Curated OER
Abolish the Office of Governor
Students explore the history of the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776. In this historical analysis instructional activity, students analyze the constitution of the state and determine how citizens benefited (or didn't benefit) from the...
Curated OER
A More Perfect Union: Women's Suffrage and the Constitution
Students reflect on the pros and cons of Women's Suffrage and it was viewed during the late 1800's. In this history lesson plan, students will analyze documents on women's suffrage so that they can compare and contrast the rights...
Curated OER
Photographs of the 369th Infantry and African Americans during World War I
Students engage in a discussion regarding images of war we see, how quickly do we see them, and how they affect us? They view and analyze war photographs taken during World War I.
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Active Citizens 101
Students explore and investigate multiple aspects of citizenship and democracy in a sequence of lessons that involve thoughtful discussin and participation to assist in gaining a better perspective of what citizenship and domocracy is,...
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"Tree of Peace": Critical Thinking About Revolution to Global Conflict
Tenth graders explore the importance of peace in society. In this Global History lesson plan, 10th graders create a common vocabulary for the different elements that exist in a peaceful society. Students discover the...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Benjamin Franklin, Working for the Common Good
Young scholars examine Benjamin Franklin's community service in Philadelphia. In this American history famous heroes instructional activity, students make text-to-self-and-world connections between the Philadelphia community service...
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Education: Passing Enough Knowledge to Survive to the Next Generation
Students compare and contrast the knowledge requirements for human and animal children. They identify the consequences of an animal if it is unprepared for the given environment. They discover the importance of education as well.
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Rome: Republic to Empire
Sixth graders discuss the rise of Rome from a republic to a dictatorship. In small groups, they role-play as congress people debating whether or not to give the president more powers. In another activity, 6th graders produce television...
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The Civil War as Photographed by Mathew Brady
High schoolers gain historical background on the Civil War era from textbooks, encyclopedias, or supplemental material. Assign at least two photographs for each student to analyze using the Photograph Analysis Worksheet which is imbedded...
Curated OER
Mapping India
Students participate in an activity in which they place placards listing geographic features, landmarks, etc. in the correct place on a large fabric map of a given country. They also examine artifacts, photos, sounds/music, etc. from...
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Resisting British Rule in America
Students examine the Sons of Liberty. In this lesson plan on British rule, students analyze terrorism vs. patriotism through a variety of different perspectives. This lesson plan includes instruction, assessment, Internet resources, and...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Classroom Constitutional Convention
Students investigate the eight phrases that comprise the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution to determine its principles and purpose. Their own Constitutional Convention is convened to craft a preamble for their school's governance.
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Documents and Symbols and American Freedom
Students complete a unit of lessons on the documents, symbols, and famous people involved in the founding of the U.S. government. They create a personal bill of rights, write a found poem, design a flag, conduct research, and role-play...
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Bob Dylan: No Direction Home
Students hold panel discussions on selected topics about the 1960s and their impact on modern-day events. As visual reinforcement, they watch the film about Bob Dylan and research the music of the period as well as his musical...
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Mock Trial
Students rewrite a traditional fairy tale to represent the viewpoint of the villain. They participate in a mock trial of that villain in which all regular court participants (judge, jury, defendant, witnesses, plaintiff, etc) play roles.
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Lesson 2: The Tired King
Middle schoolers are introduced to the three functions of government (legislative, judicial, and executive). They read and discuss a story about an overworked king who must handle all the tasks of government. Students give a description...
National First Ladies' Library
Missionaries, Expansionism, and The Philippines
Students examine the quality of sources in research in the process of gaining an understanding of the Spanish American War, American expansionism, and the role of missionaries in history. They meet in groups to provide an audio/visual...
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The Declaration of Independence
Learners empathize with the colonists. In this lesson on the Declaration of Independence, students collaborate to problem solve a school dilemma that enables them to understand the issues and difficulties that occurred in the creation of...
Internal Revenue Service
Fairness in Taxes: How Taxes Affect Us
Students are able to compare the effects of the following, using income as a measure of ability to pay: a progressive tax, a regressive tas, and a proportional tax. They explain how a mixture of regressive and progressive taxes could...
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Sudan -- Efforts to Avert Genocide in the Making
Students examine current events in Sudan and their efforts to prevent another genocide. They identify the roles of different humanitarian organizations in the area. They research the efforts to bring those accused of genocide to justice.
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"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...
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We the People: Promise and Practice in our Constitution
Students examine the concept that the constitutional government guarantees that our government is not all-powerful and analyze the purposes of our government that are listed in the Preamble. They assess that equality under the law and...
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Establishing the Presidency
Students consider how George Washington influenced the presidency. In this presidential history worksheet, students discuss the precedents Washington set and analyze a letter that Washington sent to James Madison.
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Part-Time Protectors
Young scholars research the roles of the reserve armed forces in a variety of United States military conflicts, then create a documentary that illustrates the contributions of part-time soldiers.