Lesson Plan
PBS

Hidden Messages in Spirituals

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Slaves laboring in the cotton fields of the old South singing joyously may have convinced overseers that their workforce was happy and content, but in truth, these spirituals contained secret codes. After viewing a short video about...
Lesson Plan
PBS

The Meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The Fourteenth Amendment was extremely important to civil rights and is a crucial one to remember. The resource teaches about the Supreme Court decisions related to the amendment through writing exercises, reading, and working in small...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Three Days at Gettysburg

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders discuss why the Battle of Gettysburg was important to the Civil War. In groups, they identify the major events of each day of the battle. They analyze how the battle changed the direction of the war and discuss the outcome.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Brother Against Brother

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders read Across Five Aprils and correlate it to a unit on the Civil War. They culminate the unit by writing a a piece of historical fiction in the first person entitled "Brother Against Brother."
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Union Soldier's View of the Battle of Raymond

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students use a primary resource to collect information about a Civil War battle. They identify similarities and differences between historical wars and modern wars.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Constitutional Issues: Civil Liberties During War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars discuss democratic ideals and constitutional principles. They decide which side of the issue they are on dealing with the placement of Japanese-Americans in camps during World War II. They examine primary source documents...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Muhammad Ali and his Vietnam War Resistance: Defining Nonviolent Action through Gandhi and King

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students research Muhammad Ali's act of civil disobedience. In this civil disobedience lesson, students research Ali's defiance of the Vietnam War draft and compare his reasoning to Martin Luther King's thoughts on the war. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

From Slaves to Soldiers: African Americans in the Civil War

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders observe several films, including The Divided Union, focusing on the conditions of slavery and African American soldiers in the Union Army. In addition, they watch Uncle Tom's Cabin and Glory to reinforce their knowledge of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Cold War: Anti-Communism at Home

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders take a closer look at the Red Scare. In this Cold War lesson, 11th graders read the provided literature about anti-communism in the United States and then respond to the provided discussion questions that accompany the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cultural Impact of Jim Crow Laws and the Civil Rights Movement

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students examine the Jim Crow laws and how they impacted the lives of both African Americans and white Americans. They discuss the Civil Rights Movement and how their lives may have been different had it not occurred. Groups...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Executive Order 9066: Japanese-American Internment

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students analyze conditions under which sections of United States Constitution are superceded, research history of Native Americans, African Americans, and Japanese Americans, and debate policy of reparations for various minority groups...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

America's Wars

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers classify information regarding American involvement in wars. In this classification lesson, students examine the causes of the war in which the United States has been involved, and classify them as mainly political,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Post-War Suburbanization: Causes and Interpretations

For Teachers 9th - 12th
In this teaching American history worksheet, students examine a primary source document regarding post-World War II suburbanization. Students discuss their impressions of the document.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Underground Railroad

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore the Underground Railroad.  In this American History lesson, 8th graders create a song about the railroad.  Students analyze various symbols used during the Underground Railroad. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Road to the American Revolution

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Pupils consider the case for forming a new, independent nation. In this American Revolution lesson, students examine the people, places, and events that led to the outbreak of war in the colonies. Pupils compare colonial protests to the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"The New Television Set" a Gateway to the Post World War II Era

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders demonstrate their knowledge of the effects of television on the political, economic, religious, social, intellectual and artistic life of the US nation from the 1950's. Research how television shaped public opinion with...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Primary Source Adventures: Runaway Slaves Lesson Plan

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine social changes in Texas during last half of ninteenth century relating to the institution of slavery. They brainstorm methods that unhappy slaves may have used to avoid obeying their masters, and read and discuss...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Tough Act to Re-enact

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discover the significance of various historical events. Using the information they find, groups re-enact these events, stressing their importance to history and our lives today.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Jim Crow Era

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners examine how African-Americans were affected by the Great Depression. In this African-American history lesson, students conduct independent research on the social conditions of the time period using the suggested resources....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Book: The Original United States of America

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students, after reading Chapter One in the book, "The American Colonies' Sense of Who They Were," analyze the actions of the colonists as well as compare the similarities between the protests of the colonists and protests of today. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stories of Freedom and Justice: Learning Resources

For Teachers Pre-K - 12th
Young scholars are introduce to the topic of nonviolence and civil rights by watching a video. In this stories of freedom lesson, students examine the Supreme Court's role in interpreting the U.S. Constitution. Young scholars analyze how...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

John Brown, Then and Now

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders identify some of the ways that the raid at Harper's Ferry influenced the Civil War. They articulate the different ways that people though about John Brown in the 1800's and how his persona may or may not have changed...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Musical & Linguistic Lesson Plan

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders study songs and music of the US Civil War period. They use technology to compose a song that highlights an event or concept from the war.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Three: Poem Pieces

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students read and analyze stanzas of Civil War poem, The Flags of Michigan, to get perspective on what life was like and how Americans viewed Civil War, rewrite stanzas in modern language, and share new versions of poem with classmates.

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