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Assessment
Stanford University

United Farm Workers

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What do primary sources tell people about important events in history? The assessment geared toward high school social studies focuses on primary sources. Learners analyze a poster and a blueprint to determine how the documents show the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building A Nation

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students build their own nation in groups where they create a name, flag, declaration of independence, form of government, mathematical layout, and more. In this nation lesson plan, students also provide a scale drawing of their nation...
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Lesson Plan
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University of California

Containing Communism Abroad

For Teachers 11th Standards
Learn more about the policy of the United States to contain communism during the Cold War. The fifth installment of an eight-part series looks at primary and secondary materials about a challenging time in history. After analyzing the...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Lost Hero: Was John Hanson Actually the First President?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The first president of the United States was ... John Hanson? Scholars investigate the notion that the initial leader of the nation was not George Washington. Using research, articles, and open discussion, individuals create a quest for...
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Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

The New Nation

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The conclusion of the American Revolution brought about a new conflict—choosing the stye of government for the newly formed United States. Using the views of both Federalists and Anti-Federalists, learners work in pairs and groups to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shaking the Movers: Youth Rights and Media

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Children have rights! Exploring those rights and using media to express those rights is the focus of this Media Awareness Network lesson. Although some of the law links reflect the Canadian Articles of The Convention, the majority of the...
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Lesson Plan
US Citizenship and Immigration Services

Thanksgiving 3—Traditions

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Thanksgiving is a treasured national holiday, but it can look different from table to table. Through a reading passage, real-world images, and class discussion, scholars take a look into Thanksgiving's importance to the United States of...
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Lesson Plan
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Museum of Tolerance

Disenfranchised People of the New Nation

For Teachers 8th
Why are some immigrant groups in the United States embraced while others become disenfranchised? To answer this question, teams investigate why groups emigrated to the US, why some of these these peoples were disenfranchised, and their...
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Lesson Plan
James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation

Those "Other Rights:" The Constitution and Slavery

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Did the United States Constitution uphold the institution of slavery, or did it help to destroy it? Young historians study Article 4, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution and evaluate the rights of slaveowners as they compared to or...
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Lesson Plan
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Center for History and New Media

A Look at Virginians During Reconstruction, 1865-1877

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The transition between rebellion to reunification was not smooth after the Civil War. Young historians compare primary and secondary source documents in a study of the Reconstruction era in Virginia, noting the rights that were not...
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Lesson Plan
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Center for History and New Media

Slavery and Free Negroes, 1800 to 1860

For Teachers 4th - 11th Standards
What was life like for enslaved and free black people before the American Civil War? Explore the building tension between states and the freedom of individuals with a thorough social studies lesson. Learners of all ages explore primary...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

James Madison: Raising an Army—Balancing the States and the Federal Government

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
To war! To war! Every nation in the history of the world has had to deal with warfare on some level. Scholars go through a series of activities and discussions surrounding the development of the Constitution to help them better...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Secret War: Lesson 4

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders write a speech.  For this history lesson, 5th graders define the word infamy and listen to a speech by FDR.  Students work in groups to summarize his speech and rewrite sections of the speech.
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Worksheet
Read Works

The United States Constitution

For Students 2nd - 3rd Standards
The US Constitution is the beginning of Americans' rights. Use a five-paragraph passage to give a brief history of the US Constitution. A great last minute addition to a lesson on Constitution Day.
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Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

The Articles of Confederation

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Have you ever started a project only to realize you need to scrap it and start over? Scholars analyze the issues leading to the fall of the Articles of Confederation. A group investigation into Articles II, III, and VIII unveil the...
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Lesson Plan
Media Smarts

Unit Two: Celebrities and World Issues

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Develop media smarts by considering the power of celebrity involvement in world issues. A look at the work of such celebrities as Angelina Jolie, Oprah, and Bono prepare learners to develop their own media campaign for a global...
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Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Ruby Bridges

For Teachers K - 2nd Standards
A two-part lesson features Civil Rights hero, Ruby Bridges. Part one focuses on the heroic actions of Ruby Bridges then challenges scholars to complete a Venn diagram in order to compare themselves to her. Part two begins with a...
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Lesson Plan
Heritage Foundation

The Amendment Process and the Bill of Rights

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Did you know that lawmakers have proposed more than 5,000 bills to amend the US Constitution in Congress? Your class learns intriguing facts about the process of choosing amendments. A variety of activities including before and after...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Looking Closer: The Artwork of Wangechi Mutu

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Social issues of gender and media stereotypes, begins with a multi-sensory experience. Learners view the painting Backlash Blues and make critical comments based on what they see. They then read the Langston Hughes poem and listen to the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

International Curiosity and National Pride

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Learners analyze their own culture and a Bulgarian culture to identify national, local, or ethnic traits. In this culture analysis lesson, students identify three important characteristics of their culture and compose a list of questions...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Middle East Lesson Plan

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students explain the position of both the Arab and the Jewish populations of the Middle East. They use this information to develop United Nations proposals to end this conflict.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Wilderness Concept: Our National Parks, History and Issues

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the history of the National parks. In groups, they discuss the concepts of conservation and preservation. They discuss the use of natural resources and how some are renewable and non-renewable. To end the lesson, they...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ayiti: Children of Haiti Summit

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders explore the core challenges faced by children in Haiti.  In this World History lesson, 9th graders examine the impact poverty has on access to education, nutrition, basic healthcare, and child mortality.  Students research...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simulating a Middle East Peace Summit

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders explore the issues in the Middle East.  In this World History lesson plan, 10th graders research the problems between Palestine and Israel.  Students write a speech on their point of view of the peace process.