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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

In Her Shoes: Lois Weber and the Female Filmmakers Who Shaped Early Hollywood

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Lois Weber has been forgotten. So have Dorothy Davenport Reid, Gene Gauntier, and many others. High school sleuths use advanced search engines to investigate these women and discover clues to their disappearance from filmography and...
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Lesson Plan
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Albert Shanker Institute

Heart of the Matter

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Most people have heard of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, but few have heard of Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin. Who were these guys and what did they have to do with this famous landmark event in...
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Lesson Plan
C-SPAN

Historical Presidential Campaign Announcement Analysis

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Using the announcements of presidential candidacies, pupils consider how contenders make their initial arguments to the public. A worksheet helps structure collaborative work to analyze 10 video clips. Writing prompts allow for extension...
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Unit Plan
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Echoes & Reflections

Jewish Resistance

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Resistance to the Holocaust took on many forms. Learners explore the passive and active resistance of Jewish people who continued their practices and observances, as well as organized resistance against the evils of the Nazis. An...
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Unit Plan
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Echoes & Reflections

The "Final Solution"

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Nazi policies shifted from deportation and imprisonment to extermination of the Jewish people in death camps in the "Final Solution." Learners examine photos of artifacts, read poetry written by survivors, analyze testimony from...
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Unit Plan
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Echoes & Reflections

Survivors and Liberators

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The end was just the beginning. The period immediately after the end of World War II and the Holocaust is often called "The Return to Life" as survivors looked to reunite and recreate broken families and shattered lives. A two-lesson...
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Unit Plan
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Echoes & Reflections

Nazi Germany

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The Holocaust was an evolution of anti-Semitism, scapegoating, and targeted violence against Jews with Nazi policies. A resource unpacks the escalation in violence, along with the erosion of democratic institutions, during the 1930s....
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Unit Plan
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Echoes & Reflections

The Children and Legacies Beyond the Holocaust

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Using video testimony, primary source documents that detail international agreements, and structured discussions, learners consider the precarious position of children during the Holocaust and other international conflicts, and how to...
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Unit Plan
1
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Echoes & Reflections

Rescuers and Non-Jewish Resistance

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What does it mean to be a rescuer during the time of the Holocaust? Learners consider the role of those who resisted the Nazi invasions, including hiding Jewish people, throughout Europe. Activities include listening to the testimony of...
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Unit Plan
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Echoes & Reflections

The Ghettos

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Young historians examine primary sources, including diaries, poems, and photographs, to consider the conditions in the ghettos and how they fit into the escalation of the Third Reich's plot against the Jewish people. 
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Unit Plan
1
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Echoes & Reflections

Studying The Holocaust

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
While many young scholars are familiar with the Holocaust, they may not understand the specific history that led to the unprecedented atrocity. The first lesson in the unit helps teachers gauge their pupils' background knowledge. A...
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Lesson Plan
A&E Television

The World Wars

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Contemporaneously known as The Great War, World War I had never seen its match on the global stage—until World War II. An engaging set of resources designed to extend a viewing of the History Channel's The World Wars features discussion...
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Lesson Plan
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West Virginia Department of Education

Intelligence of Authentic Character - News Coverage and John Brown's Raid

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The resource, a standalone, shows how news coverage of John Brown's Raid began when the event happened and how that reporting shaped perception in West Virginia history. The resource includes interesting anticipatory discussion...
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Interactive
Smithsonian Institution

The Price of Freedom: Americans at War

For Students 5th - 12th Standards
An interactive resource covers all of the United States' most prominent and influential historic wars including the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the War of 1812, and the Korean War. Learners observe cause and effect as well as how violence...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Smithsonian Institution

Conflicting Voices of the Mexican War

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Americans wanted to fulfill Manifest Destiny, and this pattern continued with the Mexican War. The resource specifically teaches about the Mexican War through a variety of exercises including a research project, group work, brainstorming...
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Lesson Plan
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Smithsonian Institution

Students’ Response to 9/11—A Documentary Report

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
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, 
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Lesson Plan
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Smithsonian Institution

Battle of the Bulge: America Responds to a German Surprise

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
World War II and the Battle of the Bulge are the focus of a history resource. Exercises include analyzing images, writing letters in the mindset of a soldier, and even immersing oneself in a cold experience to better empathize with the...
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Lesson Plan
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Smithsonian Institution

Changing Gender Roles on the Home Front

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Many historians discuss how gender roles changed because of World War II, but how did this come to be? An informative resource challenges scholars to do some digging and research the information for themselves. They research how...
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Lesson Plan
Facing History and Ourselves

Life for German Youth in the 1930s: Education, Propaganda, Conformity, and Obedience

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The German youth faced an onslaught of propaganda when they went to school, thanks to the Nazi regime led by Hitler during World War II. Pupils relate their education experiences to German youth by analyzing primary source readings,...
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Lesson Plan
2
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PBS

Women's History: Parading Through History

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Want to teach your pupils about debate, effective speech techniques, propaganda, and the women's movement? The first in a sequential series of three, scholars analyze real propaganda images from the the historic women's movement, view a...
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Lesson Plan
National History Day

“War Is Hell. We Know it Now.” American Soldiers in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Understanding the soldier's experiences during World War I sometimes takes a newscast. Learners see the importance of understanding multiple points of view with a newscast project surrounding the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Compare and...
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Lesson Plan
Heritage Foundation

Voting and the Constitution

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How difficult was it for everyone to get voting rights? Understanding voting rights and the fight to get them for everyone in the United States can be tricky for some learners. However, they are clarified after engaging in the...
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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...
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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,...