National Endowment for the Humanities
The House Un-American Activities Committee
Was the House Un-American Activities Committee justified in investigating subversive influences in the entertainment industry? Part two of the three-part series of lessons that examine the anti-communism movement after World War II,...
Curated OER
The Movement Before the Movement: Civil Rights Activism in the 1940s
Many educators focus on the civil rights movement as it occurred after Rosa Parks incited the bus boycott. Extend the understanding of the fight for civil rights in the United States with this post-WWII lesson. Learners examine and...
University of Richmond
Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America 1935-1940
Redlining—or the practice of racial discrimination in housing loans—directly led to today's segregated living patterns in America. Using data from the federal Home Owners' Loan Corporation, classmates visualize the impact of policy on...
Curated OER
Witch Hunt or Red Menace? Anticommunism in Postwar America, 1945-1954
High schoolers investigate the goals and methods of the House Un-American Activities Committee and offer an opinion regarding whether their investigation of Hollywood was justifiable.
Curated OER
Glasgow - A Case Study 1
Students comprehend the reasons for poor housing in Glasgow in the 1940's. They discuss the conditions experienced by tenement residents and analyze the re-development proposals put forward by the city corporation. Students view "Glasgow...
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Rise and Fall of Joseph McCarthy
"I have here in my hand . . ." The war against Communism and Joseph McCarthy’s place in it are the focus of a series of lessons examining postwar America from 1945-1954. Joseph McCarthy takes center stage in this, the final lesson of the...
Curated OER
Soil Conservation
Students examine soil conservation. In this agricultural management instructional activity, students study how to use good practices for soil conservation. They discuss the Dust Bowl and poor land management from the 1940's to infer how...
Curated OER
What We Can Learn From Oral History
Students read oral history accounts of the 1930s and 1940s from "The Greatest Generation" books. They discuss how the common good and civil society was strengthed by these men and what they did for America. They research another time...
Curated OER
The Rise and Fall of Joseph McCarthy
Students analyze documents, cartoons, speeches and articles about Joseph McCarthy and his crusade against "Un-American" activities. They guide their research with a worksheet and participate in class discussions about their findings.
Curated OER
Navajo Sand Paintings
Research the use of sand paintings in the Navajo tribe. Your young scholars work together to design their own sand painting. They share their creation with the class describing what the symbols mean.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Soviet Espionage in America
The war against Communism and Joseph McCarthy’s place in it are the focus of a series of three lessons examining postwar America from 1945-1950. This first lesson asks groups to read an introduction that describes the Verona Project and...
Curated OER
Jacob Have I Loved
Young scholars examine visual images about the novel, Jacob Have I Loved. They compare pictures from "America from the Great Depression to World War II" that are described in the book and other studies of the Chesapeake Bay. They present...
Penn Museum
Penn Museum: China Gallery
Invite your learners to take a closer look at the art and mathematical function of dome buildings as designed by the ancient Romans. In the next segment of this attractive worksheet set, your young historians will then learn about...
Learning to Give
Start Cleaning the Air
Advocate for the environment! With the short story included, learners are prompted to think about radon (the odorless and colorless gas) and possible ways to get donations or raise money to purchase detection equipment. The plan spans...
Curated OER
What Kind of Santa Claus You Are.
Students use a photograph analysis sheet to analyze primary sources (photographs) of the Great Depression in small groups. They then write a poem about kids in the Depression Era that reflects their comprehension of the period and its...
Curated OER
A River Runs Through It
Students evaluate and interpret flood data from Central Texas. They list the tributaries that feed into the Guadalupe River and explain why is it important to include the tributaries in a discussion of the river, especially a discussion...
Curated OER
Photographs from the Great Depression: Jacob Have I Loved 
Students research the Great Depression and World War II. In this Great Depression lesson, students analyze photographs of the depression era as they begin reading Katherine Paterson's Jacob Have I Loved.