Perfection Learning
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
A revolutionary work of literature requires a revolutionary assessment project. A series of activities on Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings includes discussion questions, a plot synopsis, and a selection of both short...
Curated OER
Great Depression
Eleventh graders examine the period of the Great Depression. In this American History instructional activity students study what a depression and the causes of the Great Depression.
Curated OER
The Dust Bowl: Out of the Dust
Is your class going to read the novel, Out of the Dust? If so, you can prep them with a presentation that provides both images of the Dust Bowl and quotes from the book. Tip: Have learners use the images to compose descriptive...
Curated OER
WWI and Twenties & Thirties
Students study economics and timelines of events to understand changes in America. In this Twenties and Thirties lesson, students navigate Internet sites to research famous reformers. Students recognize the economic changes...
Curated OER
To Kill a Mockingbird: A Historical Perspective
Young scholars research the Great Depression. In this Great Depression lesson, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of life in the American south during the depression era as they read Harper Lee's To Kill a...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Rap a Tap Tap (Dillon)
Explore the dancing prodigy and Depression-era African-American icon Bill Robinson as scholars learn new vocabulary words in context. As you read Leo Dillon's Rap a Tap Tap they listen for six new words: clatter, greet,...
Curated OER
A Childhood View of the Great Depression in Arkansas
Eighth graders identify the causes for the Great Depression of 1929 and see the effects of the depression, the Great Flood, and the drought in Arkansas through the eyes of a child.
Digital Public Library of America
Teaching Guide: Exploring To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, considered by many to be a seminal piece of American literature, contains many complex literary themes that carry through United States history. Use a series of discussion questions and classroom...
Curated OER
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Learners view examples of Depression era images and relate them to chapters from Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. For this Maya Angelou lesson, students discuss chapters 8 and 9 from the text and define setting. Learners...
Washoe County School District
Eyewitness to the Holocaust
Scholars investigate the Holocaust through the eyes of an Auschwitz survivor. They analyze and research a firsthand account of events inside the gas chambers moments before hundreds died. Using Holocaust Reading Passages and...
Digital Public Library of America
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston's novel Their eyes Were Watching God has been highly praised and severely criticized for its depiction of African American folk culture. A set of primary source materials, including photographs, articles, essays, and...
Curated OER
Surviving the Depression- 1930-1939 Lesson 1: Life During the Depression- Picture
Students examine and analyze primary source documents and pictures from the Great Depression Era. They consider ways in which the suffering of the Era could have been alleviated.
Curated OER
The Dust Bowl
Eleventh graders develop an understanding of the Dust Bowl. In this 1930's America lesson plan, 11th graders respond to questions regarding the songs and literature about the era. The primary sources should be gathered by the instructor.
Curated OER
To Be Black and American: World War II
Twelfth graders research wartime conditions African American had to endure during World War II. They explain what role African Americans played in World War II and describe what life was like for African Americans in the United States...
Curated OER
The Great Migration
Students explore how migration to Harlem created a new life for African Americans. In this cross curricular instructional activity, students illustrate maps showing the migration, paint murals representing African American life in...
Curated OER
The Causes of Prohibition
Eleventh graders explore the origins of the Prohibition Movement in the United States. In small groups, they analyze the influence of World War I in the passage of the eighteenth amendment. Students explain how different demographics of...
Curated OER
Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross, Moanin,' Payin' Your Dues
Young scholars examine the musical styles of call and response and the blues while delving into the difficult lives of many jazz musicians. Travelling in the South was challenging for black musicians during this time and the difficulties...
Curated OER
Arkansas and the Dust Bowl
Students access and use the Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information, American Memory collection and Todd and Sonkin collection for research. They develop research skills and strategies, such as key word searches to...
Curated OER
Black Americans in Delaware from 1639 to the Present: An Overview
Students complete matching activities and write an essay about Black Americans in Delaware from 1639.
Curated OER
African-Americans and the New Deal's Civilian Conservation Corps
Learners discover the responsibilities of the Civilian Conservation Corps. In this New Deal instructional activity, students analyze the impact that the inclusion of African Americans in the Civilian Conservation Corps made on race...
National Endowment for the Humanities
NAACP's Anti-Lynching Campaign in the 1930s
Students examine the anti-lynching campaign sponsored by the NAACP in the 1930's. In this social justice lesson, students study the history of the anti-lynching campaign and determine why it was not successful. Students conduct research...
Curated OER
The First "Colored" World Series
Students utilize reading and listening skills in order to discover the key issues in American history and Black baseball history. Students investigate the beginning of the Negro Baseball Leagues and its signature historical baseball...
Curated OER
Westward Expansion and the Frontier
Students explore U.S. history by researching a historic map. In this westward expansion activity, students discuss the mystery of the western U.S. in the early 1800's and the impact expansion had on Native Americans and agriculture....
Curated OER
The Impact of the Dust Bowl as Shown Through Photography
Seventh graders examine and discuss photographs and paintings of the Dust Bowl era. They write a journal entry describing what it would be like if they stepped into one of the photographs, and create a Powerpoint presentation on the Dust...