+
Lesson Plan
1
1
National Endowment for the Humanities

Lesson 2 James Madison: The Second National Bank—Powers Not Specified in the Constitution

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How much power is too much power for the federal government? Scholars use primary documents and constitutional research in groups to analyze the creation of the Second National Bank under James Madison. This is the second lesson of a...
+
AP Test Prep5:14
Bill of Rights Institute

Economics of the North and South Before the Civil War

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
How did economic issues lead to war? Viewers watch an AP review video to examine one of the main causes of the American Civil War, the Tariff of Abominations. They examine the issues concerning the economies of the North and South prior...
+
Unit Plan
University of Virginia

Uncle Tom's Cabin: Reading the Novel

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Teach the importance of context and perspective with a unit focused on Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. The first lesson considers the role of female characters and readers, including the gender expectations of the time. The...
+
Unit Plan
University of Virginia

Uncle Tom's Cabin: Starting Out

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Prior knowledge is key when starting any novel unit, but it's essential before introducing Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Three lessons provide primary documents, historical discussions, and extended reading activities...
+
Audio
University of Virginia

The Songs in Uncle Tom's Cabin

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Experience Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin in an innovative, musical way. A list of audio links leads class members to spirituals from the novel, such as "Die in the Field," "The Wings in the Morning," and "Blow Ye the...
+
Handout
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Tobacco Use and Secondhand Smoke Exposure Is High in Multiunit Housing

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Much has been written recently about the danger of secondhand smoke. Laws have been passed to limit that exposure in offices, transportation centers, and public areas. But what about apartment buildings, condos, public housing, and other...
+
Handout
University of Virginia

Illustrating Uncle Tom's Cabin

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Historical illustrations reveal more than what they are meant to portray. After reading Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, high schoolers view a series of illustrations, movie posters, photographs, and book covers that exemplify...
+
Activity
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Harriet Beecher Stowe Sends Uncle Tom’s Cabin to Victoria and Albert, 1852

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Harriet Beecher Stowe's plea for abolition is not only laid plain in her acclaimed novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, but in her written correspondence as well. High schoolers read a letter written by Stowe to Prince Albert and Queen Victoria to...
+
Lesson Plan
PBS

Lessons in Leadership, Roosevelt Style

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
It's easy to criticize those in power until you're sitting at their desk, faced with the same decisions. A history lesson prompts secondary learners to research the Roosevelt presidencies through the lens of leadership and...
+
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Thomas Jefferson's Library: Making the Case for a National Library

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The United States Library of Congress, the largest library in the world. But such was not always the case. The library was destroyed during the War of 1812. In a persuasive letter to Samuel H. Smith, Thomas Jefferson offered to sell his...
+
Activity
1
1
Mr. Beem's Social Studies

Civil Rights Project: The Long Civil Rights Movement

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Investigate milestones along the path that lead to the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. After researching key people, events, court cases, and legislative orders, teams present their findings as a magazine, newspaper, or...
+
Lesson Plan
PBS

Evolution of the Presidency: Theodore Roosevelt to Franklin D. Roosevelt

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
How much power should a president be allowed to exert? Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt exercised their power according to their interpretations of the United States Constitution, and these interpretations affected the...
+
Activity
PBS

The Roosevelts: An Intimate History—Snapshot Lessons

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
The Roosevelt family was one of the most influential and prominent political forces in the 20th century, leaving behind a wide-ranging legacy of conservation, progressivism, and economic growth. Learn more about President Theodore...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Theodore Roosevelt Association

Defining America's Role in the World

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
As the first American president to win the Nobel Peace Prize, and only one of four presidents to do so in United States history, Theodore Roosevelt's foreign policy achievements and preservation of peace are often overshadowed by his...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Theodore Roosevelt Association

Roosevelt's Legacy: Conservation

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
The legacy of Theodore Roosevelt carries through modern American politics, economics, foreign policy, and society. But his proudest and most profound efforts were in the world of conservation, and in preserving the natural beauty of...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Theodore Roosevelt Association

Interpreting the Past; Assessing Its Impact on the Present

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
Even though the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt ended over 100 years ago, we can still learn something from his stances and policies that is applicable today. Class members first look over a list of prevalent political issues from the...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Theodore Roosevelt Association

Theodore Roosevelt: A Presidential Timeline

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
Throughout his life and presidency, Theodore Roosevelt contributed to the America we know today in so many ways. An adaptable instructional activity prompts young historians to create a chronological timeline of Roosevelt's contributions...
+
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
Candace Fleming

Ben Franklin’s Almanac: Being a True Account of the Good Gentleman’s Life

For Students 7th - 12th Standards
Candace Fleming's award winning Ben Franklin's Almanac is the anchor text for a classroom guide that provides teachers with a cache of pre, during, and post-reading activities.
+
Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Lesson Plan: The Children's Crusade and the Role of Youth in the African American Freedom Struggle

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Young people played significant roles in the Civil Rights movement. Class members examine the contributions of Barbara Johns, Claudette Colvin, Mary Louise Smith, and the children of Birmingham,...
+
Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Letter from Birmingham Jail: The Power of Nonviolent Direct Action

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
What strategies are most effective in changing an unjust law? Class members examine the tactics used in the Birmingham Campaign of 1963 (Project C) to achieve social justice and social transformation. After examining documents that...
+
Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Lesson Plan: Montgomery Bus Boycott

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Most of us have heard of Rosa Parks, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and Martin Luther King, Jr. But what about Claudette Colvin, Virginia Durr, Freedom Summer, or the Birmingham Children's Crusade? A five-lesson plan unit prompts class...
+
Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Beyond Vietnam

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
On April 4, 1967 Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his speech "Beyond Vietnam." The controversy that followed is the focus of a three-lesson unit that asks class members to consider the political and social implications of King's...
+
Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X: A Common Solution?

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Much has been made of the differences between Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. But was there any common ground between them? Class members reconsider what they think they know about these two civil rights leaders with...