Curated OER
About Abraham Lincoln
Fifth graders complete a unit of lessons on the life of Abraham Lincoln. They read and analyze a poem, create a timeline, write an essay, research The Gettysburg Address and The Emancipation Proclamation, explore websites, and interview...
Middle Tennessee State University
John Brown: Hero or Villain?
"Love it or leave it." "You're either for us or against us." Rhetoric and it's polarizing effects are the focus of a instructional activity that uses John Brown's attack on Harper's Ferry as an exemplar. Groups examine primary source...
Facing History and Ourselves
Kristallnacht: Decision-Making in Times of Injustice
Have you ever been singled out in a crowd before? Pupils investigate and analyze the events of the Holocaust. They dive into the life of a middle school student, as well as the diary entries of those in Kristallnacht during World War...
Facing History and Ourselves
Do You Take the Oath?
Why did so many go along with Nazi policies during World War II? An investigatory unit includes four handouts, reading analyses, classroom discussion topics, and intriguing philosophical questions, helping learners understand the...
Facing History and Ourselves
Laws and the National Community
When it comes to the law, is justice always served? Teach scholars about how law sometimes enables prejudice of entire groups of people with a unit on World War II that includes a warm-up activity, analysis of primary sources,...
National Wildlife Federation
Yesterday: Our Energy Needs Over Time
How has our relationship to energy changed over time? An engaging exploration challenges learners to create a timeline showing human energy needs and uses over time. Scholars review what timelines are, choose a 50-year period in history...
University of Arkansas
Promises Denied
"Promises Denied," the second instructional activity in a unit that asks learners to consider the responsibilities individuals have to uphold human rights, looks at documents that illustrate the difficulty the US has had trying to live...
Curated OER
Multas
Combine history and Spanish instruction with an exploration of descriptions of fines given in Florida in 1790. Partners read the brief text, fill out a graphic organizer about the crimes described, and interview each other about fines....
Curated OER
The History of Ethanol in America
Sixth graders explore and examine the production of biofuels from the 1850's to the present. Included in their research is Henry Ford, ethanol, World War I and prohibition. They explain the importance of grains and grasses for the...
Curated OER
Social Changes in America Caused by World War II
Pupils research and examine the social changes that occured in the United States during World War II. In pairs they conduct research using a variety of resources, and organize and compose a "Guide to Life" for veterans returning home...
Curated OER
Abolitionists in U.S. History
Students read and discuss excerpts from the writings of Henry David Thoreau, Frederick Douglass and Sarah Parker Redmond. They compare and contrast the views of the three abolitionists concentrating on the experiences and reasons for...
Curated OER
Antisemitism in Early America
Eleventh graders explore the rise of antisemitism in the United States in the early 20th century. After reading a passage concerning one man's ordeal, 11th graders discuss how the civil rights of minority groups has been viewed in...
US House of Representatives
Keeping the Faith: African Americans Return to Congress, 1929–1970
The third lesson in a unit that traces the history of African Americans serving in the US Congress examines the period from 1929 through 1970. After reading a contextual essay that details the few African Americans elected to Congress...
Teaching Tolerance
Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice System
Explore the impact of the war on drugs in a thought-provoking lesson for high school academics. Young historians delve into the world of the criminal justice system and the racial disparity that occurs in the US. The resource provides...
Curated OER
Eisenhower's Foreign Policy
Good for setting the context for 20th century foreign policy issues, these slides describe key points in Latin America, the Middle East, the Far East, and Europe. US or World History classes will appreciate the concise list on each...
Curated OER
Analyzing the economic, political, social, and cultural transformation of the United States since World War II
Eleventh graders examine political issues in the United States between 1936 and 2000. In this American history lesson plan, 11th graders study the economy, education, government, civil rights, and sports of this time period. Students...
Curated OER
Birth of a Nation, the NAACP, and the Balancing of Rights
Eleventh graders analyze primary sources. In this US History activity, 11th graders interpret written information. Students evaluate arguments and draw conclusions. Students develop and defend a position.
Curated OER
Cattle Industry Crossword
In this cattle industry worksheet, students read 14 clues pertaining to the ranching industry during the Civil War. Students fit their answers in a crossword puzzle.
Digital Public Library of America
Teaching Guide: Exploring Little Women
Louisa May Alcott's Little Women is a literary masterpiece as well as a timestamp of the formative mid-nineteenth century in America. Using a primary source set of photographs, letters, and portraits, readers discuss the ways...
Curated OER
Black History in Music
Students relate musical styles with US historical context through research and presentation.
Curated OER
Commemoration of the Gettysburg Battlefield
Students use a multimedia project, The Valley of the Shadow: Two American Communities in the Civil War, to create a presentation about the significance of the Gettysburg Address. They work on expert teams to explore the interactive...
Curated OER
AFRICAN-AMERICAN POETRY BEFORE EMANCIPATION
Explore poetry written by African-Americans before emancipation. 8th graders create collages, and explain why they chose specific stanzas. They display the collages on the class bulletin board that demonstrate an understanding of the...
Curated OER
Food
Young scholars examine the types of foods eaten after the Civil War. They create their own cowboy style menu.
Curated OER
Runaway Indentured Servants
Students compare and contrast indentured servants and slaves. In this US history slavery lesson, students discuss the owners' perceptions of indentured servants and slaves, then view ads for runaway slaves to support their opinions....