Curated OER
200 Years and Counting: How the U.S. Census Tracks Social Trends
Students examine the process of census taking in the United States. In this "200 Years and Counting" lesson, students examine the data collection process, look at an example of a census form, analyze data, and learn what the information...
Facing History and Ourselves
After Charlottesville: Contested History and the Fight against Bigotry
History doesn't always reflect all sides. Academics discover how the remembered history of the Civil War differs for White and African Americans. The lesson explores how Civil War monuments and celebrations have racist connotations for...
Facing History and Ourselves
The Audacity of a Vote: Susan B. Anthony’s Arrest
Susan B. Anthony's speech "Is It a Crime for Women to Vote?" takes center stage in a instructional activity that asks class members to consider how they might respond to what they consider an unjust law. Groups work through the speech...
DocsTeach
Analyzing Jackie Robinson's White House Letter
Jackie Robinson: A hero on and off the field. An eye-opening activity focuses on Jackie Robinson's social activism during and after the civil rights movement. Academics read a letter addressed to President Nixon, answer questions, and...
Curated OER
Liberty for All: Voices from the Revolution
Did the Declaration of Independence really intend to grant liberty for all? Get your class thinking about historical perspective with documents relaying the experiences of women, white men, and African-Americans during the Revolutionary...
Student Handouts
Voting Rights Speech Before Congress
Is your class studying civil rights? Consider taking a look at President Lyndon B. Johnson's voting rights speech. This resource includes an abridged version and three related questions. Pupils consider Johnson's use of language and the...
Mr. Beem's Social Studies
Civil Rights Project: The Long Civil Rights Movement
Investigate milestones along the path that lead to the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. After researching key people, events, court cases, and legislative orders, teams present their findings as a magazine, newspaper, or...
Anti-Defamation League
Pink Collar Jobs: Gender Segregation and Pay Inequality in the Workplace
Cartoons showing women in the workplace spark a discussion about being a business executive and claiming the corporate ladder. Small groups analyze data and create graphs that display essential information from the handouts. The class...
Southern Poverty Law Center
Analyzing Gender Stereotypes in Media
Why might toy advertisers use gender stereotypes to sell their products? Young people think critically about media messages and its role in gender stereotyping with a thought-provoking lesson plan.
Overcoming Obstacles
Weighing Options and Consequences
When making decisions, it might be wise to revise Newton's Third Law of Motion to read, "For every decision, there are options and consequences." Although in decision-making, not all these forces may be equal. The third lesson in the...
Social Skills Central
Hidden Rules: Conversation
Ever spoken with someone who monopolized the conversation? Explain to learners the benefits of giving others a chance to speak and balancing a conversation with this set of worksheets. Pupils discuss the ways in which you can show...
C-SPAN
Wonder Girls - Advocating for Global Issues
Move over Wonder Woman ... here come the Wonder Girls! Using video clips of photographer Paola Gianturco talking about her work, pupils consider the life experiences of girls around the world, including places such as Tonga and...
Smithsonian Institution
Resistance to School Desegregation: The Boston Busing Crisis
Despite how it sounds, Boston's busing crisis wasn't a transportation problem. Academics address the problems faced by African Americans following school desegregation and the struggle to receive equal educational opportunities. Scholars...
Annenberg Foundation
Actions that Changed the Law
The Fair Play Act of 2009 came about due to the actions of one woman. Young historians research Lilly Ledbetter and what she went through to get pay equal to that paid to men for the same work at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. The...
Overcoming Obstacles
Identifying Goals
Effort does not necessarily equal accomplishment. What's missing from the formula is a goal. High schoolers learn the importance of identifying short-term, medium-range, and long-term goals that are both realistic and challenging. After...
Curated OER
The Ugly Duckling: A Discussion of Human Rights
Young scholars, after listening to The Ugly Duckling, by Hans Christian Anderson, become more aware of their relationship to human rights in regards to equality, justice, fairness, civil rights, and social justice.
Curated OER
Religion in the Schools
The requirements of the Equal Access Act are studied and applied to factual situations. By looking at the particular contexts suggested your class can examine the difficulties faced by administrators in whether they should permit...
Curated OER
Justice
Learners discuss strengths and weaknesses of the court system in providing equal justice for all. They identify factors that cause these weaknesses and recommend solutions.
Curated OER
In the Chips
Twelfth graders explore how markets exist whenever buyers and sellers exchange goods and services and that market prices are determined through the buying and selling decisions made by buyers and sellers. They also study how the market...
Curated OER
"Globalization"
An interesting activity that will spark a great class discussion on globalization and wealth distribution around the world. Each group is asked to accomplish the same task, but are not given equal access to materials. It is up to them to...
Curated OER
Gender Equity in the Classroom and the Workplace
Students research careers non-traditional to their genders. They job shadow at cooperating businesses and investigate gender bias, stereotyping, and discrimination.
Curated OER
"All Men Are Created Equal"
Students identify the premise of the United States' Democracy. They list the major elements of the document. Students reflect on the inequalities of the late 1700's premise of other units. They complete a KWL chart about the Declaration...
DC Vote
One Kid, One Vote
Learn about why the citizens of Washington, D.C. feel unrepresented in Congress with an article about D.C voting rights. Individuals read about the movement toward congressional representation in Washington, D.C., before...
Curated OER
The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln
"The Gettysburg Address" is the basis of a series of activities that not only model for learners how to conduct a close reading of a text, but also how a close reading can help them comprehend a difficult text. The detailed, step-by-step...