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Curated OER

Picture Lincoln

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students analyze Alexander Gardner's photograph of Abraham Lincoln and complete related activities. In this Abraham Lincoln lesson, students describe Abraham Lincoln as he is presented in Gardner's photograph. Students read a biography...
Lesson Plan
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"The Women Who Went to the Field"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study the selfless contributions of women nurses during the Civil War through poetry. They read Clara Barton's poetic tribute to the brave women nurses of the Civil War, answer questions, and practice a chorale reading.
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Whitman and Lincoln

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Learners determine if Lincoln and Whitman ever met and write a dialogue between the two men. In this Whitman and Lincoln lesson, students read Whitman's poem "Beat! Beat! Drums!" and connect it to the events of Lincoln's presidency....
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Comments WERD

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students examine several examples of similes and metaphors, stating what is being compared. Then each student chooses a different person from the Civil War era and writes similes and metaphors that describe that person.
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Langston Hughes: Artist and Historian

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the life and works of Langston Hughes. In groups, they research the characteristics of the Harlem Renaissance and how Hughes' poems relate to the era. They use the themes in his writings and relate it to the Great...
Lesson Plan
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Choices and Commitments: The Soldiers at Gettysburg

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students describe the Gettysburg Campaign and the major actions of the armies during each day of the battle. They analyze the motives, actions, and experiences of several participants in the battle and evaluate the Gettysburg Address.
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Memorial Day Fun

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Young scholars research Memorial Day and complete activities about the day. In this Memorial Day lesson, students discuss the definition of the word 'memorial' to understand its meaning. Young scholars create flags for the day and listen...
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Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

The Revolutionary Times as Seen Through the Eyes of Women

For Teachers 8th Standards
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...
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Hit the Trail

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students read about the history of cattle trails and complete language arts, math, social studies, and more activities about barbed wire. In this barbed wire lesson plan, students read poetry, research changes over time, draw cattle...
Lesson Plan
Digital Public Library of America

Teaching Guide: Exploring Little Women

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Louisa May Alcott's Little Women is a literary masterpiece as well as a timestamp of the formative mid-nineteenth century in America. Using a primary source set of photographs, letters, and portraits, readers discuss the ways...
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Hug O' War

For Teachers K - 2nd
Young scholars discuss philanthropic behavior. In this philanthropy instructional activity, students read Shel Silverstein's Hug O' War and brainstorm ways of working together.
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The Red Badge of Courage: A New Kind of Realism

For Teachers Pre-K - 6th
Sudents compare specific excerpts from The Red Badge of Courage to first-hand accounts of Civil War battles, in text and images and list elements of Crane's style in The Red Badge of Courage that contribute to its realism.
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P.O.W.: Products of War

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders are introduced to concepts of war through musical lyrics. They demonstrate and understanding of the role of segregation in US military policy and practice.
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CIVICS/CURRENT EVENTS

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students choose to either make an exhibit of posters of pictures about Darfur, or write a letter to the local newspaper regarding Darfur, or plan a concert, party, or bake sale to raise money for refugees. They write a poem defining...
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Mother's Day

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students construct Mother's Day cards. In this holiday lesson, students use art supplies to create Mother's Day cards. Students may include an acrostic poem about their mother or a coupon book for their mother.
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Building Awareness of the Japanese American Wartime Experience

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students research the Japanese American World War II Camp Experience. They discuss the experience in the context of civil rights and the Bill of Rights.
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Martin Luther King, Jr.

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Learners examine and discuss Dr. King's fight for equality and justice in the Civil Rights Movement. They locate words in a dictionary, read and interpret a poem about Martin Luther King, Jr., and discuss the holiday celebrated in his...
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Literary Response and Analysis

For Teachers 11th
Examine a variety of literary responses to Abraham Lincoln's death and the impact of perception. Your class can work in writing groups to analyze either poetry, eulogy, or a newspaper article. They retell the events of Abraham Lincoln's...
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Darfur Now Lesson Four: The Messages of Darfur Now

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore the work in individuals that are part of Darfur Now. For this human rights lesson, students also analyze the message of Weisel's Not on Our Watch. Students create found poems pertaining to social responsibility and...
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Wall to Peace: Deconstructing Divisions Among People and Cultures

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze quotes and poetry related to relationships in society. In this civics lesson, students participate in small group debate game and focus on communication skills that reinforce civil discussion. Students reflect and...
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Lift Every Voice and Sing

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars analyze sculpture, poetry, and music to gain an understanding of historical events. In this critical thinking skills lesson, students take a closer look at African-American history as they examine "Lift Every Voice and...
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Urban Concentration and Racial Violence

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research one of the many urban race riots in U.S. history, from the New York City riots during the Civil War to the "Red Summer of 1919" or the hate-strikes of 1943. They present their findings in the form of a newspaper's front...
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"Crossing Brooklyn Ferry"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study transportation in mid-19th-century Brooklyn. They look at several photographs of Brooklyn transport from the era and read Walt Whitman's poem "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry." In addition to making critical observations and...
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The Truth Shall Set Them Free?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students consider the notion and purpose of truth commissions, They work in groups to predict the commission's effectiveness in its efforts to promote peace and reconciliation among Liberians. Finally, students create found poems that...