Curated OER
Rural America in Transition
Learners examine the changes in rural America in an economic sense. In groups, they research the problems rural areas face in the 21st century. They examine the economic policies in effect and how they help or hurt rural America.
National Endowment for the Humanities
“Read All About It”: Primary Source Reading in “Chronicling America”
Can investigative journalism become too sensationalistic and accusatory, or is it vital for the survival of a democracy? Middle schoolers analyze primary source documents from early 20th-century newspapers as well as Theodore Roosevelt's...
Curated OER
I Can Balance. You Can Balance.
It's disturbing to think that one third of children born after the year 2000 will suffer from diabetes and perhaps be the first generation to live shorter lives than their parents! Too many youngsters are not eating properly and are not...
University of Richmond
Foreign-Born Population 1850-2010
If America is a nation of immigrants, where are they from and why did they come? Demographic data and interactive maps help pupils consider answers to these questions by examining the statistics of foreign-born Americans. Features allow...
City University of New York
Woman's Suffrage and World War I
How did women use President Wilson's ideals and rhetoric in their bid for suffrage? To answer this essential question, class groups analyze primary written documents and visual images.
Curated OER
Women Immigrants in the Promised Land
Students examine the experience of female immigrants as they arrive in the United States. They create a timeline of women's rights in the U.S., write journal entries, conduct Internet research and read online excerpts from "The Promised...
Curated OER
African-Americans in California's Heartland
Students read and view video about the pioneers moving west. In this African American pioneer activity, students become familiar with the problems faced by the pioneers and African-American pioneers. Students complete worksheets and...
Curated OER
Miners of the Prairie: The Days of Shaft Mining in Northern Illinois
Students explore the life and times of a coal miner in Illinois through the analysis of primary source documents and images.
Curated OER
The Union In Peril: Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address
In this research skills worksheet, students research the noted website to discover details about Lincoln's Inaugural Address and then respond to the provided analysis questions.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
History of Immigration From the 1850s to the Present
The Statue of Liberty may embrace the huddled masses of the world, but has American society always joined in? After young historians read a passage about the history of American immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries, focusing on...
University of California
The Vietnam War (1945 – 1975)
Have you ever wanted to do something so perfectly you wound up not doing it well at all? Young historians use primary and secondary documents to analyze the United States involvement in the Vietnam War. The issues surrounding the...
Annenberg Foundation
Contested Territories
United States expansion into Western territories impacted much more than just lines on a map. The seventh installment of a 22-part series about America's history puts scholars into the lives of those making the journey westward as well...
Rainforest Alliance
Forests of Guatemala
With 90 percent of its land area covered in forests, Suriname, a country in South America, contains the largest percentage of forests throughout the world. Here is an activity that brings classmates together to learn about the...
West Virginia Department of Education
A State of Convenience: The Creation of West Virginia
Ever wondered why there is a West Virginia but not an East Virginia? The resource answers questions like this one and more as it takes an in-depth and detailed look at the history of West Virginia and how it became a state. Several...
Curated OER
Lesson 9: Tracking Commodities
Over the corse of a month, small groups will monitor the price of a specific energy commodity and analyze it in relation to global and domestic events. They play a trade simulation game and create infographics showing what they've...
Little Kids Rock
The Latin Rhythms of “Despacito”
When you hear the first few beats of "Despacito," the unrivaled Latin pop hit of 2017, you can't keep your feet from moving! A music analysis lesson plan examines the intoxicating hit by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee and introduces the...
Curated OER
The Puzzle of the Ice Age Americans
Students describe alternative theories for how the first humans cane to America. In this human origin lesson students study the origins of the first Americans.
Curated OER
A House Dividing: The Growing Crisis of Sectionalism in Antebellum America
Young scholars trace the development of sectionalism in the United States. They explore slavery, freedom and the Constitution. Students identify influential opponents and defenders of American slavery. They explain different solutions...
US House of Representatives
From Exclusion to Inclusion, 1941–1992
The legacy of Japanese American internment impacted America for decades, including Congress. Class members consider the tenure of Asian American representatives in Congress and how the legacy of World War II affected their service. Other...
Curated OER
Conflict and Compromise
Students examine opinions about the Boston Tea Party. For this colonial America lesson, students analyze several primary sources about the Tea Party and then write essays that reveal efforts to compromise as well as efforts to instigate...
Curated OER
Boycotting Baubles of Britain
Students examine the role of British commodities in the Revolutionary War. In this American Revolution lesson, students discover the British commodities that colonists needed and investigate the success of the boycotting campaigns by...
Curated OER
On The Road Again: Cars, Culture, and Change Along Historic U.S. Highway 67
Middle and high schoolers look at historical photos and analyze some of the changes brought about by the automobile revolution in Arkansas during the 1920's. The book, A Journey Through Arkansas: Historic U.S. Highway 67, is used for...
Curated OER
From Korea to Vietnam: America Changes Her View on War
Eleventh graders identify and analyze the differences between the Korean and the Vietnam Wars. In small groups they conduct research and create a scene from a movie that focuses on the Korean or Vietnam War. Students view and evaluate...
Curated OER
Eisenhower: The Contentious 1950s
Students explore 1950's America. In this American history lesson, students research the McCarthy hearings, Civil Rights, war fatigue, and economic issues of the decades. Students respond to discussion questions about topics.