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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

The Argument of the Declaration of Independence

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
When in the course of a course on historic American events, it becomes necessary for learners to examine, with decent respect, the Declaration of Independence, it becomes evident that there are six separate and equal parts of that...
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Lesson Plan
Elizabeth Murray Project

The Education of Women in Colonial America

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
What educational opportunities were available to women during the colonial era in American history? How did the opportunities available to women differ from those for men? To answer this question, class members examine a series of...
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Lesson Plan
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Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

George Washington: General, President, Slave Owner

For Teachers 8th
Times change; behaviors that were once considered acceptable can be seen in a very different light. Middle schoolers revisit the legacy of George Washington in a three-day lesson plan that uses primary sources to reveal Washington as a...
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Lesson Plan
Pulitzer Center

China's Rising Labor Movement

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
Young historians will explore the complex causes and effects of industrialization in China by perusing the numerous articles included in this webpage. Throughout the resource, there are many writing and discussion prompts to help direct...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Old Stone House Lesson Plan

For Teachers 7th - 12th
From stagecoach to railroad tracks, your class will discover how advancements in travel in the United States during the nineteenth century played an integral role in the industrialization and development of American society. The main...
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Lesson Plan
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Smithsonian Institution

Lexington and Concord: Historical Interpretation

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Learners view and analyze three different images related to the Battle of Lexington and Concord. They also answer a variety of questions in a graphic organizer to help keep the information straight.
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Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

Patriots or Traitors - Point of View in the War for Independence

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Patriots or traitors? Class members analyze images that present widely differing views of the Boston Tea Party, identifying the point of view of the image, the propaganda devices used, and the intended audience.
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Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

History of Immigration From the 1850s to the Present

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
The Statue of Liberty may embrace the huddled masses of the world, but has American society always joined in? After young historians read a passage about the history of American immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries, focusing on...
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Lesson Plan
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Skyscraper Museum

Building a Skyscraper

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
The construction of skyscrapers is no simple undertaking, involving the careful coordination and planning of many different people. The third activity in this series explores this detailed process by first teaching children about the...
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Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

Differences Among Colonial Regions

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Classes look at and analyze primary source images to explore the differences between the colonial regions during the Revolutionary era. They break into groups to tackle each region and then present their findings to the class. A final...
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Lesson Plan
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation

Why Did Some Colonial Virginians Seek Independence?

For Students 5th - 12th Standards
To understand the reasonings of those colonials who sought independence from England, young historians are divided into content groups that examine documents related to either the Boston Tea Party, the Yorktown Tea Party, Tea Overboard,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lessons in Looking: Imperialism Cartoons

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Using a Smartboard, learners break apart symbolism found in a political cartoon published in 1902. They work to analyze the cartoon in terms of US Imperialism occurring in the late 1890s. All necessary materials are included in this well...
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Lesson Plan
2
2
Library of Congress

Determining Point of View: Paul Revere and the Boston Massacre

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
If you're teaching point of view, this is the lesson for you! First, decipher the writer's point of view from a primary resource, then compare and contrast the primary source with a secondary source to explore the Paul Revere's engraving...
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Lesson Plan
4
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Smithsonian Institution

A Ticket to Philly—In 1769: Thinking about Cities, Then and Now

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
While cities had only a small fraction of the population in colonial America, they played a significant role in pre-revolutionary years, and this was certainly true for the largest city in the North American colonies: Philadelphia. Your...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Presidential Biography: Bicentennial Quarter

For Teachers 4th - 6th
A biography is a type of literary genre that everyone needs to be familiar with. Here, the class will read two different biographies of George Washington and discuss how they are similar and different, then decide weather they can glean...
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Lesson Plan
American Evolution

Virginia Runaway Slave Ads

For Students 11th - 12th Standards
What does an ad reveal about a culture, or about the values of its intended audience? Class members examine a series of runaway slave ads—one of which was written by Thomas Jefferson—and consider what these primary source documents...
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Lesson Plan
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Franklin, Master Diplomat

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
While many often associate Ben Franklin with his kite electricity experiments, budding historians find out he contributed much more. They discover Franklin's political savvy by examining primary sources in the informative installment of...
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Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

First Continental Congress, Second Continental Congress, and the Declaration of Independence

For Teachers 5th
Your learners will take on the roles of Congressional members in the year 1775 and devise a plan for America after the onset of the Revolutionary War.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Alexander Hamilton: Lawyer, Writer, and Founding Father

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Scholars analyze the impact Alexander Hamilton had on the creation of the United States. Primary documents and video clips give learners a glimpse into the life of one of America's Founding Fathers, arming them with enough information to...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Abigail as Letter Writer

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed Standards
The fourth instructional activity in the series of 16 asks researchers to analyze an exchange of letters between John and Abigail Adams for what they each valued in letter writing.
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Slavery and the American Founding: The "Inconsistency Not to Be Excused"

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
High schoolers examine slavery in the revolutionary and colonial eras of the United States. In this slavery lesson, students investigate the presence of slavery in early America, the language of the Constitution, and the intent of the...
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Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

What Brought Settlers to the Midwest?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Drawn by promises of fertile land, thousands of settlers poured West because of the Homestead Act of 1862. By examining images of the ads that drew them westward, learners consider the motivations for movement. They also consider how the...
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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.
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Lesson Plan
City University of New York

Urban Politics: Machines and Reformers

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Take a trip to the turn of the twentieth century with a resource about industrialism in America. With primary source documents and focus questions, learners think about the ways that government groups and organizations paved the way for...