Worksheet
Curated OER

The Two-Party System in American History: Ch 5

For Students 7th - 8th
Five matching and 5 multiple choice questions to challenge your class. Their answers will test their knowledge of early American government. Party systems, Electorate, and major constituents of the time are the topics included.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Loyalists and Loyalism in the American Revolution

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students engage in activities to understand how ideologies were constructed before and during the Revolutionary War. How and why were some "reluctant revolutionaries" turned into whig patriots willing to fight against the British empire,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Look for Patterns: Quilts in Two Faith Ringgold Stories

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Author Faith Ringgold uses quilts to illustrate her books Tar Beach and Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad. In this integrated trio of activities, young scholars read stories, identify and create patterns, and design quilt squares of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Influence of Musical Folk Traditions in the Poetry of Langston Hughes and Nicolás Guillén

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students listen and explore how African-American culture relates to learning Spanish as a foreign language. Poetry, music, and history are utilized while learning about Langston Hughes and Nicolas Guillen.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil Rights Movement: Closing Day

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Young scholars explore the American Civil Rights Movement. In this African American history lesson, students close a Civil Rights unit by preparing Civil Rights Open House exhibits for an audience.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Black History Month

For Students 6th - 8th
In this holiday worksheet, students find the words that are associated with Black History Month and the answers are found at the bottom of the page.
Worksheet
Curated OER

The First Vote

For Students 8th - 12th
In this primary source analysis activity, students analyze the political cartoon that features African-Americans waiting to vote. Students respond to 1 short answer question about the cartoon.
Interactive
DocsTeach

Analyzing Jackie Robinson's White House Letter

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Jackie Robinson: A hero on and off the field. An eye-opening activity focuses on Jackie Robinson's social activism during and after the civil rights movement. Academics read a letter addressed to President Nixon, answer questions, and...
Activity
Prindle Institute for Ethics

My Dream of Martin Luther King

For Teachers Pre-K - 5th Standards
Conduct a book study of the story, My Dream of Martin Luther King by Faith Ringgold. Followng a read-aloud, scholars take part in philosophical discussions covering the topics of freedom, equality, race, and heroes. 
Handout
Education World

Remembering Jackie Robinson

For Students 2nd - 6th Standards
A four-paragraph informational text details the life of the famous baseball player, Jackie Robinson. A prompt challenges scholars to write or discuss a time in their life when they were not included and how that made them feel. 
Lesson Plan
Northern Nevada Council for the Social Studies

What Are the Origins and Influences of Rap Music?

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Considered an American art form, rap has its roots in places from Jamaica to the Bronx. Using a series of readings, comprehension questions, and videos, scholars explore the history of rap and its connections to the African diaspora....
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Songs, Sounds and Stories from the Georgia Sea Islands

For Teachers K - 12th
American music is the result of the influence of many cultures, including the traditions brought by the African slaves. Young scholars study the polyrhythms, the call-and-response format, and the vocal improvisations of the Gullah...
Lesson Plan
Pace University

The Harlem Renaissance - The Journey to Freedom: An Interdisciplinary

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The Harlem Renaissance if the focus of a carefully crafted, interdisciplinary unit designed to introduce middle schoolers to the contributions key figures made to American art and culture during the period. Class members select...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Red Record of Lynching Map Analysis

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Long before the civil rights movement, leaders were working to secure equal rights. An informative activity explains the 1922 anti-lynching campaign with a map. Scholars analyze the map, complete a worksheet, and participate in group...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Confronting Work Place Discrimination on the World War II Home Front

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Before the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing, FDR's executive order helped promote fair employment. The activity uses primary documents to explore FDR's executive order to help minorities gain equal employment and pay during the...
Lesson Plan
National Park Service

The Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March: Shaking the Conscience of the Nation

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Travel back in time to examine how tragic events can spur positive change. Scholars explore the impact of the Selma Voting Rights March, including the tragic loss of life and the later signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Academics...
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Egalitarian America

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What does a true American represent? Scholars investigate the equal rights era of the 1960s and 1970s in the 20th installment of a 22-part series on American history. Using photographic, magazine, written, and video evidence, groups...
Activity
Digital Public Library of America

Women and the Blues

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A 12-piece primary source packet sets the tone for a study of the role women played in the origins, development, and impact of blues music. Legends like Bessie Smith, Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Mamie Smith, and Ida Cox are featured, as are...
Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Major League Baseball and the Negro Leagues: Correcting an Injustice

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
It's been a long time coming! In 2020, MLB Commissioner Robert D. Manifred, Jr. stated that "the Negro Leagues would be recognized as official major leagues." Middle schoolers investigate the history of the Negro Leagues and use evidence...
Graphic
A Mighty Girl

Juliana Rotich

For Students 5th - 12th
Hahidi, which is testimony or witness in Swahili, is a concept, a program, a community of people. This free and open-source software was developed by Juliana Rotich. A poster celebrates her vision and accomplishments and deserves an...
Activity
Americans All

A Simulation: The Peopling of America

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
What was it like to pass through Ellis Island? Learners move through the immigration process of the early 1900s in a simulation activity. A comprehensive activity includes role-playing profiles and other manipulative items such as...
Interactive
2
2
US Civil Rights Trail

Explore the Civil Rights Trail—Interactive Map

For Students 4th - 12th
An interactive map equipped with images, text, and clickable links takes history buffs on a journey through the Civil Rights trail. Scholars discovery locations including Atlanta, Georgia, Jackson, and Mississippi as part of an...
Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Rosa Parks: Sources of Information

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars show what they know about Rosa Parks and the incident on one of the buses in Montgomery, Alabama. Groups discuss and identify where they receive most of their information. They examine the importance of having a complete...
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Almost Famous: Three People Who Aren't in the History Books

For Teachers K - 6th
Enrich your history lessons with books about three little known figures: Thomas Banning, Annie Taylor, and Tony Sarg.