Curated OER
The Second Inaugural Address (1865)—Restoring the American Union
Students explore the content of Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. In this Abraham Lincoln activity, students analyze the text of the speech to determine how Lincoln sought to reconstruct the country as the Civil War drew to a...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Immigrant Discrimination
For a class learning about Chinese and Irish immigration in America, here's a great starting lesson plan. It has your critical thinkers examining song lyrics, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and a political cartoon, and finally...
Curated OER
Noncombatancy and the Seventh day Adventist Church
Upper graders investigate how the Seventh Day Adventists are objectors to the practice of war. The lesson covers the Civil War and examines the church's position about the practice of war. The research extends to modern wars and learners...
Curated OER
Pink and Say
Read Pink and Say and discuss the Civil War with your upper elementary learners. They create a KWL about the Civil War and record words relating to the Civil War as they read the book. Then they work in groups to create an ABC...
Crafting Freedom
Man in the Middle: Thomas Day and the Free Black Experience
How did free and enslaved blacks work to craft freedom for themselves and their families before the Civil War? Young historians read about the life of Thomas Day, a free black man who also owned slaves and had abolitionist ties in...
Curated OER
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854: Popular Sovereignty and the Political Polarization over Slavery
Why did Stephen Douglas support the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854? Why did Abraham Lincoln oppose it? Young historians examine how the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 affected the political balance between free and slave states and explore how...
Library of Congress
Stars, Stripes and Symbols of America: Comparing Our Flag, Past and Present
Your young historians will compare and contrast the details of the American flag today with an an image of the nation's flag from the post-Civil War era, and identify the flag's importance as a national symbol through analysis...
Curated OER
Meet Hannah the Weaver
Students analyze primary and secondary sources to explore slavery and emancipation, and write letter or diary entry from point of view of slave Hannah Harris or plantation owner Robert Carter. Students then dramatize their creative...
Curated OER
Letters Home
Students read a short biography of Jacob Early, a member of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry in 1862. In this Civil War lesson plan, students rewrite a letter written by him, editing for spelling, grammar and punctuation. Students further...
Curated OER
Remembering September 11
Students explore the impact of September 11 on American society through analysis of interviews and class discussions. Students evaluate the historic importance of the Gettysburg Address.
Curated OER
They're Only Children
Third graders compare how the lives of African American slave children differed from children's lives today. In this analysis of slavery lesson, 3rd graders evaluate and discuss the conditions of slavery in collaborative groups....
Curated OER
Deciphering the Declaration of Independence
Learners explore the textual meaning of the Declaration of Independence. In this Declaration of Independence lesson, students read and paraphrase the text of the document into modern-day language. Learners also consider the meaning of...
Curated OER
Underground Railroad Role Play
Students experience what the Underground Railroad was really like by role-playing as escaping slaves. They must travel to the North Star until they cross an imaginary line into Canada.
Curated OER
A Brightly Colored Past
Pupils read A Brightly Colored Past, choose three things they found out about Middletown's African-American history that they didn't know before, and create slide using Kid Pix Studio Deluxe to be incorporated into classwide slide show.
Curated OER
Clothesline Sleuth
Sixth graders investigate the origins of clothing production. In this Social Studies lesson, 6th graders examine the components of agriculture involved in making clothes. Students research cotton.
Curated OER
Recruitment
Fifth graders analyze and then draw recruitment posters. In this Revolutionary War lesson, 5th graders analyze recruitment posters and discuss the attitude towards African Americans. Students analyze primary documents from...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Slavery and the American Founding: The "Inconsistency Not to Be Excused"
High schoolers examine slavery in the revolutionary and colonial eras of the United States. In this slavery lesson, students investigate the presence of slavery in early America, the language of the Constitution, and the intent of the...
Curated OER
Abraham Lincoln, the 1860 Election, and the Future of the American Union and Slavery
Students examine Abraham Lincoln's political views about slavery. In this American Civil War instructional activity, students determine how Lincoln's beliefs led to the restriction of slavery in American territories. Student also analyze...
Curated OER
The Underground Railroad and The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
Students discover racism and slavery by completing a role playing activity. In this U.S. history lesson plan, students analyze documents from the Civil War era and describe the Fugitive Slave Law. Students view a video on YouTube about...
Curated OER
The Great "What If" Question. How might American history have been different had Lincoln lived?
Eleventh graders study the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln. In this American History lesson, 11th graders analyze documents related to Reconstruction. Students participate in a debate on Reconstruction.
Curated OER
Philanthropy in Michigan? Civil War Lesson 1: What is Philanthropy?
Learners determine the meaning of philanthropy and find examples of it in Mary Francis Shura's, Gentle Annie: The True Story of a Civil War Nurse. They discuss act of philanthropy that they have personally witnessed.
Curated OER
Who is Robert M. Glass? - Black History Month
Pupils research the role of African Americans during the each of the United States' wars. For this African American history lesson, students research information and statistics about the role of African Americans in the following wars:...
Curated OER
The Journal of a Civil War Soldier
Fifth graders write a response in their journals about the fictional thoughts of a Civil War soldier. They use specific web sites in order to research the life of a soldier during the Civil War.