Lesson Plan
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Colonial House: Fearless and Faithful

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A lesson plan based on the PBS program, Colonial House, which aired in 2004. The program is available on DVD and the link to the activity is still available. This lesson plan explores why ordinary people left their homes in Europe to...
Website
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of Us: Crash

For Students 3rd - 8th
From the extensive and very approachable series, Freedom: A History of US, based on the books by Joy Hakim, read about the stock market crash in 1929 and its ramifications.
Website
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of Us: Down and Out

For Students 3rd - 8th
Read about the response of Herbert Hoover to the suffering of those who were hurting during the Great Depression. From the PBS series, Freedom: A History of US, based on the books by Joy Hakim.
Website
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of Us: Forgetting the Constitution

For Students 9th - 10th
Read the story of a young Japanese-American girl whose family was sent to an internment camp after Pearl Harbor.
Website
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Frontier Life: "Hardship Without Glory": Life on the Trail

For Students 9th - 10th
From the PBS series, "Frontier House," read about the struggles that pioneers experienced as they made their ways west to new lands via wagon trains.
Website
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Frontier Life: The Crow Indians and Montana Settlers

For Students 9th - 10th
Find out how the Crow Indians were affected by the opening of the Montana Territory to white settlement. From a companion essay to the PBS series, Frontier House.
Website
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Frontier Life: Uncle Sam Is Rich Enough to Give Us All a Farm

For Students 9th - 10th
In this companion essay to the PBS series, Frontier House, you can see how the Homestead Act opened up the frontier to ordinary citizens, eager for a chance to own their own property.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Teacher Tools: African Arts and Music Lesson Plans

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Explore the world of African Art and Music when you check out this lesson plan. This site features learning objectives, activities and more.
Website
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow: Barbara Johns

For Students 9th - 10th
The amazing story of Barbara Johns, the 16-year-old who called a strike and walk out to protest the overcrowding of Robert Russa Moton High School.
Activity
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: The Supreme Court: Biographies of the Robes: Sandra Day O'connor

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographical account of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1981. She was the first woman to ever serve as a justice on the Supreme Court.
Activity
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: The Supreme Court: Biographies of the Robes: Thurgood Marshall

For Students 9th - 10th
PBS presents a biographical account of the life of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to serve in the court. Details his commitment to civil rights and liberties.
Handout
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: The Supreme Court: Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger (2003)

For Students 9th - 10th
PBS offers a synopsis of the landmark Supreme Court cases of Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger which "affirmed and refined its position on affirmative action".
Activity
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: The Supreme Court: Landmark Cases: Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

For Students 9th - 10th
PBS provides a detailed overview of the landmark Supreme Court case of Griswold v. Connecticut which dealt with the right to marital privacy. The opinion was written by Justice William Douglas.
Activity
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: The Supreme Court: Landmark Cases: Mc Culloch v. Maryland (1819)

For Students 9th - 10th
PBS gives an explanation of the Supreme Court case of McCulloch v. Maryland that established a broad interpretation of the powers of the federal government. Opinion delivered by Chief Justice John Marshall.
Primary
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: The Supreme Court: Landmark Cases: Reynolds v. Sims (1964)

For Students 9th - 10th
PBS provides a synopsis of the landmark Supreme Court case of Reynolds v. Sims, the Alabama reapportionment case in which the Court reaffirmed the principle of one person, one vote. Decision was written by Chief Justice Earl Warren.
Activity
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: The Supreme Court: Landmark Cases: Schechter v. u.s. (1935)

For Students 9th - 10th
PBS provides details on the landmark Supreme Court case of Schechter v. U.S. which dealt with congressional powers under the Commerce Clause.
Activity
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: The Supreme Court: Landmark Cases: Schenck v. u.s. (1919)

For Students 9th - 10th
PBS offers a summary of the landmark Supreme Court case of Schenck v. U.S. which dealt with when an individual's free speech rights under the First Amendment presented a "clear and present danger." This case has since been overturned.
Interactive
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow: Voting Then, Voting Now

For Students 9th - 10th
This site explores the voting experiences for African Americans beginning in the Jim Crow era. It shares literacy tests African Americans had to take and other challenges they were given for the right to vote. This denial of the right to...
Unit Plan
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Africa Teacher Tools: Lesson Plans

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Explore this comprehensive site featuring links to lesson plans for Africa. These teacher tools range in content and grade level. Use this site to discover more about the culture and history of Africa.
Activity
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: The Supreme Court: Landmark Cases: United States v. Lopez (1995)

For Students 9th - 10th
PBS features details on the landmark Supreme Court case of United States v. Lopez which set limits to Congress's power under the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution.
Interactive
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Classroom Interactives: Supreme Court Concentration

For Students 9th - 10th
Discover interesting facts about Supreme Court justices throughout history in this interactive matching activity.
Unit Plan
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Kofi Annan Center of the Storm

For Students 9th - 10th
Although this site is the companion piece to the PBS documentary on Kofi Annan, it is also an excellent source of on-line information on the man, himself and the United Nations. Find a Life Map of Annan, his quest for peace, and...
Handout
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: The Supreme Court: Biographies of the Robes: Warren Earl Burger

For Students 9th - 10th
PBS offers a biographical account of the life of Supreme Court Justice Warren Burger, a conservative appointed by Richard Nixon.
Activity
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: The Supreme Court: Biographies of the Robes: Harry Blackmun

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographical account of Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, appointed by Richard Nixon in 1970. He was best known for writing the opinion in the case of Roe v. Wade in 1973.