Smithsonian Institution
Students’ Response to 9/11—A Documentary Report
Young historians research the devastating attacks of 9/11 and use that information to script their own documentaries. The follow-up activity includes recording the documentary and conducting classmate interviews,
Curated OER
The Proclamation of 1763
Students consider the impact of the Proclamation of 1763. In this colonial America lesson, students determine the how the proclamation affected the British Crown, the colonists, and the Indians and present their findings to the class.
Curated OER
School Desegregation in South Carolina
Eleventh graders interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this North Carolina history lesson, 11th graders examine the Briggs v. Elliott case in order to understand the difference in the state and...
Annenberg Foundation
Postwar Tension and Triumph
Go get the American Dream lifestyle! The 19th lesson in a 22-part series exploring American history shows learners the post-WWII economic boom. Using primary sources, photographs, and cartoons, groups discuss their findings and present...
Scholastic
Dear Miss Breed
This compelling plan based on the letters in the book Dear Miss Breed engages readers in learning what it was like for Japanese Americans following the attacks at Pearl Harbor. After reading the letters, young scholars will partake in...
Curated OER
Under Construction
Learners examine the concept of 'nation building,' focusing on outcomes of U.S. involvement in nation building efforts in Afghanistan, past and present attempts at nation building and how the U.S. should proceed in the war against...
Curated OER
Manassas National Battlefield Park
Young scholars complete a variety of activities that go along with the study of and possible fieldtrip to Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia.
Curated OER
Friends or Foes?
Students discuss Spain's relationship with Europe and the U.S. and research incidents of American-European disagreements regarding international actions and policy. They write essays on how the world might be different if a multipolar...
Curated OER
The Civil War
Eleventh graders study selected prints and/or photos and consider how Americans of the 19th century chose to present themselves to other Americans and the world by means of visual images. They share their observations and opinions.
Curated OER
The Ethics of the Bomb: What Would You Do?
Students research the use of the atomic bomb in WWII, analyze the human costs of dropping the bomb and identify the pros and cons. They develop a PowerPoint presentation on the effects of an atomic bomb dropped on their hometown.
Curated OER
From One Child to Another: Letters about the Holocaust
Students read biographies of students who survived the Holocaust and write letters describing the effects of those stories. They select one biography and write a letter to that child, telling how the biography affected him or her.
Curated OER
The Kennedy Years
Eighth graders read text and view films about the Kennedy administration. In this preseidential administration lesson, 8th graders interview someone who lived during Sputnik, write summaries of lectures, and create posters demonstrating...
Curated OER
Genetics for a Grim Future
Students perform a role playing exercise set in the next century after a nuclear war that destroys most of the present civilization. Groups of students act as genetic technicians making difficult choices concerning survival in this grim...
Curated OER
Return to Vietnam: Healing on the Hill
Students view a film about soldiers returning to Vietnam years after the war. They discover the need of closure by the soldiers because the war was not won. They examine the results of the war and answer questions to complete the...
Curated OER
Vietnamese Re-Education Camps: Examining History Through Art
Pupils examine art to view the Vietnam War. Using Quyen Truong's work, they discover that the suffering in Vietnam did not end when American troops left the region. They write a reflective paper to respond to the images in the art. They...
Curated OER
Lincoln’s Political Theology
Young scholars consider the weight of Lincoln's spiritual life on his political life. In this Abraham Lincoln lesson plan, students read excerpts from speeches delivered by Lincoln and determine whether they reveal information about...
Curated OER
March First Independence Movement
Students study the pro-independence movement of 1919 in Korea. In this Korean history lesson, students investigate the implications of Japanese occupation of Korea and create posters that feature the essence of the Korean...
Curated OER
Lesson 4: Fighting for Peace: The Fate of Wilson's Fourteen Points
Students analyze foreign policy. In this Fourteen Points lesson plan, students examine Wilson's Fourteen Points, explore Allied reaction to the Points, and compare Wilson's foreign policy to the Versailles Treaty.
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: 9/11 Revisited
Political cartoons about the September 11 terrorist attacks provide an opportunity for class members to analyze the inferences embedded in the drawings.
Curated OER
Federalism
Students become familiar with the Federalist papers and the work of the federal government. In this federalism lesson plan, students find similarities and differences between state and federal government.
Curated OER
Using The Complete Maus to Enhance the Student's Understanding of Maus
Students read The Complete Maus to explore how Maus is actually three books in one. In groups, they evaluate the book as a tale of surviving the Holocaust and a tale of impacting future generations. They examine the conditions at...
Curated OER
Deep like Rivers: Four African American Poets of the 1920s and 1930s
Students examine work by outstanding African American poets from the time period of the 1920s and 1930s. They study aspects of American and African American social, cultural and artistic history that influenced the content of some of the...
Curated OER
Art Reflects Life
Fifth graders use the Internet to view collections of famous artists throughout the eighteenth century America. Using the artwork, they identify the themes that portrayed America as the land of opportunity. They record their findings...
Curated OER
Social Studies: Bombing of Hiroshima
Students read a first person account of the bombing of Hiroshima written by a Japanese physician. By reading Michihiko Hachiya's journal, they discover the fatalities caused by the bomb itself and later by radiation poisoning. To...