Study and research the American Civil War in this explanatory writing lesson. Middle schoolers complete six activities to learn about the American Civil War and soldiers' views of the war. The lesson includes several options to complete...

Learners listen to data on African American women in Texas before the Civil War. In this Civil War instructional activity, students compare and contrast the lives of slave and free women, and discuss case studies, locating areas on a...

Students follow an overview of the American Civil War from a film, the text and/or teacher direct instruction. They create a timeline with a large map of the U.S. in the 1860's available for student reference as they do the spider activity.

Calling all junior detectives! Scholars use the tools of investigation to determine the causes and impacts of the American Civil War. Using viewing guides, videos, group research, and written resources, they discover what it takes to...

Students examine the Reconstruction Era. In this American history lesson, students explore the condition of the United States following the Civil War as they read statistical data. Students analyze the Reconstruction policies to...

Are you contemplating a poetry study featuring Emily Dickinson? Finding good primary sources to accompany the study can be a challenge—never fear, help is here! Check out this primary source set that includes manuscripts of several of...

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."

Students consider the portrayal of war in the news. In this lesson on Journalistic perspectives, students will work in groups to critically examine news articles written during war times throughout history.

Students gain an understanding of some of the challenges the U.S. faced at its birth. They are asked to compose a report on the state of the nation in 1790 (addressed to President George Washington), which includes a narrative, maps and...

Discover colonies! Young historians will listen to a primary source journal entry read aloud with a backdrop of wave sounds. They discuss the entry, add historical facts to a chart and personal insights to another. Then they listen to...

Young scholars investigate U.S. history by examining North American timelines. In this American exploration instructional activity, students research the events that led to Columbus finding America and participate in a jeopardy game...

Students explore U.S. history by researching a historic map. In this westward expansion instructional activity, students discuss the mystery of the western U.S. in the early 1800's and the impact expansion had on Native Americans and...

Fifth graders read a book about independence, freedom, and slavery. Students create a story map of the book. They research the causes of the Civil War. Students write a newspaper article from the point of view of an American colonist.

Students discover what a primary-source document is, what different types there were back in 1867, and what newer kinds there are today. They play a form of bingo using printed cards that reproduce documents related to Confederation.

Second graders increase their baseline knowledge of primary and secondary sources and the likenesses and differences of them with regard to a selected historical event.

Fifth graders investigate the Underground Railroad by creating a quilt.  In this U.S. History lesson, 5th graders discuss the history of slavery through a class "word splash" and by reading an Underground Railroad map online....

Eighth graders examine the lives of the Gullah-Geechee people. For this unique cultures lesson, 8th graders explore music, language, and slavery of the Gullah-Geechee people from the southern low-country in the United States. Students...

Students investigate the removal of the Creek Indians from Georgia. Students read the story of the Creek removal from Georgia, locate sites mentioned on a map, and create a related timeline. Students share their thoughts on the Creek...

Students complete a unit of 9 lessons to learn about realism in music during the time of the Underground Railroad. In this music realism lesson, students learn about coded lyrics in the slave songs. Students complete 9 lessons using...

Students read given information and identify the main ideas and specific detail of the story. In groups, they read a historical title and create a "book talk" for each one, summarizing the story. In addition, students create a...

Students read articles relating to Jackie Robinson's breaking of the racial barrier in professional baseball. This leads to a deeper exploration of racism in the United States. They use a variety of worksheets imbedded in this plan to...

Students read two chapters of Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski and complete activities about Florida's transportation history. In this literacy and economics lesson, students read two chapters of the book, talk about their journal entries,...

Fifth graders compare and contrast two early colonies and make a T chart. They list examples of worked well and what did not, and significant historical events. They use higher order thinking skills by deducing how different scenarios...