Students explore how one uses examples from history to inform themselves of past and present events. After reading an article, they examine the significance of renaming a base in Germany after a soldier who survived the Holocaust. They...

Students become familiar with the events of the Civil War.  In this identification lesson, students use deductive reasoning to understand how the deceased soldier was identified.  Students view primary documents for information...

Students write persuasive speeches to recruit soldiers for a Civil War company. In this Civil War U.S. history and writing lesson, students work in groups to create a recruiting poster and write a speech to persuade soldiers to join...

Young scholars explore the role that African American soldiers had in the Civil War and the impact they had on the US Civil Rights movement after the war. They complete a timeline, read an excerpt and analyze a primary image.

Fourth graders study the Civil War and discuss what soldiers ate during that time period. In groups, representing Union and Confederate soldiers, they follow recipes, prepare, eat, and share Union hardtack and Confederate Johnnie Cakes.

Middle schoolers discover that one to explore about the past is to read historical novels. They see that in every war there are many viewpoints to consider. Students are introduced to the young adult historical novel My Brother Sam Is...

Students study the African American troop experiences in the Civil War. In this American history lesson, students examine primary and secondary sources regarding the experiences and contributions of African American soldiers who served...

Students examine world conflict issues. In this global conflict lesson, students listen to a story that puts them in the shoes of an army soldier ordered to shoot civilians. Students discuss the plight of the soldier and...

Students role play, persuading and staying neutral during arguments. In this viewpoint lesson, students examine the viewpoints of soldiers in the Spanish-American War and role play. After a discussion, some students try to persuade the...

Seventh graders study frontier forts. In this Kansas history lesson, 7th graders research the history and conditions of Fort Leavenworth, Fort Scott, Fort Riley, Fort Larned, and Fort Hays. Students write letters from the...

Students watch a video and then role-play what it would have been like to be a member of the 54th Massachusetts regiment during the Civil War.

Students participate in a layered curriculum unit for a novel study. The teaching method allows for a student centered classroom that includes different methods of instruction and assessment.

Learners organize items in a "doohickey kit" distributed by the teachers, creating categories using classification schemes. In this classification lesson, young scholars compare systems within groups and write questions that could be...

Role, Audience, Format, and Topic are the four key elements of a RAFT assignment. In this single slide, seven RAFT options are provided for students to choose from, regarding an event that altered the person's (role) lifestyle during the...

Letters have long been prized by historians as primary sources for what they reveal not only about events but also about the emotional responses of the writers to these events. "My Dear Little Boys," a letter written by Leonard Isacks on...

Students discover the valuable contributions that Canadian soliders made during World Wars, Korea, Afghanistan, and in peacekeeping operations. They demonstrate their knowledge of Remembrance Day by creating a triptych depicting events...

What does it mean to be an American citizen? Lieutenant Colonel Commander William Barret Travis believed that it meant honor to country first—even above one's own life. Middle and high schoolers read his final letters from the Alamo that...

Jackie Robinson was more than a baseball legend; he was an activist, too. An interesting resource explores Robinson's time in the military using primary sources. Scholars examine the racially inspired event that led to a court martial...

A student reader shares information about the history of slavery, the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln, women's contributions to the war, the Emancipation Proclamation, and reconstruction.

Eighth graders take a closer look at Sherman's March to the Sea. In this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders analyze the diary entries of William Miller. Discussion questions are included with the entries. Students create illustrated...

Students are able to give three reasons men joined up to fight in World War I. They are able to place in order the event leading to the outbreak of war and describe the soldiers arrival in the trenches. Students are able to describe...

Students put themselves in the shoes of American Civil War soldiers. In this Civil War instructional activity, students examine letters from the time period written by soldiers, edit the letters for grammatical errors, and then present...

Students explore the physical characteristics, distribution and habitat of termites. The lesson focuses on the termite as a social creature contrary to most other insects.

Students 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.