Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Presidential Election Year: Major Issues

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Whether or not it's a presidential election year, this debate activity will spark research on current political issues. Split your government scholars into 4 groups and assign each a political party. One person will be the "candidate"...
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Economienda System

For Students 8th - 10th
Explore the Economienda System common in Latin America during the 1700s. The class will read the included text, answer 3 critical-thinking questions, and fill out a pie chart showing the demographics of the time. They will learn about...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: You've Got Mail!

For Students 9th - 12th
As the U.S. Postal System adjusts to virtual messaging, will snail mail slowly fade away? Examine the current phenomenon with your class through this political cartoon analysis, which has background information to give context for 2...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: Fair Elections?

For Students 9th - 12th
Rigged elections make for both intriguing current events and hilarious political cartoons. In this analysis learning exercise, pupils read background information to help them grasp a cartoon about rigged presidential elections in 2007 by...
Activity
Curated OER

WWI Propaganda Choice Activity

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
World War I propaganda techniques employed by the United States government are the focus of this lesson plan. The resource includes an excellent handout of propaganda techniques, ranging from appealing to authority to repetition, lying,...
Lesson Plan
City University of New York

Jim Crow and Voting Rights

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Class groups examine primary source documents to determine how the voting rights of African Americans were restricted after the failure of Reconstruction, and how African American participation in World War II lead to change.
Handout
ProCon

Gun Control

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
According to some estimates, there are more guns than people in the United States. Learners decide if America should enact more gun control laws. They analyze information about gun deaths in the United States by year, read about the...
Handout
ProCon

Right to Health Care

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Is health care a right or a privilege? Scholars review pro and con arguments to decide if all Americans should have the right to health care. They also watch informative videos and review information on the United States and...
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

To What Extent Were Women's Contributions to World War II Industries Valued?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Women rose to the challenge when the nation's war effort called them—but were sent home when the GIs came back from World War II. Young historians consider whether the United States valued women's contributions during the war using a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Criminal or Hero

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Young scholars investigate slavery in America circa the American Revolution. They will examine point- of view and perspective as they research a variety of informational resources. While this is designed to be used with the PBS video...
PPT
Power Show

Winning the Peace

For Teachers 8th - 10th
There is a price for peace. The information and images contained in this 19-slide presentation illustrate the compromises necessary and the costs to those who backed the losing side in the battle for American independence.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Texas Social Studies Controversy

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Examine the Texas social studies curriculum controversy with your class. Using a current events instructional activity, learners read the article "A Christian Land Governed by Christian Principles," respond to the discussion questions,...
PPT
Curated OER

Reaganomics: A fix to the unemployment and inflation of the time

For Teachers 12th - Higher Ed
The 1980's was an interesting time for the American economic system. This presentation relates the lead to and the effects of Reaganomics, Trickle down economy, and Clintonomics. Embedded links, works cited, and images are included. A...
Worksheet
Curated OER

"Big Three" Bailouts

For Students 9th - 12th
What does your class think about big business bailouts by the U.S. Government? Find out with this activity, where learners analyze a political cartoon comparing the "Big Three" automakers with the Greek Myth of Sisyphus. Background...
Lesson Plan
US National Archives

Documented Rights Educational Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How have groups struggled to have their unalienable rights recognized in the United States? Acting as a research team for the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, your young historians will break into groups to research...
Lesson Plan
1
1
iCivics

The Road to Civil Rights

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Here is a fantastic resource on the civil rights movement! It includes reading materials and worksheets, and particularly highlights major legislation and the role of the judicial branch in the federal government in addressing the...
Lesson Plan
PBS

What Are the Primaries and Caucuses?

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
What are the essential differences between primaries and caucuses? As part of a study of the process by which Americans select their candidates for US president, class members examine the nominating process, the changes that have...
Interactive
2
2
Judicial Learning Center

Your 4th Amendment Rights

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Americans love to learn about their rights, especially those that protect them from the government's power to invade their privacy. Young people are especially engaged by this topic. An informative lesson explores four Supreme Court...
Lesson Plan
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation

Tea Overboard

For Students 3rd - 12th Standards
While less well known than the event in Boston, the Yorktown Tea Party was equally decisive in turning community sentiment against Great Britain. To gain an understanding of why the colonists objected to the Tea Act, young historians...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Curated OER

For The Sake Of Security: U.S.A. Patriot Act & Bill of Rights

For Teachers 8th - 12th
A substantive New York Times article about the U.S.A. Patriot Act, military tribunals, racial profiling, and the Bill of Rights forms the basis for a discussion of the complex interplay of fundamental American rights and the aftermath of...
Lesson Plan
Scholastic

What Makes a Leader?

For Teachers 4th - 10th Standards
After creating a list of great American leaders from the last century and researching their lives, pupils will brainstorm aspects of leadership and discuss what traits may be shared by all leaders.
Writing
Polk Country Schools

The Death of Abraham Lincoln DBQ

For Students 8th Standards
The assassination of Abraham Lincoln was a pivotal moment in American history, but what were the immediate effects throughout the newly unified country? A document-based question focuses on the consequences of the first...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Globalization and Consumerism

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Is the expansion of American corporations abroad a good or bad thing? After examining the global operations of Ford Motor Company, McDonald's, and Walmart, class members are asked to evaluate the impact of globalization and...
Lesson Plan
Library of Virginia

Life as a Liberated People

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Imagine having no control over your life and then suddenly having to provide for yourself. Such was the challenge faced by many American slaves after emancipation. Class members are asked to consider these challenges are they examine...

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