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National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers i
Students explore the challenges involved in carrying out a program to care for the needs of Civil War veterans an to mark their graves after their deaths. The biography of a veteran from the community is researched and written in this...
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Runaway Slaves, An American Experience
Sixth graders explore, analyze and study how one's personal experiences impact one's perspective and actions. They interpret ideas and events of slavery from the different perspectives of an abolitionist, slave owner, United States...
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Diverse Voices-African American Ventures
Students research African-American participation in the Civil War. In this Civil War lesson, students read the article "Fighting Rebels with Only One Hand" and write a persuasive paragraph on whether the participation of the...
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Diverse Voices - African American Ventures
Students research African American history and the Underground Railroad. In this African American history lesson, students discuss the Drinking Gourd. Students read 'If You Traveled the Underground Railroad' and discuss. Students work in...
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What Events Led to Lincoln's Assassination?
Fourth graders use primary and secondary sources to research the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. They identify arguments supporting and opposing the position that Lincoln's assassination could have been prevented and write a report...
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U.S. History Since 1877
Students identify and analyze when the following occurred: the beginning of the NAACP, the enactment of the Pure Food and Drug Act, the ratification of the nineteenth Amendment, and the enactment of the Clayton Anti-trust Act. Students...
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Why Can't I Vote?
Fourth graders take an unannounced test (failure is expected) and the top scores are rewarded with candy bars. They compare this test to the literacy tests given before 1960 and votes to candybars. They journal their responses.
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Founding Myths, Stories that Hide Our Patriotic Past
Students participate in a scavenger hunt using their textbooks to find information about historical events, people and places in US history during the Revolutionary Era. After creating their list of important people, students create...
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Constitution Day: The 1965 Alabama Literacy Test
Tenth graders examine the United States Constitution. In this American Government instructional activity, 10th graders read excerpts from President Johnson's speech to Congress and parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. ...
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Helping Students Do History on the First Day of Class
Students watch a video about Barack Obama and problems he faces as the president. In this president lesson plan, students write their own list and then compile a class list of problems and discuss them.
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The Guilded Age
Students examine the Gilded Age in American history. Using the internet, they research the innovations, business, and immigration during this time period. They create a PowerPoint presentation to share their information with the class.
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The Great Depression WebQuest
Tenth graders explore the events of the Great Depression. They analyze the events and select those most important to contemporary people and the future of the nation. Students create a PowerPoint presentation over the Great Depression.
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An Act of Courage, The Arrest Records of Rosa Parks
Young scholars research accounts on Rosa Parks and look for differences between the modern form and an older report on Parks. They discuss why information about race and nationality are collected on these and other forms.
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Politics during the Civil War
Students investigate the politics of the Civil War. They use a graphic organizer in order to help sort the information. The use of key questions help to create starting points for class discussion or student essay responses.
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Faces of the Bench
Students use primary source documents to gather information on justices in the Michigan Supreme Court. They write about the thoughts and experiences of the author. They identify and describe each justice briefly.
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The "Big Four" of the Michigan Supreme Court
Young scholars identify the justices on the Michigan Supreme Court known as the "Big Four". They relate to them by researching their lives. They participate in an activity in which they practice their investigation and presentation skills.
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Super Seniors
Students research senior citizens who were heroes during the Reconstruction Era. They interview senior citizens who they believe to be heroes and write a biography about them. They explain how small acts can contribute to the common good.
PBS
Primary Sources
Students see how to use primary and secondary sources to investigate history. Whether it is a photograph, book, map, letter, postcard, newspaper, or official document, students can use sources to reconstruct and relive history.
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"Jazz is About Collaboration": Jim Crow Laws And Segregation
Students explore development of jazz music in the 1930s by forming imaginary jazz bands which tour several cities in Depression-era America. Jazz band members create imaginary identities for themselves, develop publicity for their tour,...
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Marching For Freedom
Students appreciate the sacrifices that people from across the country made to ensure that all citizens could exercise their constitutional right to vote. They access excellent websites and documents imbedded in this plan to guide their...
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Comparing/Contrasting Northern Life to Southern Life
Students compare and contrast the lives of African Americans who moved North vs. those who stayed in the South during the era of Jim Crow Laws.
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Brutal British
Learners read and predict the outcome of a story set during the Civil War, then map the story. To prepare for the activity, students determine why it is important to look at historical events from all angles by using primary and...
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With Liberty and Justice for All
High schoolers examine the role of Supreme Court justices. In this judicial branch lesson, students consider the civil rights and civil liberties as they investigate Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940) and West Virginia State...
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Poetry and Our National Anthem
Students express the meaning of the Star-Spangled Banner. In this American history lesson, students read through the national anthem and complete an activities from a list of choices. Some choices include: writing the anthem in your own...