Curated OER
The Battle of Fort Moultrie
Eighth graders interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this American Revolution lesson, 8th graders examine the Battle of Fort Moultrie and create their own historical narratives regarding the event.
Curated OER
Immigration History Firsthand
Middle schoolers interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this immigration lesson, students conduct research regarding Ellis Island and the American immigrant experience. Middle...
Curated OER
Are We Free Yet?
Learners read excerpts from several Freedom Documents, evaluate amount of freedom guaranteed by each document, and rank documents on scale to determine which grant greatest and least amount of personal freedom.
National Endowment for the Humanities
From Courage to Freedom: Slavery's Dehumanizing Effects
Learners analyze slavery and its effects on humanity using Frederick Douglass' autobiography. In this slavery instructional activity, students analyze instances of reality and romanticized myth using a slave narrative. Learners explore...
Curated OER
George Washington: First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this George Washington lesson, students research the details of Washington's military successes, his role at the Constitutional Convention, and his...
Curated OER
George Washington's Revolutionary Journeys
Students take a closer look at historical maps. In this American Revolution lesson, students examine the provided historical maps and documents to determine the assignments that George Washington assigned to subordinates during the...
Teachers Network
Celebrating Black History Month
Students create a PowerPoint presentation using graphics, text, and animation. They are shown how to do slide transition, and create slides. Students create a PowerPoint presentation celebrating Black History Month. They are shown how to...
Curated OER
Teams in the Field
Students conduct team interviews outside the classroom, either within the school or beyond, as part of a fieldwork project. They use reasoning skills as they formulate questions, plan, predict, hypothesize, and speculate about the...
Curated OER
From Slave to Entrepreneur: The Life and Times of William Ellison
Eighth graders interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this South Carolina history lesson, 8th graders examine sources that require them to examine the life of William Ellison, a black slave owner.
Curated OER
United States Entry into World War I: A Documentary Chronology of World War I
Eleventh graders reconsider the events leading to U.S. entry into World War I through the lens of archival documents.
Curated OER
We the People
Students create a map illustrating the three branches of goverment. They identify the branches of government and the shared or exclusive powers of each. Students use mapping as a prewriting stategy. They discuss our national...
Curated OER
The Gettysburg Address
Students become familiar with the Gettysburg Address as well as the historical importance of the document in history. They brainstorm its implications and then in groups translate the language used in the address into modern day...
Curated OER
The Gold Rush Experience: Create Your Own Exhibit
Students create a virtual exhibit. In this gold rush lesson, students watch a movie about the California gold rush, view a virtual image of the gold nugget that started the gold rush and examine the sources. Students research and...
Curated OER
Face to Face with the Great Depression
Students develop an analytical perspective of how historians record, preserve, and interpret data. In this US history lesson students read and interpret personal accounts of the Great Depression. They discuss how interpretation affects...
Curated OER
Antebellum North Carolina
Eighth graders examine pictures & documents relating to the Hayes Plantation (Edenton, NC). They also use various maps of North Carolina to help them analyze how James Cathcart Johnston used, modified and adapted to the physical...
Curated OER
Reaganomics Debate
Students examine the effectiveness of 'trickle down' economics. In this "Reaganomics" lesson, students use readings, analogies, discussion and debate to understand basic economic concepts. Students will analyze the what they think are...
Curated OER
Reading the Play
Students read the play "Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare. In groups, they identify the instances of similes, metaphors and personification. They use the Internet to compare and contrast the events in the play with historical facts....
Curated OER
From Smithson to Smithsonian: Who Was James Smithson?
High schoolers evaluate and examine primary and secondary source material as they relate to the life of James Smithson.In this "From Smithson to Smithsonian" lesson, students analyze documents looking for clues to the identity of James...
Curated OER
Riding a Stagecoach in the 19th Century
Students research the differences between traveling on a stagecoach and wagon trail in the 19th century. In this historical lesson, students discover the uses of stagecoaches and wagon trails in the 19th century, then decide which one...
Curated OER
Am I Really Free?
Fourth graders write about slavery and freedom. In this freed slaves lesson, 4th graders read historical information about free blacks during slavery and explore books, objects and slave narratives to learn more. Students...
Curated OER
Traveling Southern Style: A Lesson on the Jim Crow Laws
Third graders create a poster of a travel route. In this discrimination lesson, 3rd graders read The Gold Cadillac and use it to discuss the problems African Americans faced while traveling south in the 1950's. Students compare three...
Curated OER
Local History: Mapping My Spot
Learners explore maps to discover historical information about their local area. In this mapping and history lesson plan, students use panoramic maps of their own town/city to interpret historical information. Learners also...
Curated OER
Lewis and Clark in Columbia River Country
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this research skills lesson, students research the death of Meriwether Lewis using forensic evidence presented in primary...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Understanding the Context of Modernist Poetry
Young scholars examine the historical, social, and cultural context of modernist poetry. They explore websites, complete a chart, compare/contrast rural and urban life, watch a video of early New York, and complete a writing assessment...