Lesson Plan
New York State Education Department

TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 11

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
You'll C-E-R a difference in classroom achievement after using a helpful instructional activity. Designed for economics, civics, government, and US history classes, participants practice using the CER model to craft arguments about...
Article
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Constitutional Rights Foundation: How the First State Constitution Helped Build the u.s. Constitution [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Article describes how the written constitutions adopted by each of the 13 colonies were the seeds of the U.S. Constitution including the Bill of Rights. Includes questions for discussion and small group activity.
Article
Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch: Violent Response: The u.s Army in Al Falluja [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
A report on the activities in 2003 of the U.S. Army in al-Falluja, an Iraqi town that has not embraced the United States occupation. Many deaths have occurred there.
Unit Plan
C3 Teachers

C3 Teachers: u.s. History: Did the Attack on Pearl Harbor Unify America? [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A comprehensive learning module on how America reacted to the attack on Pearl Harbor that includes three supporting questions accompanied by formative tasks and source materials, followed by a summative performance task. Students will...
Primary
US Department of Justice

U.s. Department of Justice: Webb v. Clyde L. Choate Mental Health Center [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Although specifically a case in which the plaintiff is seeking federal support under the ADA against Illinois, there is an excellent discussion of state v. federal powers in the section labeled "Summary of Argument." The connection to...
Activity
US Census Bureau

U.s. Census Bureau: Factfinder for the Nation [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
The U.S. Census Bureau offers detailed information on the history of census taking in the U.S., what questions are asked, how data is gathered, and how it is used.
Article
US National Archives

Nara: u.s. Response to 1960 1962 Berlin Crisis [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
A transcript from the U.S. Army Center for Military History regarding the United States' response to the 1960-62 Berlin Crisis.
Handout
Other

U.s. Coast Guard: International Military Student Guide to American Culture

For Students 9th - 10th
The U.S. Coast Guard has taken American culture and condensed it for foreigners coming to the United States. Topics include major cultural elements, verbal greetings, classroom etiquette, slang, etc. This guide has generalizations and...
Website
Digital History

Digital History: The u.s., Cuba, and the Platt Amendment [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
After the SpanishAmerican War the American occupation of Cuba and the adoption of the Platt Amendment, which was forced upon the Cuban government when it formed its constitution, showed the signs of imperialism on the part of the United...
Unit Plan
CPALMS

Florida State University Cpalms: Florida Students: u.s. History: The Populist Revolt

For Students 11th
Looks at the unrest of farmers in the 1890s that led to the development of a new populist party called the People's Party. Explains the debate that raged around whether to adopt a gold or a silver standard, examines the election of 1896,...
Lesson Plan
Other

Our Courts: Bill of Rights: You Mean I've Got Rights? [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A great, active instructional activity about the Bill of Rights. Students compare rights they think they should have with the rights in the actual amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The language of the amendments is broken down into...
Handout
Other

A Guide to Your Children's Schools: A Parent Handbook [Pdf]

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Information about the U.S. school system written especially for immigrant parents but beneficial, nonetheless, for any parent who has questions about school-related issues. Explains, in simple language, the types of schools available in...
Primary
US Government Publishing Office

U.s. Government Publishing Office: Constitution of the United States of America: 16th Amendment Income Tax [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Read this text of the 16th Amendment, followed by the history of the Amendment and an analysis. (PDF)
Article
Other

John F. Kennedy National Security: u.s.s.r. (Pdf) [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
This article summarizes U.S.-Soviet relations during the Kennedy administration, including the Russian Missile Crisis and the Vienna Summit.
Lesson Plan
US Geological Survey

U.s. Geological Survey: Teaching About and Using Coordinate Systems [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Provides lessons and activities for teaching about the different types of coordinate systems including the Cartesian coordinate system, the Geographic Coordinate System, the Universal Transverse Mercator grid, and the State Plane...
Primary
Other

U.s. Fire Administration: World Trade Center Bombing: Report and Analysis [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
This is an in-depth report and analysis of the World Trade Center Bombing in 1993. Included in the 132-page document are statistical data, a complete recount of events, numerous diagrams, and much more.
Unit Plan
CPALMS

Florida State University Cpalms: Florida Students: Comparing Constitutions: Florida vs. the u.s.

For Students 7th
The US Constitution and the Constitution of Florida are compared in this tutorial and how each incorporates the system of federalism. A PDF file of the tutorial is available.
Handout
National Institutes of Health

U.s. National Library of Medicine: Call to Action to Prevent Suicide

For Students 9th - 10th
This page provides a brief look at the topic of suicide in the United States as of 1999. It includes statistics and resources for further study. PDF (requires Adobe Reader).
Activity
Other

United States Masters Swimming: Swimming Rules [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Read the official rules from U.S. Masters Swimming of all the competitive strokes.
Website
Digital History

Digital History: The Monroe Doctrine and the Roosevelt Corollary [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
The United States' intervention in Latin American countries has been interpreted in several ways. First read about President Theodore Roosevelt's Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine before investigating the times the corollary was invoked....
Website
Digital History

Digital History: The Philippines [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about how the United States gained the Philippines as a territory as a result of the Spanish-American War. Find out how several senators felt about this acquisition. The resulting Philippine-American War resulted in extreme hardship...
Primary
History Tools

History Tools: Thomas Jefferson Articulates the Agrarian Ideology [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Excerpt from Notes on the State of Virginia written by Thomas Jefferson, 1784. In this section, entitled, "Manufactures" Jefferson argues the U.S. should focus on an agrarian economy rather than manufacturing. Paragraph breaks and...
Handout
US Department of State

Congressional Research Service: Iraq War: Background and Issues Overview [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Published April 22, 2003, this Congressional Research Service Report analyzes the causes of the War in Iraq and the reasons behind the United States' invasion of the country. Although lengthy (59 pages), it provides the most detailed...
Lesson Plan
Social Science Education Consortium

Ssec: Health Care: Who Should Pay the Cost? [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this investigation, students explore issues around the provision of health care in the United States. They look at how it is financed, why the costs are growing so rapidly, whether it is a public or private good, and possible...