Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Invent It!

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students explore invention and unveiling of world's first Ferris wheel, analyze photographs and poster of first Ferris wheel, and discuss engineering achievements of Ferris wheel, including how it worked, how it was built, and its...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

New $1 Coins Honor U.S. Presidents

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Elementary schoolers examine money, then read a news article about new coins being produced by the U.S. Mint. The teacher introduces the article with samples of American money and a vocabulary activity, then students read the news piece...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

U.S. Mint Releases New Jefferson Nickel

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students share their knowledge of Lewis and Clark, then read a news article about the redesign on the U.S. nickel to commemorate Lewis and Clark's expedition. Introduce the article with a discussion and vocabulary activity, then students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: A Compare and Contrast Lesson Plan

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Two great men, one time period, and one purpose; it sounds like a movie trailer, but it's not. It's a very good comparative analysis lesson focused on Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Learners will research and read informational...
Lesson Plan
Heritage Foundation

Substantive Amendments: Amendments I and II

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The First and Second Amendments remain some of the most famous, even to this day. Learners read about several clauses from the US Constitution through a variety of captivating activities including before and after reading, group work,...
Lesson Plan
Heritage Foundation

Slavery and the Constitution

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
It's hard to believe the abolition movement was once seen as scandalous. Help learners understand how the US Constitution changed everything. A variety of activities such as corresponding reading activities, group work ideas, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

If I Were President

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Learners create a book with photographs on what they would do if they were President. They must add text to explain the photographs.
Lesson Plan
What So Proudly We Hail

The Meaning of America: Equality

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What if society sought equality by handicapping the gifted and dispelling any traces of diversity? Kurt Vonnegut Jr. offers one possible answer to this question through his incredibly engaging and thought-provoking satirical...
Lesson Plan
What So Proudly We Hail

The Meaning of America: Freedom and Religion

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The United States of America was founded on firm ideals of both the pursuit of happiness and a spirit of reverence. Through a close reading of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The May-Pole of Merry Mount," you can examine what some consider was a...
Lesson Plan
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2
What So Proudly We Hail

The Meaning of America: National Identity and Why It Matters

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Combining a close reading of a classic American text with the study of history can be a very powerful strategy, and this is most certainly the case with this resource using Edward Everett Hale's The Man without a Country. Consider themes...
Lesson Plan
What So Proudly We Hail

The Meaning of America: Self-Command

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Even for one of the most accomplished men in American history, there was room for improvement. Challenge high schoolers to use Benjamin Franklin's Project for Moral Perfection to analyze text, make inferences, connect to historical...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History of the Masons

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Students are divided into groups and follow directions of their group leaders and complete a worksheet while on site.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The War in the North, 1775-1778

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners investigate the hardships and difficulties that the Continental army faced in the early years of the American War for independence. the battles of Lexington and concord and the expectations of the Continental Army forms the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Political Cartoons to Understand Historical Events

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Examine historical perspectives through the use of political cartoons. Learners complete analysis activities related to the president's title, the establishment of the national bank, and the Jay Treaty.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Historical Fiction: A Wealth of Interpretations

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
How can understanding the genre of historical fiction help your language arts class with literary analysis? Use this lesson to help young readers learn about historical fiction. After reading a selection from the "Dear America" or "My...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

This Land is Our Land

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students interpret NASS data to determine loss or gain of farm land and compare land in production and crop production over a 50 year period.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Four Famous Faces

For Teachers K - 1st
Each one of our quarters is embellished with a famous face or image representing the state it came from. This lesson uses South Dakota's state quarter to get kids thinking about monetary value, what the president of the United States...
Lesson Plan
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1
National Endowment for the Humanities

Lesson 2: The United States, France, and the Problem of Neutrality, 1796–1801

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
While the French Revolution could be considered inspired by the American Revolution, it created thorny problems for the new United States. Should the United States get involved and be drawn into a European drama? Was the US strong...
Lesson Plan
Prestwick House

Author’s Purpose in Reagan’s “Tear Down This Wall” Speech

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
President Ronald Reagan's "Tear Down This Wall" speech, delivered on June 12, 1987 before the Berlin Wall, provides class members with an opportunity to examine three key aspects of informational text: author bias, the use of facts and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Lesson To Accompany "The First Bank of the United States: A Chapter in the History of Central Banking"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Here is an interesting topic. Learners examine the economics that led to the founding of the First Bank of America. They participate in a reader's theater experience depicting the debate between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Constitutional Convention: Four Founding Fathers You May Never Have Met

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students study the biographies of Ellsworth, Hamilton, Paterson, and Randolph. They study roles of these men during the Constitutional Convention.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Inventions

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Use this lesson plan to discuss inventions that have changed your class's world and have impacted society. Middle schoolers investigate important inventions of their time and design an invention in a simulated business atmosphere. Modify...
Lesson Plan
National Geographic

Altitude: What's in the Air?

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Introuduce your scientists to the differences in air at varying altitudes with a colorful explanatory graph. After some discussion, they view unbelievable footage of mountain-climbing Leo Houlding and a narrative about how he might do...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

The Monroe Doctrine: A Close Reading

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify specific passages in the Monroe Doctrine to events in early U.S. diplomacy.

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