A three-lesson collection from PBS’s History Detective series has young historians investigating women's contributions to American history. Young sleuths search for clues in artifacts, images, and videos. They hold a mock convention,...

Excerpts from Reconstruction: America After the Civil War, Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s documentary series provide young historians with insight into the struggles the country faced in the years after the Civil war. Viewers learn about the...

A four-lesson unit focuses on American foreign policy in the late 1800s. Young historians examine primary source documents, conduct a WebQuest, and use a timeline activity to reflect on the impact of American imperialism in Cuba, Puerto...

A three-lesson unit looks at the United States Civil War. In the first lesson, high schoolers analyze primary source materials to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the Union and Confederate armies at the beginning of the war. The...

Seven lessons make up a unit on African-Americans who served in the United States Congress from 1870 to 2007. Young historians read contextual essays, engage in activities, examine primary source images, and artifacts to gain an...

Six lessons challenge 21st-century learners to interpret maps, analyze real-world data sets, and use technology such as GIS to understand key global issues. The lessons, which can be used sequentially as a unit or individually, are...

Innocent man or traitor to France? That is the question addressed in a five-lesson unit that looks at multiple interpretations of the Dreyfus Affair. As young historians examine primary sources, they also consider the bias that history...

A five-lesson collection examines the history of the Cold War from a global point of view. World History students analyze primary and secondary source documents, as well as video clips, to investigate the beginnings of the Cold War, its...

From allies to enemies—the post-World War II period saw a dramatic shift in the relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. A three-lesson collection examines the turbulent period and the rise of the anti-communist...

Imagine the chances of a ragtag militia taking on the disciplined army and the majestic navy of the world’s largest empire. What were the colonialists thinking and what were their chances of success? Using primary source documents and an...

Immigration and immigration reform are hot button topics, now more than they have been. The Energy of a Nation curriculum is designed to dispel myths about immigrants, build empathy, and provide up-to-date facts. The 13 lessons in the...

The tangled web of the United States’ diplomatic alliances and foreign policy during the French Revolution comes under scrutiny in a three-resource collection. Young historians examine how Great Britain and France challenged both the...

The “Grand Alliance” between the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union was established during World War II to counter the aggression of German and Japan. A four-resource collection looks at the differences in the members’...

To regulate or not to regulate? To spend or save? A collection of six animated videos examines some of the great dilemmas of economics, including the conflicting theories of Adam Smith, William Phillips, and John Maynard Keyes. The short...

Designed for teachers, a 15-lesson collection curated by the Smithsonian, examines how wars have impacted American society. Each resource includes a lesson plan, background information, a materials list, maps, images, and worksheets. An...

Searching for materials to use in your celebrations of Constitution Day/Citizenship Day? Look no further. The lesson plans, activities, and videos in this collection will help you meet the requirement that all educational institutions...

If you are looking for curriculum on the Spanish-American War, you just hit the jackpot! Find three options for teaching either a one, three, or five-day lessons. Learners consider why the United States invaded Cuba, and use primary...

Analyzing primary and secondary source materials requires a special set of skills. Readers must be able to identify the central ideas in a text, to cite evidence to support their analysis, and to evaluate the arguments put forth in a...

Social studies and literacy skills go hand in hand, as one of the core components of history, philosophy, political science and the other social studies is the written word. The RH.9-10 CCSS standards place an emphasis on primary...

The period between the end of World War II and the fall of the Berlin Wall represented a tense, antagonistic relationship between the Soviet Union and the rest of the world, particularly the U.S. Explore the Cold War dynamics and details...