Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Thoreau, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students explore the concept of non-violent resistance. In this political philosophies lesson, students study the political tactics of Mohandas Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau, and Martin Luther King, Jr. in order to discover how each of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ida Tarbell: Hysterical Woman vs. Historical Facts

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine journalism and its different styles.  For this effective communication instructional activity students create an editorial message and articulate an article.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Vietnam War

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students acquire information about the Vietnam War Era from the internet, textbook and various sources. They transfer the information that they have acquired into a newspaper format. Students create editorials, cartoons, graphics and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

To War or Not To War!

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders examine the various types of propaganda used during World War II. In groups, they make notes on each example and determine why they believe the opinion of the United States involvement in the war changed. They share their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immigrants East and West

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students investigate the personal, political and economic events that drove people to leave their home countries. They research Chinese migrations in the 1800s and the English migrations in the 1600s. They create an identity based on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Household Names

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students explore the accomplishments of famous New Yorkers in the 19th century. In small groups, students read biographies and match them with a corresponding primary source document. The group that is most accurate in matching the...
Lesson Plan
Deliberating in a Democracy

Cyberbullying—Alternate Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Should schools be permitted to punish young scholars for off-campus cyberbullying? After reading a passage that details statistics about cyberbullying and Supreme Court rulings about schools' ability to limit student speech,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Women Suffered to Achieve Suffrage

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students compare and contrast the movement for suffrage in Nebraska and the U.S. They organize and interpret primary documents and images from the time period. In addition, they tie in religious movements to women's suffrage.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Cuban Missile Crisis

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students reflect on the events that lead up to the Cuban Missile Crisis in the early 1960s.  In this history lesson plan, students explore the conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union revolving around missiles in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who To Believe?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners interpret meaning from opposing views on the same topic, and discuss that there is often so much "spin" and "hidden agendas" in the media.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Leaders in a Media Age

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify ways in which the president can use various media to communicate his messages and intent. They demonstrate ways in which the news media can create public opinion.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The First Ladies

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers compare two First Ladies. For this American history lesson, students read speeches given by Barbara Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton. High schoolers respond to questions about the speeches.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Political Cartoons: Finding Point of View

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
A careful analysis of political cartoons can provide a glimpse into key moments of U.S. political history. In this activity, students will closely examine political cartoons about the Stamp Act; make inferences about the political,...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Alex: Political Cartoon Analysis

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Students will review and discuss how to evaluate the symbols and related meanings of political cartoons. The project will involve analyzing a current political cartoon, determining its meaning, and presenting the information to the class.
Unit Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Political Cartoons and Debates

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
A rich Web resource from the Library of Congress for lesson plans that require researching historic political cartoons and utilizing primary source documents.
Lesson Plan
Other

Dirksen Congressional Center: Political Cartoon Analysis

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
This lesson, designed for students in grades 10-12, will develop an understanding of the messages that political cartoons communicate with readers. They will examine political cartoon primary sources as they investigate the question,...
Website
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Libraries:drawing From Life: Caricatures and Cartoons

For Students 9th - 10th
A website dedicated to displaying a selection of political cartoons and caricatures from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Includes biographies of many famous cartoonists and commentaries on the cartoonist's style and interests.
eBook
US National Archives

National Archives: Representing Congress: Clifford Berryman's Political Cartoons

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Political cartoons have informed the public and sparked debate throughout history. This ebook contains political cartoons pertaining to Congress. Students will understand the powers and responsibilities of Congress by analyzing these...
Lesson Plan
Newspapers in Education

Ni Eonline: Cartoons for the Classroom: Lessons Library

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Newspapers in Education and the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists publish simple, inventive lesson plans and ideas for classes in editorial cartooning, caption writing, and news analysis. Lessons include "cartoon blanks" that...
Graphic
Library of Congress

Loc: Editorial Cartoons by Ann Telnaes

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
An exhibit at the Library of Congress tracing the career of Pulitzer prize-winning political cartoonist Ann Telnaes.
Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Sheg: Document Based History: Reading Like a Historian: Political Bosses

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students use primary source documents to investigate central historical questions. In this investigation, students examine a political cartoon, a muckraker text, and the defense of a political boss to...
Lesson Plan
Ohio State University

Opper Project: Using Editorial Cartoons to Teach History (Lesson Plans)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Two dozen lessons that focus on using political cartoons as primary source resources for teaching American history. Lessons cover a range of topics in U.S. history from the Civil War era forward and are linked to Ohio content standards.
Lesson Plan
Ohio State University

Opper Project: Using Editorial Cartoons to Teach History (Lesson Plans)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Two dozen lessons that focus on using political cartoons as primary source resources for teaching American history. Lessons cover a range of topics in U.S. history from the Civil War era forward and are linked to Ohio content standards.
Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Library of Congress: Media Gallery | Women's Suffrage

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection of primary source documents from the Library of Congress supports teaching about women's suffrage in the United States. These primary sources include images, song sheets, articles, statistical documents, maps, political...