Seventh graders examine and discuss photographs and paintings of the Dust Bowl era. They write a journal entry describing what it would be like if they stepped into one of the photographs, and create a Powerpoint presentation on the Dust...

Students use art to analyze a period in history. In this lesson about the effect of art on history, students study many different pieces of photography by Dorothea Lange. Students will observe photographs from certain time periods and...

Students examine the many different programs Roosevelt created as a result of the Great Depression. They research the National Labor Relations Act and explore what working conditions were like during that time.

Students investigate that labor unions recruited more workers to join their ranks during the Depression, and speculate as to why this growth occurred when it did. They research the impact of federal legislation of the New Deal (esp. the...

Following the 2008 financial crisis in the United States, why did fiscal policymakers increase government spending and reduce taxes? Discover the motivation behind these actions and learn about the separate functions of monetary and...

Learners examine the reasons why people leave their country to live in another. In groups, they use print and electronic resources to answer questions about where immigrants came from during different time periods and advice given to...

In this Pearl Harbor worksheet, students read about what happened on December 7th, 1941, read Roosevelt's speech in response, and complete activities in the passive voice about what they read. Students write the past participle of 10...

Learners compare the radio to other forms of mass communication. In this Radio Broadcasting Before Television instructional activity, students learn the different types of radio shows in the 1920s and 30s. Learners write and perform...

Students explore the Swing Era and its implications. They answer questions and listen to music from the era.

Students read and discuss the book, Esperanza Rising. After analyzing and identifying the novel's structural elements, they examine working conditions for migrant workers in the 1930s. As part of the lesson plan, students in groups...

Students examine the contribution of Andrew Higgins to WWII. They watch a video about Andrew Higgins and the Normandy invasion, answer questions about the video, and write an obituary for Andrew Higgins.

Learners discuss how they get information on important events or activities that occur in the national government today. They evaluate the New Deal, utilizing document analysis worksheets imbedded in this plan.

Fourth graders study a decade in history through its slang. They analyze a slang dictionary from the 1920's and read a primary source letter making use of the slang. They decipher the language and compare and contrast 1920's language...

Students learn vocabulary associated with the Swing Era. They also listen to music from the time period.

Students read a short story on baseball cards and reflect on Honus Wagner's decision to withdraw his card. In this baseball cards lesson plan, students study how children used cards in the 1930's and express their understanding of Honus...

Tenth graders use video and the Internet to compare runaway teenagers of the 1930s with runaways today. The lesson uses the integration of technology in order to build skills and conduct research.

Students describe how artists painted American farms in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. They identify idealized, nostalgic, and realistic views of farming through discussion, bringing into play their own knowledge of farms today.

Fifth graders examine primary sources to explore the events leading to World War II. In this World War II lesson, 5th graders  develop questions and research answers from information found in primary documents. Students view a video...

Students engage in study of the economic crash of The Stock Market in 1929. They examine the trends of the market at the time and discuss the indicators in classroom small groups. Then suggestions are made as to how this could have been...

Young scholars connect their examination of the novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry to a historical and contemporary study of the issue of human rights and civil rights by creating a HyperStudio stack.

Learners analyze primary source documents of the 1920s to find the roots of film censorship and understand Pennsylvania's leadership in this movement. They analyze government censorship documents that banned a film in Pennsylvania and...

High schoolers examine Wall Street Reform. In this current events activity, students read the provided articles "Why a Financial Crisis?," "Deception and Leadership Failure=Boom, Bubble, Burst," and "How Can a Future Financial Crisis be...

Students discover the history of American foreign policy. In this foreign policy instructional activity, students listen to their instructor present a lecture that presents a brief history of American foreign policy. Students...

Students view a video about Betty Ford and how her candid admission of her own battles with addiction has enabled others to face their own addictions. She has done the same for breast cancer, since she was First Lady of the US.