Lesson Plan
Civil War Trust

Civil War Soldier: Experiencing the Battle of Franklin

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Fighting a war over home soil makes a living nightmare even more real. Class members describe the experience of a Civil War soldier during the Battle of Franklin, poised right at a major turning point of the war, after researching the...
Lesson Plan
Teaching Tolerance

The True History of Voting Rights

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Explore what voting rights really are in an intriguing lesson that explores the history of American voting. The resource examines the timeline of voting rights in the United States with group discussions, hands-on-activities, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Many Faces of Paul Robeson

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars discuss and construct timelines based on the life of author/performer/Civil Right's activist, Paul Robeson. They view photographs of him at various times in his life and discuss the roles he may have been playing at those...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Black Soldiers in the Civil War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explain how a history of slavery distinguishes American society from other societies. They study posters and documents from different eras in our history which document the practice of slavery, and civil rights violations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

America's Civil Rights Movement, Activity Five

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students read and write poems for two voices about the Civil Rights Movement.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Marriage Equality: Different Strategies for Attaining Equal Rights

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars examine gays rights issues in the United States. In this gay marriage instructional activity, students investigate how people have made their cases before the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Active Viewing: Eyes on the Prize "Awakenings"

For Teachers 11th
Dive deeper into the Montgomery Bus Boycott with this multi-stage lesson, centered on the essential question: Why did the boycott last so long? Historians investigate the Jim Crow south through a video clip (not included), then analyze...
Lesson Plan
Teaching for Change

Stepping into Selma

For Teachers 6th - 12th
The 1964 Selma to Montgomery, Alabama voting rights marches are the focus of a lesson designed to introduce learners to people who took part in the Civil Rights Movement. Class members set into the role of one of the participants,...
Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Who Was César Chávez?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Scholars complete a KWL chart to indicate what they know about Cesar Chavez and then research what they want to know about this farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist. To complete the instructional activity, scholars...
Lesson Plan
Described and Captioned Media Program

Malcolm X: Make It Plain, Part II

For Students 11th - 12th Standards
Track the transformation of Malcolm Little into Malcolm X and then into El Jajj Malik El-Shabazz with the second part of Make it Plain, a documentary on the famous civil rights activist. Viewers consider not only how events shaped and...
Lesson Plan
PBS

The Meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The Fourteenth Amendment was extremely important to civil rights and is a crucial one to remember. The resource teaches about the Supreme Court decisions related to the amendment through writing exercises, reading, and working in small...
Lesson Plan
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Learning for Justice

Mary Church Terrell

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Excerpts from an 1898 speech by civil rights activist Mary Church Terrell offers young scholars an opportunity to investigate how Black American women fought for civil rights long before Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement of the...
Lesson Plan
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University of North Carolina

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.

For Teachers 8th Standards
After reading the article "Kings Dream Everyday," class members conduct a Socratic seminar discussion of Martin Luther King's contributions to the civil rights movement. They then read and respond to a passage from Michael Eric Dyson's...
Lesson Plan
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TCI

Ain't I a Woman?

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Learners discover the impact of women on civil rights in United States history by analyzing primary source clues to identify influential female figures.
Lesson Plan
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Mrs. Hodges' Social Studies Classes

I Have Rights?!

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Do young people have rights in the United States? Your pupils will not only learn the answer to this important question, but will also build vocabulary through cloze activities and gain a thorough introduction to the Bill of Rights.
Lesson Plan
Literacy Design Collaborative

Exploring Character Development in The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
How did the Civil Rights Movement affect young people in the United States? Scholars read Christopher Paul Curtis' novel, The Watsons go to Birmingham - 1963. Next, they write compare and contrast essays showing how the main...
Lesson Plan
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Learning for Justice

Mary McLeod Bethune

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Young historians conduct a close reading of the text of an interview with Mary McLeod Bethune, the daughter of former slaves who taught herself to read, grew up to establish schools for other Black women, and went on to become an advisor...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making a Case

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Start the day by sharing opinions about human rights. Then, read "A Defiant Hussein Pleads Not Guilty to Mass Execution" with your middle and high school class. Your pupils research the specific charges in the case against Saddam...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Language of the Civil Rights Movement:

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders study the poetry of the US Civil Rights movement and the Black Arts movement over a 12 day period. They author a website showing works of poetry that students have chosen to analyze and relate to these movements.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Remembering Rosa

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students research and profile figures in American civil rights such as Rosa Parks, from 1955-68, to create commemorative posters.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Marching On

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners explore the increasingly diverse civil rights movement by researching and profiling its key issues, main organizations, and top leaders.(August 25, 2003)
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Put Your Hands in Mine: King Day

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the concepts of human and civil rights. In this philanthropy lesson, students watch The Mighty Times: The Children March. Students discuss concepts relating to civil rights and change.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A New Twist on Race Relations

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Learners analyze the impact of American Bandstand on race relations. In this race relations instructional activity, students use the music and dance show American Bandstand to learn about race relations. Learners categorize pivotal...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Letter Read 'Round the World

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners examine primary document to examine the concept of free assembly, and analyze Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's letter to the clergy to explain the rationale for this tactic to advance civil rights.