams to research the history of African migration and immigration in the U.S. They present their research in a town hall discussion format and then write a paragraph about their experiences.
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Coney Island
Students compare the Coney Island of today to the Coney Island of 100 years ago. While discussing the features of Coney Island, students brainstorm their associations of the area. Through observing several pictures of Coney Island,...