Curated OER
Integrity and Firmness is All I Can Promise: The Washington Presidency
Students engage in a instructional activity which addresses George Washington's leadership as President of the United States. They review a variety of letters written by Washington online, and prepare reports for the class.
Curated OER
ASL: Lesson 15
ASL is fun to learn and now so easy! This is lesson 15 in a series of 30+ lessons of learning or teaching ASL in a comprehensible and strategic way. Use this lesson to reinforce identifying community helpers and conducting an interview....
Annenberg Foundation
By the People, For the People
A picture speaks a thousand words—no matter how old. The 18th installment of a 22-part series on the making of American history has scholars research the causes of the Great Depression and the factors of the New Deal. Using photographic...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
The Emoluments Clause and the President
While the Emoluments Clause didn't get a lot of attention before the 2016 election, all eyes have been on this short phrase in the Constitution with the election of Donald Trump. As a business owner, do his financial interests conflict...
Curated OER
"In Defense of My Race and Country": African-American Soldiers on Why They Are Fighting
Why would an African-American slave fight in the Civil War? Read and analyze primary source documents to understand the ex-slave perspective on fighting in the Union Army. Everything to complete this lesson is included.
Curated OER
The American Presidents (Middle, History)
Eighth graders get a firm understanding of the major contributions and defining characteristics of the American Presidents.
Curated OER
Making a Report to President Washington
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...
Curated OER
Jimmy Carter: Civic Action, Lesson 2
Build on high schoolers' awareness of what's wrong with society. Here they examine Jimmy Carter's extensive involvement in volunteer action in the local, national, and global arenas. Define and explore concepts -- philanthropy, citizen,...
Brown University
The Candidates and Their Values: Election 2016
Voting for the next president of the United States is about finding the candidate who most closely aligns with your own values and sense of democracy. High schoolers become acquainted with the candidates from the 2016 election with a...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Conflict in Alabama in the 1830s: Native Americans, Settlers, and Government
To better understand the Indian Removal Act of 1830, class members examine primary source documents including letters written by Alabama governors and the Cherokee chiefs. The lesson is part of a unit on the expansion of the United...
New York State Education Department
US History and Government Examination: August 2010
Geography has played a complex role in America history. The Atlantic Ocean has served as a buffer to protect the United States from European Wars, but its proximity to Cuba, however, left it vulnerable to nuclear war during the Cuban...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: “In This Place (An American Lyric)” by Amanda Gorman
Amanda Gorman, the United States's first National Youth Poet Laureate, is featured in a resource from the Academy of American Poets. Class members first read Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech and note what King wanted...
Curated OER
My Secret War: Lesson 4
Fifth graders write a speech. In this history instructional activity, 5th graders define the word infamy and listen to a speech by FDR. Students work in groups to summarize his speech and rewrite sections of the speech.
Curated OER
The Embodied Presidency
Eighth graders discover details about Thomas Jefferson's life. In this early American history lesson, 8th graders view a PowerPoint presentation that outlines some aspects of Jefferson's life. Students research the life of slaves at...
Curated OER
Liberty Vs. Safety: an American Dilemma
Students study the process of consensus and the value of studying history as we try to craft a more perfect society. They examine President Franklin D. Roosevelt's decision to incarcerate Japanese Americans in the Western United States,...
Curated OER
President Obama's Address to Students Across America
Students listen to President Obama's speech, and discuss its meaning. In this President Obama lesson students learn about the president, about how to deliver a speech, and the ways they can make a difference. They create posters, write...
Curated OER
Abraham Lincoln on the American Union: " A Word Fitly Spoken"
High schoolers consider Lincoln's perspective. In this presidential perspectives lesson, students explore the political thoughts of Lincoln through a series of lessons that make use of primary source analysis. They hypothesize and take a...
Curated OER
Dude, I'm Interviewing the President
Student define issues and questions they would discuss with a president. Students read "Bill and Leo's Excellent Encounter". Students choose famous personalities, research their celebrity, and create a mock interview with them.
Curated OER
The American Revolution: Victory
Students discover the United States began to recognize the wounded as deserving of commendation toward the end of the American Revolution. They research the Purple Heart on two specific websites then design their own awards for other...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Naturalized Citizens and the Presidency
Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution takes center stage in a lesson that asks class members to assume the role of state senators, debate a resolution to amend the U. S. Constitution to permit naturalized citizens to run for...
Historical Thinking Matters
Rosa Parks: 5 Day Lesson
What led to the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and how might historians approach this question differently? This rich series of lessons includes a short introductory video clip, analysis of six primary source documents, and...
PBS
Master of the Airwaves: How FDR Used Radio to Ease the Public’s Fears
The political and economic climate during the 1930's was uncertain and tumultuous. But Americans' minds and hearts were eased with the reassuring words of their president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and addresses over the radio. High...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nonviolent Resistance
Was nonviolent resistance the best means of securing civil rights for black Americans in the 1960s? In this highly engaging and informative lesson plan, your young historians will closely analyze several key documents from the civil...
Curated OER
The Man Who Made the Presidency
High schoolers explore the contributions that George Washington made to the presidency. In this presidential history lesson, students analyze primary and secondary sources regarding Washington and the precedents he set. High schoolers...