Curated OER
Looking at the Old South: Music and Culture
Middle schoolers use different styles of music to research society, history and culture in the American South. They, in groups, research an assigned piece of music and make a presentation to the class. They keep a daily journal as well.
Curated OER
The Supreme Court and the Fourteenth Amendment
Students examine the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment. In this Reconstruction Era instructional activity, students read and analyze 4 Supreme Court decisions regarding the Fourteenth Amendment and determine how the decisions...
Curated OER
VH1's When Disco Ruled the World
Learners choose a minority culture or an event and research the musical influences of that culture or event on American popular music. They discuss how minority cultures and events in American society influenced the Disco era.
Curated OER
"Martial Law in Hawaii After the Attack on Pearl Harbor"
Students explore the concepts of martial law, writ of habeas corpus, due process, discovery and human and constitutional rights during World War II. They assess the roles and responsibilities of government leaders and citizens during...
Curated OER
The Deadly Equilibrium Lesson Plan
Students read a narrative "The Domestic Slave Trade" and answer questions about states' slave trading. They read another narrative "Runaway Journey" and answer questions about runaway slaves. They discuss the impact of the slave trade on...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
America in Space: German Voices from Huntsville, Alabama
Project Paperclip, the Redstone Arsenal, and the Huntsville Space Center are all featured in a resource that investigates the contributions of Dr. Werner von Brawn and other German scientists to the US space program....
Curated OER
Cinco de Mayo
Learners investigate the Cinco de Mayo holiday. They discuss the history of Cinco de Mayo, listen to the Legend of the Mexican flag, color a worksheet of the Mexican flag, and create a class coat of arms.
Curated OER
From Slave to Entrepreneur: The Life and Times of William Ellison
Eighth graders interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this South Carolina history lesson, 8th graders examine sources that require them to examine the life of William Ellison, a black slave owner.
State Bar of Texas
Brown v. Board of Education
You walk each day over 20 blocks to school as a 9-year old because the color of your skin does not allow you to attend a school in your own neighborhood. Scholars use the 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education to investigate...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
The Homestead Act
To understand how the Homestead Act of 1862 changed the US and the lives of the people during that time, class members examine primary source materials including letters, broadsides, and images. They then assume the voice of a...
State Bar of Texas
Plessy v. Ferguson
Where did separate but equal originate and what does it mean? Scholars investigate the Supreme Court Case Plessy v. Ferguson. Using a short video clip, they analyze the impact the decision of legal segregation had on society in 1896....
State Bar of Texas
Sweatt v. Painter
Is separate but equal actually equal? The 1950 Supreme Court case Sweatt v. Painter discusses the law of segregation and inequality. Scholars investigate the impact of the case on the desegregation of public schools across the nation...
Curated OER
With Malice toward None: Lincoln's Assassination
Students analyze primary documents regarding Lincoln's assassination. In this lesson on Lincoln's assassination, students analyze three primary sources of information regarding President Lincoln's assassination.
Curated OER
Race and Representation
Students consider race and representation. In this voting rights lesson, students listen to their instructor lecture on the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Georgia congressional districts, and North Carolina voting districts. Students respond...
Curated OER
The Industrial Age in America: Robber Barons and Captains of Industry
Students define terms "robber baron" and "captain of industry," list positive and negative actions of one or more captains of industry/robber barons, and take and support stand as to whether particular financier/industrialist is or is...
Curated OER
Abolishing Slavery
Students explain the goals and methods of the abolitionist movement.
They identify key leaders in the movement. This lesson has adaptations for elementary through high school. Links are provided for resource readings.
Curated OER
Held Accountable
Students examine and draw conclusions from an excerpt from a slave narrative. They analyze excerpts from two recently discovered slave narratives.
They draw connections among the narrative excerpts and historical texts by investigating...
Curated OER
Topsy Turvy Kids
Sixth graders study the artwork of Jaune Quick-to-See Smith before creating their own. In this painting lesson, 6th graders examine two pieces of work by Jaune Quick-to-See from the online collection of the Missoula Art Museum and read a...
Curated OER
Kensington Mansion: Plantation, Sharecroppers, Tenants
Eleventh graders investigate the significance of the Kensington Mansion. In this South Carolina history lesson, 11th graders take field trips to the mansion and research primary and secondary sources about plantations, sharecropping, and...
Curated OER
The Apotheosis ofGeorge Washington
Students examine the image of George Washington. For this Washington presidency lesson, students use the provided analysis handout to analyze the character of Washington conveyed in several pieces of art and speeches. Students share...
Curated OER
Badges of Pride
Fifth graders investigate jobs and how people identify with their job. In this labor activity, 5th graders create a book from illustrations of various jobs. Students read an article about labor and answer questions about the...
Curated OER
With Malice toward None: Lincoln's Assassination
Learners study the manhunt for, John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated Abraham Lincoln. In this lesson about a president, students write and role-play they are announcers who are informing the world of the...
Curated OER
Racial Inequality: Remnants of a Troubled Time
Eighth graders study the ratification of the 14th Amendment and the Plessy v. Ferguson decision. In this US History lesson, 8th graders read excerpts from the Brown v. Board of education decision. Students investigate one of...
Curated OER
Criminal or Hero
Fifth graders explore the origins of slavery. In this US History instructional activity, 5th graders create a map of the United States that shows where slavery existed. Students examine the life of a Northern slave through...