Curated OER
Did Rome Fall, Or Was It Pushed?
Seventh graders work in teams to research the reasons for the fall of Rome and come to a conclusion of why it did.
Curated OER
With malice toward none, with charity for all: The life of Abraham Lincoln
Students research Abraham Lincoln in a variety of ways. In this Abraham Lincoln lesson plan, students use primary sources, vocabulary activities, books, and more to research and learn about Abraham Lincoln.
Curated OER
A Full Military Experience
Eighth graders watch electronic field trip entitled Call to Arms, and simulate daily life of eighteenth-century soldier, including marching, camp building, cannon firing, and sharing common meal. Student groups form regiments by signing...
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Native People of the Caribbean
Eleventh graders use a map and locate and define the Caribbean region and then work in groups to read the passage and timeline. The groups' reader will read the passage aloud and the recorder makes a list of why colonists used slave...
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
Recipe for an Inaugural Address
An inaugural address represents the first moments of a new beginning. Using John F. Kennedy's speech as a model for guided practice, groups examine the ingredients of an inaugural address. Individuals then repeat the analysis...
State Bar of Texas
Sweatt v. Painter
Is separate but equal actually equal? The 1950 Supreme Court case Sweatt v. Painter discusses the law of segregation and inequality. Scholars investigate the impact of the case on the desegregation of public schools across the nation...
Curated OER
Demonstrating an Understanding the Evolution of Democracy in the United States
Students explore how democracy in the United States changed and evolved from its birth to the present. They participate in a mock testing environment. Students write a multi-tasked essay on American government and politics.
Curated OER
The Industrial Age in America: Robber Barons and Captains of Industry
Students define terms "robber baron" and "captain of industry," list positive and negative actions of one or more captains of industry/robber barons, and take and support stand as to whether particular financier/industrialist is or is...
Curated OER
Presentation of Pilgrims
Learners are given a category to research (clothes, life before the New World, the voyage, etc.) about Pilgrim life. s Students, in groups, create presentations using software program such as PowerPoint.
Curated OER
Creating a Historic Site
Young scholars discuss how and why locations become historic sights as they designate a place to actually become a historic site.
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This Guilty Land
Learners investigate the actions and motives of John Brown. In this abolition activity, students discover details about Brown's background as a free-state and abolition supporter. Learners discuss his role as that of a martyr or...
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American Indians
Young scholars research early Indian adaptations in this lesson. They research the different American Indian tribes. They also research and compare the tribes' rituals, daily lives, and their impact on the Europeans who came later to...
Curated OER
Abolishing Slavery
Students explain the goals and methods of the abolitionist movement.
They identify key leaders in the movement. This lesson has adaptations for elementary through high school. Links are provided for resource readings.
Curated OER
Teaching With the Power of Objects
Students define value of an object. In this value lesson plan, students identify reasons for collecting objects, compile a personal inventory of items they find valuable, and then define why those items are valuable to them. In step two...
Curated OER
Minerals, Crystals, and Gems
Students discover the relationships between minerals, crystals and gems. They bring in rocks that they find at home, in the schoolyard, etc. and examine them and attempt to identify them. They set up a classroom exhibit that includes all...
Curated OER
The Modern Mercenary and the Decolonization of Africa: Ten Plus Ten Questions
Students examine the role of the mercenary in the decolonization of Africa by answering the following questions: (1) Who and what is the modern mercenary; pro and con?, (2) What are some of the factors or elements which acclimatized the...
Curated OER
Discovering American Identity through Writings and Paintings, 1800-1845
Tenth graders view paintings to determine the identity of the United States in a specific time period. As a class, they listen to their teacher give the title of the painting and they write a prediction about what the painting might be....
Curated OER
"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...
Curated OER
Mark Twain- Teaching About American Authors
Mark Twain lesson plans can shed light on his famous works, like "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer."
Curated OER
Our Heritage: American!
In this poetry worksheet, students read the poem "Our Heritage: American!" and then answer 4 questions about the poem. There are 2 questions at the bottom of the worksheet for discussion.
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Slavery in the United States
Students investigate the personal accounts of slaves in the United States. They participate in various activities according to grade level to examine the role of slavery in the South.
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Story Telling: Chill Out
Students explore story telling. In this story telling lesson, students listen to classic campfire horror stories and prepare a storyboard organizer for an original scary story. Students share their story with the class.
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Sparta and Athens
Sixth graders study Ancient Greece. In this Ancient Greece lesson plan, 6th graders complete 16 lessons to learn about Ancient Greece. Students complete a quiz for assessment.
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Progress Amidst Prejudice: Portraits of African Americans in Missouri, 1880-1920
Students explore and analyze a database of historical portraits of an African American family of the late 1800's. They trace the migration of one of the African Americans as he/she migrates toward urban areas.