Unit Plan
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Slave Narratives: Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, and the Columbian Orator

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Young historians practice in-depth, quality analysis of primary source texts in this three-lesson unit, which examines excerpts from the slave narratives of Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, and Caleb...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Frederick Douglass’s Narrative: Myth of the Happy Slave

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The firsthand accounts of what it was like to be an enslaved person in the mid-1800s riveted a nation and the issue ultimately led to civil war. Using excerpts from Frederick Douglass's autobiography, budding historians examine what it...
Lesson Plan
Historical Thinking Matters

Rosa Parks: 3 Day Lesson

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
How can evidence and perspective challenge even the most well-known of stories? Through primary and secondary source analysis, think-alouds, and discussion, young historians evaluate the historical narrative of Rosa Parks across multiple...
Unit Plan
Cleveland Metro School District

Novel Lesson for The Giver

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Lois Lowry's The Giver is one of the most engaging and thought-provoking works of literature in the middle school curriculum. Round out your novel unit with a collection of reading activities, comprehension questions, memoir and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Charlotte's Web

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders focus on fluency by reading the book Charlotte's Web. In this reading strategies lesson, 4th graders partner read, do guided reading, and independent reading to increase fluency. Students use Venn Diagrams, discuss...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Pirates of the Caribbean

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders participate in a demonstration lesson that shows a map of the Caribbean Islands. They examine a natural resource that each island is known for. Next, they listen to a read aloud of Gail Gibbons, "Pirates: Robbers of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Chicago Fire Survivors

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students examine documents describing the experiences of survivors of the Great Chicago Fire, and write condolence letters.