Nebraska Department of Education
Laws that Isolated and Impoverished the Irish
Students identify the reasons for the mass starvation in Ireland in the 1800's. They analyze the historical and political forces that caused the famine and discuss the potato blight itself in detail.
Curated OER
Conflict Between Democratic and Authoritarian Rule in Haiti
Twelfth graders examine the background of democratic and authoritative rule in Haiti. In pairs they conduct a simulated interview, reporting for a news station about the political, personal, and economical life in Haiti. They conduct...
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Focused Learning Lesson
Eleventh graders analyze charts and primary source documents to compare life in the 1940s and 1950s. They are encouraged to examine the economy, government, sports and education.
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Fueling Around with Energy: A Comparative Study of Conventional and Renewable Energy Use Among Nations
Students compare and contrast renewable and conventional energy sources. In this energy lesson plan, students research about conventional fuel and present a persuasive argument about their stand on the issue.
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Donut Dinero
Students set up a classroom currency exchange and explore the idea of bartering to get what they want. They create a monetary unit that is based on fractions and multiples of a standard unit, and compare this system to the U.S. monetary...
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The Great Depression: Eating on a Shoestring
Students explore the realities of feeding a family on a very limited budget by comparing the cost of living in the 1930s to the cost of living today. Using primary documents and technology to make the comparison, they identify the impact...
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Examining the African American Role in New Haven History: Pride in the Past? Hope for the Future
Fifth graders examine the role of African-Americans in New Haven, Connecticut. Using two maps, they compare and contrast the differences in the town from the past to today. In groups, they use the internet to research the contributions...
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History of American Child Labor
Students study the historical and social issue of child labor. They examine the photographs of Lewis Hine to see evidence of child labor and decide how the photographs depict the historical impact of the practice. They write a letter to...
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The US-Taiwan Textile Trade Case
Young scholars explore the issues of free trade and protectionism by role-playing. In particular, they will learn how these terms apply to an understanding of U.S.-Taiwan trade in textiles. After a lecture/demo, students break into...
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The 1920s: The Rise of Consumer Culture
Students examine economic, social, and cultural aspects of the 1920s. They provide a brief political history of the 1920s, focusing on the death of Warren Harding (Was he poisoned by his wife?) and develop skills in analyzing...
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Creating and Evaluating Ethnic Advertising
Students examine the concept of ethnic advertising. In this African American history lesson, students watch segments of videos about the history of ethnic advertising. Students respond to questions that correspond to each...
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Promoting Diversity in Elementary School Curricula
Students discover the roles played by various racial, ethnic and religious groups in the development of American society. They explore the concept of racial and cultural diversity and global community, as these are joined by economic,...
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Currency Depreciation
Eighth graders engage in the study of monetary currency while conducting research that focuses upon the time period of the Revolutionary War. The research is used to set the context for a class play. They pretend their is an auction and...
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The Role of Government
Students are introduced to the economic roles of the federal government. Using the internet, they read information related to government spending and the actual dollar amounts attached to budget items. In groups, they develop their own...
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Looking for Heroes
Students explain the importance of the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March and the long term impact in the US of non violent civic participation.
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Activists for Human Rights
Learners research prominent human rights activists from U.S. history. They report the biographical facts of their subject along with information on the causes he or she represented. Students also examine local human rights issues and...
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What do we know about Iraq?
Students develop viewpoints on world issues and concerns. Students review facts on historical time periods. Students compare past happenings to present situations in history. Students differentiate between various forms of ethnic...
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What is Communism?
Eleventh graders explore Communism. They explore Communism's roots in economics and discuss the spread of Communism in the Eastern Hemisphere. They evaluate a Communistic and a Capitalistic society. Students reflect upon the positives...
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A Tree Is More than a Street Name
Eighth graders discuss the role of trees as one of the most important natural resources. In groups, they examine how the forests nearby helped to shape their urban city. Using the internet, they research the use of the forest in early...
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"Medieval Travels, The Mongols and the Silk Road Across Asia"
Eleventh graders are able to take information obtained from the various readings of primary and secondary sources and classroom discussions directed by the instructor and relate it to the student's curretn real life experiences. They...
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When Rice Was King
Students examine the origins of rice production in the South. They identify the steps involved in rice cultivation, examine photos of plantation life, conduct interviews, and research the economic base of their own community.
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"Go West, Young Man!"
Young scholars examine reasons why people migrated west. They describe how the geography of the U.S. changed in the 19 th century and design a PowerPoint presentation to convey factors for westward expansion.
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Agriculture: Oklahoma's Legacy
Students continue exploring the history of Oklahoma Agriculture in this lesson. They trace several historical migrations to the state of Oklahoma. They simulate the customs and conditions of a chosen migration. Vocabulary and resource...
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Introduction to the Great Depression
Eleventh graders participate in a discussion on the causes and economic events of the 1929 stock market crash. In this stock market lesson plan, 11th graders use this as an introduction to the Great Depression.