Curated OER
Bootleg Bytes
Students conduct background research to explore the positions of different groups involved in the digital piracy debate, then participate in a fishbowl discussion that seeks to find a consensus on the issue.
Curated OER
Voting and the U.S. Constitution (Past, Present, and Future)
Students discuss the 26th Amendment, then write letters to a future guest speaker. Students listen to the guest speaker and ask them questions about voting and voter turnout. Students then create handbills urging citizens to vote.
Curated OER
We the People: An American Government Project
Pupils identify key representatives in the legislative and executive branches of the Federal and State governments
Curated OER
Twentieth Century Entertainment: When Work is Done
Students determine how Americans enjoy leisure time. In this 20th century America lesson, students research primary sources to study how Americans gained leisure time during the century and what they did with it.
Curated OER
Exploration Within the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Students explore with Lewis and Clark. In this research skills lesson, students analyze primary and secondary source links to study the accomplishments of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Students use their findings to create...
Curated OER
The Issues-Substance not Style
Students continue to develop criteria for evaluating candidates, consider personal qualities needed in the presidency, and compare candidate's qualifications for office. They write in their journals: "What issues get the most air time or...
Curated OER
Lady Liberty: The New Colossus
Students research the history of the Statue of Liberty and the symbols associated with it. They read and discuss Emma Lazarus' poem and why it should persuade people to donate money to bring the statue to America. Students role-play as...
Curated OER
FDR and the Lend-Lease Act
Students analyze primary source documents and photographs to analyze the implications of the Lend-Lease Program. In this research lesson plan, students read and discuss letters and speeches related to the Lend-Lease Act, evaluate FDR's...
Curated OER
Immigration/Migration
Sixth graders investigate the immigration into America by researching Ellis Island. In this United States History instructional activity, 6th graders research the Internet to view photographs and find information about the immigration to...
Curated OER
Coastal Quandary
Young scholars explore the debate among development and environment experts on evacuation coastal areas and take part in their own debate on "evacuation versus redevelopment".
Curated OER
Underground Travelers
Students are introduced to new vocabulary associated with the Underground Railroad. Using primary sources, they evaluate the railroad's impact on society in the past and today. They also make a judgment about the morality of the railroad...
The Dirksen Congressional Center
Congress Link: Lesson Plans
The Dirksen Congressional Center provides abundant lesson plans on all aspects of the US Congress and the US Constitution. All lessons contain time frames, objectives, and links to material, and are built around Bloom's taxonomy.
Library of Congress
Loc: Thomas Jefferson's Library: The Case for a National Library
Students examine a letter written by Thomas Jefferson and identify techniques he used to persuade Congress to purchase his personal library. Students consider a selection of Jefferson's books and then write their own persuasive letters...
Bartleby
Bartleby.com: John Dickinson's Writings
The site discusses political writings by John Dickinson concerning the British Parliament's right to tax the colonies without representation and against the Stamp Act. Dated 1907-21.
Other
Abraham Lincoln Online: Speeches and Writings
This site is a fabulous resource that contains dozens and dozens of Lincoln documents including letters, speeches, writings, and original documents that are contained in the Library of Congress. The site also includes Lincoln's view on...
Library of Congress
Loc: West Side Story: Birth of a Classic
View the online exhibit featuring photographs, documents--opening night telegraphs, letters, notes by Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein, set designs--and other items such as posters, DVD covers, and a pair of slippers worn in the...
Library of Congress
Loc: The Thomas Jefferson Papers
Learn about the Thomas Jefferson Papers, a collection of more than 27,000 original documents from the life of Thomas Jefferson. Includes a portrait, a timeline and an overview of the collection. Click on "browse by series" to view the...
Library of Congress
Loc: American Sphinx, Contradictions of Thomas Jefferson
This site includes links to several contradictions of Thomas Jefferson, including an essay by a prominent historian about the beliefs Jefferson espoused and his contradictory action in his life.
Bill of Rights Institute
Bill of Rights Institute: Charles Carroll
Charles Carroll is primarily remembered today for his political leadership in Maryland during the Revolutionary era. A wealthy planter, Carroll became a major figure in the patriot movement in 1773 when he penned the First Citizen...