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Lesson Plan: The 1856 Election
Students identify the key issue in the election of 1856, they also identify some of the key people invovled in the election. Students discuss the role of propaganda in politics. Also, students discuss the significance of the election of...
West Virginia Department of Education
Harpers Ferry Letters
Scholars write letters as if they were someone who heard the story of John Brown's raid. The resource, a standalone, covers information from primary sources that is important to West Virginian history: the Harpers Ferry Letters.
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The Journal of a Civil War Soldier
Fifth graders write a response in their journals about the fictional thoughts of a Civil War soldier. They use specific web sites in order to research the life of a soldier during the Civil War.
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Slavery Issue And Views North Versus South Around 1850s
Students explore the views of both sides of the Civil War. Through class discussion and debate, they look at how each side justified their position during the Civil War. Students write a letter explaining one of the viewpoints from the...
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Westward Expansion Unit
Eighth graders investigate the importance of Westward Expansion in the history of the United States in this unit of lessons.
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The Red Badge of Courage: A New Kind of Courage
High schoolers examine how Stephen Crane treats the process by which a youth matures in his novel the Red Badge of Courage. They study how he exemplifies manly virtues associated with soldiers in war and examine the three endings that...
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Lesson Plan on the Civil War
Fifth graders identify events leading to the Civil War and explain the impact the events had on northern and southern societies.
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Uncle Tom's Cabin and American Culture
Students examine and analyze primary sources. They analyze the causes and effects of major events of the Civil War. They explain a variety of antebellum notions of slavery. They understand the impact that Uncle Tom's Cabin had on the...
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Constitutional Issues: Civil Liberties During War
Young scholars discuss democratic ideals and constitutional principles. They decide which side of the issue they are on dealing with the placement of Japanese-Americans in camps during World War II. They examine primary source documents...
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It Wasn't a Bullet
Young scholars explore U.S. history by researching disease in class. In this Civil War injury lesson, students identify the different causes of death most soldiers faced while fighting in the war. Young scholars role-play and write a...
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The Greek Gods
What were the early Greek myths? Have elementary young scholars examine the Persian Wars and read various Greek myth in order to identify the cause and the results of the Persian Wars. Myths, activities, simulations, and a unit plan are...
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Armenian Genocide
As your historians examine the beginnings of WWI, ensure they are familiar with the Armenian Genocide. This basic introductory lesson plan utilizes teacher-led discussion, map analysis, and a Socratic seminar. Not much detail is offered...
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John Brown Lesson Plan
Students create timelines of the Harper's Ferry Raid. For this Civil War lesson, students analyze information and music related to John Brown and his abolitionist work. Students design timelines that document the events that led to and...
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The Solid South Switcharoo
Students examine primary sources. In this lesson on political parties, students view historic documents, speeches, and photos to trace the rise and fall of particular political parties. Students will be looking at the success of each...
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The Cherokee: Trail Where They Cried
Students read the Trail of Tears about the Cherokee Nation removal and write a letter pretending they are the grandparent of a Cherokee child. In this Trail of Tears lesson plan, students understand the changing of boundaries.
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Black Slave Owners in Charleston
Students explore the causes and effects of the Civil War. In this U.S. History lesson, students research the Civil War and the events that happened around it, then share their findings in a paper.
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North or South? Which has a better way of life?
Sixth graders brainstorm what they believe are the causes of the Civil War. They copy the blank circle graph into their Social Studies journals twice once for their prediction and once for the actual. Students list the following...
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Samuel's Choice - Social Studies Using Children's Literature
Fifth graders read a book about independence, freedom, and slavery. Students create a story map of the book. They research the causes of the Civil War. Students write a newspaper article from the point of view of an American colonist.
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Billie Holiday's Song "Strange Fruit"
Pupils analyze a variety of primary source materials related to lynching (news articles, letters written to or written by prominent Americans, pamphlets, broadsides, etc.) in order to assess the effectiveness of the anti-lynching...
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Inter / Intra Personal Lesson Plan
Students identify the causes of the American Civil War. Using the internet and print sources, they read about the causes and personal backgrounds of those who participated in the war. They choose a character from the time period that...
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John Brown, Then and Now
Eleventh graders identify some of the ways that the raid at Harper's Ferry influenced the Civil War. They articulate the different ways that people though about John Brown in the 1800's and how his persona may or may not have changed...
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What is the Meaning of This?
Learners explore cause and effect and relate it to a historical event. They research the meaning behind the symbols and images used on the Indian Head Cent and the events that were occurring during the time the Indian Head cent was...
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North V. South And The Bank Creation
Eighth graders investigate the economic status of America during the 1800's and the role of the bank in the early times of our country. They concentrate on the different jobs that people had in the North and South while classifying them...
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Rivers Bridge State Historic Site
Students use maps, readings, illustrations and photos to analyze the Civil War Rivers Bridge battlefield and describe how geography affected the outcome of the battle. They explore and explain the causes for the battle's heavy human...