Civil War Trust
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address may have been four score and seven years ago, but its message is still as relevant today. Young historians explore the context of the famous speech, as well as its central theme and argument, before discussing the...
Curated OER
Overview of Japanese War Crimes of the Sino-japanese War And World War Ii
Ninth graders discuss the definition of a war crime and what the Germans did to the Jews during WWII that constituted a war crime. The analyze the results of political, economic, and social oppression and the violation of human rights.
Curated OER
Brother Against Brother
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."
Curated OER
Sectionalism, Popular Sovereignty, and Secession
Pupils examine sequence of national events that resulted in the Civil War by using primary sources, and creating timelines and maps.
Curated OER
John Wanamaker and his "New Kind of Store"
High schoolers study John Wanamaker's department store and its attractions to 19th century consumers. In this Civil War instructional activity students compare the different styles of shopping pre department stores and evaluate...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Volume 1 - A History of the United States: Precolonial to the 1800s
Volume One of the 299-page Core Knowledge History of the United States covers events from the Precolonial Period to the 1800s.
Core Knowledge Foundation
A History of the United States
This 262-page Core Knowledge teacher guide presents an overview of the two-volume History of the United States program designed for middle schoolers. The guide includes information about the learning strategies used, a pacing guide, the...
Mr. Nussbaum
Abraham Lincoln Reading Comprehension—The Middle Years (Part 2)
Abraham Lincoln's face may only be worth one cent, but the online reading passage and questions about his life are an invaluable resource. Pupils read a passage about Lincoln's experience with the Illinois Legislature, earning his law...
Curated OER
Pink and Say
Read Pink and Say and discuss the Civil War with your upper elementary learners. They create a KWL about the Civil War and record words relating to the Civil War as they read the book. Then they work in groups to create an ABC...
Humanities Texas
Primary Source Worksheet: Excerpt from the Diary of Union Soldier Samuel Cormany
Young historians read and analyze a soldier's direct account of his participation in the battle of Gettysburg, as well as consider the overall strategy and tactics taken by the Union and Confederate troops.
Pulitzer Center
The Crisis in the Ivory Coast
Through reading a variety of news articles and other informational texts, learners discover the political turmoil and intense ethnic and religious tensions that envelop the Ivory Coast today. Class members research the historical...
Teach With Movies
Title: "The Yearling" - Topics: Literature/U.S.; U.S./1865-1913 & Florida
Life in the Florida swamps after the Civil War comes alive in the 1946 film adaptation of Majorie Kinnan Rawlings’s The Yearling. The film of this powerful coming-of-age story, filled with love and loss, can be used with or without a...
Curated OER
Civil War Trading Cards
Fifth graders view examples of trading cards. They research a chosen topic related to the American Civil War. They create three sets of trading cards using details from their research. They exchange trading cards with their classmates.
Reading Through History
Patriots and Loyalists
Patriots versus Loyalists, a huge divide during the Revolutionary War in what would become the United States of America. An informative resource includes both direct instruction about the two groups and a quiz pupils take after reading...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
The Revolutionary Times as Seen Through the Eyes of Women
The role of women before and during the American Revolution changed dramatically. To gain an understanding of these changes, middle schoolers analyze primary source documents, including letters from women that supported the patriot cause...
Prestwick House
A Long Way Gone
The memoir A Long Way Gone tells the story of a child soldier during the civil war in Sierra Leone. A crossword puzzle helps reinforce key ideas found in the memoir. The puzzle addresses characters, key events, and other details...
Annenberg Foundation
America's History in the Making: Classroom Applications Two
Reading between the lines helps discover important information! The 11th lesson of a 22-part series on American history has scholars use historical thinking skills to uncover the deeper meaning behind the words on a page. Using backward...
Student Handouts
The Emancipation Proclamation
Start your class on the Emancipation Proclamation. The entire text of the Proclamation is included here along with two questions to answer. Space is provided to allow pupils to write their responses right on the page. Use this as a quick...
Curated OER
Isolation or Intervention?
Students research the attitudes and politics of pre-World War II America. They become isolationists or interventionists and present their points of view during a simulated city council meeting.
Curated OER
Women's Achievement Quiz
How much do you or your class know about various achievements made by women thorughout history? Here is a set of 10 questions with answers all related to the accomplishments of women in science, politics, civil rights, and law.
National Park Service
The Battle of Stones River: A Contrast in Leadership Styles
US Commanding General William S. Rosecrans led the Union soldiers and Confederate Commanding General Braxton Bragg led the rebel army at the Battle of Stones River. Young historians compare how the leadership styles of these two...
Scholastic
Abraham Lincoln: A Time Line Research Project
Though Abraham Lincoln's life was tragically cut short, it was filled with accomplishments and inspiring moments that continue to influence American democracy. Explore the ways the 16th president of the United States made his way from a...
Curated OER
Gettysburg
Middle schoolers investigate the major events of the Civil War by reading and depicting the Gettysburg Address. Video clips are used to create an iMovie to enhance their background knowledge.
Curated OER
U.S. History Worksheet #75
Get the facts straight when it comes to the Reconstruction Era! In this United States history learning exercise, students utilize a word bank of 10 terms or phrases to answer 10 fill in the blank questions about the nation following the...