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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Breaking the Great League of Peace and Power: The Six Iroquois Nations During and After the American Revolution

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
What happens when you can't remain neutral? An informative lesson explores the impact of the American Revolution on the Iroquois Nations. Scholars learn about the six Iroquois nations and their treaty with the newly formed American...
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Lesson Plan
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Reading the Work of B. Franklin, Printer

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Placing Ben Franklin’s ideas about a free press next to those embodied in the First Amendment sheds light on both. Learners interpret and compare two primary sources and then examine them in the light of a contemporary survey about...
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Interactive
US National Archives

Eastern Europe 1939-45 — Berlin

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
The inevitability of World War II has arrived: Berlin has fallen. Young historians watch contemporaneous footage of the event, analyze primary source documents, and write a news report that details the roles of the Soviet, British,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Interpreting Primary Sources: Cartoons

For Teachers 8th - 12th
In this analyzing primary sources worksheet, students examine 3 political cartoons of their choice and respond to 4 short answer questions regarding each of them.
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Lesson Plan
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Center for History and New Media

Slavery and Free Negroes, 1800 to 1860

For Teachers 4th - 11th Standards
What was life like for enslaved and free black people before the American Civil War? Explore the building tension between states and the freedom of individuals with a thorough social studies lesson plan. Learners of all ages explore...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Liberty Rhetoric

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What is liberty rhetoric? Examine how people have used it in four different time periods and situations. High schoolers investigate original source documents and compare them with the Declaration of Independence to decide how liberty...
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Lesson Plan
University of Chicago

Using Artifacts for Clues About Identity

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
Learn about the ancient Near East through a close examination of ancient artifacts. Lead your class into analysis by first observing an artifact as a class. Pupils can then work in pairs to analyze the other artifacts and compile a list...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Declaration of Independence

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Learners analyze the Declaration of Independence. They identify and describe various sections of the document then discuss how the colonists responded to it. As a culminating activity, they write their own declarations of independence as...
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Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

United States Colored Troops

For Teachers 6th - 8th
The debate over slavery contributed to the Civil War, but it didn't stop African Americans from joining the military. Academics complete a series of worksheets, read original letters, and analyze a photo of an African American soldier to...
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Lesson Plan
Friends of Fort McHenry

Privateers in the War of 1812: Soldiers or Thieves?

For Teachers 8th Standards
Do governments have the right to authorize individuals to perform illegal acts during times of war? Did the US government really employ pirates? Use the War of 1812 as your vessel to answering these questions through class discussion and...
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Assessment
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New York State Education Department

Global History and Geography Examination: January 2011

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Using primary and secondary sources—including classics such as the Communist Manifesto—class members consider the effects of these ideas on the course of history. Another essay prompt explores geography and history, while multiple-choice...
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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

The Suffragist: Educator's Guide for Classroom Video

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
Class members take on the role of historical investigators to determine why it took 40 years for women in the United States to get the right to vote. Sleuths view videos and analyze primary sources and images to gather evidence to answer...
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Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

Contraband Camp

For Teachers 9th - 12th
 An educational lesson plan explores the plight of African Americans escaping slavery during the Civil War. Learners view a presentation and analyze primary documents and images to understand the purpose of contraband camps and how...
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Lesson Plan
Museum of the American Revolution

The Ongoing Revolution

For Teachers 4th - 12th
America: a nation that continues to change. Budding historians analyze primary sources to understand the key ideas of the American Revolution and how the country has changed over time. Scholars read text from the Declaration of...
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Lesson Plan
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Smithsonian Institution

A Dream Deferred: DACA

For Teachers 8th - 11th Standards
 "Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses" has even more meaning for some children. The resource explores the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Scholars analyze primary sources and participate in...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

The Untold Story: The Black Struggle for Freedom during the Revolutionary War in Maryland

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
The American Revolution brought freedom to select groups and ignored others. An enlightening resource highlights the struggle of African Americans during the American Revolution and their efforts to escape slavery. Scholars analyze...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

The Founding Fathers and the Constitutional Struggle Over Centralized Power

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Believe it or not, the Constitution was America's second attempt at a democratic government. Academics travel back to the past to explore the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation that would eventually lead to the Constitutional...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Fighting for Whose Freedom? Black Soldiers in the American Revolution

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Fight for freedom! The lesson delves into the world of African American soldiers during the American Revolution. Scholars read documents, such as the Dunmore Proclamation, to understand how the British government treated African...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Prohibition and Its Consequences

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Organized crime and speakeasies ... just another day during Prohibition. An intriguing activity explores the world of Prohibition and its consequences on life in the United States. Scholars analyze primary sources and place them on a...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

American Indian Voting Rights through History

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Vote ... it's your right! An enlightening lesson examines the history of voting rights for Native Americans. Leaners analyze primary documents and place them in chronological order. Academics also create a list of other events that took...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pearl Harbor and the Internment of Japanese Americans during World War II

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
Balancing national security and civil liberties can be tricky. To appreciate the tension between these two concepts, class members investigate the Japanese attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor and President Franklin D....
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Interactive
DocsTeach

African American Soldiers and Civil Rights During WWI

For Students 7th - 12th Standards
Young scholars analyze primary source documents and images to determine how African American soldiers were denied their civil rights during World War I.
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Lesson Plan
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PBS

Civil War: Blacks on the Battlefield

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Imagine a war being fought to free slaves, with slaves on the front line. Scholars use primary documents, videos, and research in the second installment of a three-part series to guide their analysis of the first African-Americans on the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Post-1865: Effects of the War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An engaging instructional activity focuses on the impact of the war and Lincoln's plan for Reconstruction had on the United States. Historians analyze primary documents, such as Constitutional Amendments and newspaper experts. They also...