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National Road to Indiana
Learners explore the National Road to Indiana. In this U.S. highway history and primary source research lesson, students read an original journal written by Jane Voorhees Lewis in 1806 describing her trip west on the first federally...
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School Museum
Fourth graders research individuals who contributed to the history of Illinois, and what school was like at that time. They compare schools of various times.
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ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Fourth graders explore the influence of Abraham Lincoln on events of the 1800's and crate a group life-size poster.
Smithsonian Institution
Conflicting Voices of the Mexican War
Americans wanted to fulfill Manifest Destiny, and this pattern continued with the Mexican War. The resource specifically teaches about the Mexican War through a variety of exercises including a research project, group work, brainstorming...
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To Come to Illinois - Or Not?
Students analyze primary documents to determine whether the author is pro- or anti-emigration. They outline reasons for or against immigration to Illinois during the early 19th century.
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History Detective: The Case of the Mysterious Trunk
Young scholars role play as history detectives. In this historical inquiry lesson, students discuss what detectives do, analyze a trunk of "artifacts" and make conclusions about its fictional owner. Young scholars complete six pages of...
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Cartoons for the Classroom: Tooning into the Candidates: Barack Obama
In this current events worksheet, students analyze a political cartoon about Barak Obama and respond to 3 talking point questions.
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Parallel Timelines
Twelfth graders research the history of how a particular environmental issue moves through the Conservation Movement. They create timelines that show the progression of public sentiment and the legislation about the issue.
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Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858
Students examine the transcripts of the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates and create a platform for each candidate in the 1858 Senate race. They utilize the candidates' arguments to explore the historical and political impact.
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"I've Been Working on the Railroad" - Federal Land Grants and the Construction of the Illinois Central Railroad in Mid-nineteenth Century Illinois
Eleventh graders, in groups, design a self-sufficient community. Groups present the communities they've designed. They compare and contrast the communities presented. They research the theories of Johann Heinrich von Thunen online and...
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New Citizen Exam is Democracy 101
Students read a USA Today article about U.S. democracy and then complete questions about the topic. In this democracy lesson, students read the article 'New Citizen Exam is Democracy 101.' Students learn about the test for U.S....
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Predicting the Past
Students study how archaeologists record the past. They discuss archaeology and artifacts. They view a list of artifacts discovered by Marquette at the Illinois Village and answer questions regarding them. They complete a test about...
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Choosing the Lincoln Statue
Fourth graders research photographs or artwork depicting Abraham Lincoln during the time when he was traveling the 8th Judicial Circuit and practicing law in Champaign County. They develop a Powerpoint presentation of the results of the...
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Barack Obama
In this famous person activity, students read a passage about Barack Obama and then complete a variety of in-class and homework activities to support comprehension, including partner interviews, spelling, cloze, synonym matches, and...
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Nationalism and Immigration
Students use the internet to research how immigration patterns changed after 1880. Using this information, they create a pie chart to organize it effectively and discuss how immigration changed Europe and the United States. They also...
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Colonial Settlement and Environmental Problems
Students work together to develop a chart showing the relationship between the settlement of the United States and environmental problems. Using this information, they identify the human activities responsible for damaging the...
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Corn: An A-maizing Plant
Students explore the corn crop. For this farming lesson, students identify which states are in the corn belt and read about the history of corn, its uses and its development and growth. Students dissect a corn kernel. Students discuss...
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GANDHI'S INDIA
Students describe key events in the life of Gandhi. They determine why knowledge of geography is necessary to understand the history of the people in a place or region. They write a summary of how the events in Gandhi's life,...
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The Great Chicago Fire: The O'Leary Hearing
Learners dramatized the O'Leary hearing regarding the Chicago fire using the transcript from the original hearings as a script.
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Using Literature to Introduce the Five Themes of Geography
Students listen to a read aloud of "If You Grew Up With Abraham Lincoln". Using the text, they identify examples of the five themes of geography and write them down. Using a map, they plot the places mentioned in the book and sort facts...
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Symbols from History: Mesopotamia Today
Students identify the various symbols different nations use to represent themselves. As a class, they discuss the recent events in Iraq and identify the needs of its people. They use print resources to research various Mesopotamian...
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Connecting Past and Present...Virtues of Military Veterans
Students explore personalities of those who served as medical personnel in American Civil War, compare qualities those troops possessed to qualities shown by troops currently serving in Armed Forces, and express appreciation to...
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Doubles: Japan and America's Intercultural Children
Students experience issues of intercultural children born as a result of the Occupation of Japan by American soldiers. They reflect on how these experiences and issues might be relevant to our own lives. Task cars are available to print...
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The Odyssey of a Coin
Middle schoolers create a fictitious newspaper article to document the travels of an ancient Greek coin. They evaluate the economic conditions that existed in ancient Greece and analyze the impact Alexander the Great had on the ancient...