Rutgers University
African-Americans in WWII
Using transcripts of interviews of African-Americans who served in WWII, class members work in pairs to understand their experience. Prior to the group work, the teacher provides background on WWII and the African-American experience....
Curated OER
The Early American Contradiction
Students use the Constitution and Declaration of Independence to investigate the apparent contradictions between slavery and freedom. The activity looks at the reasons for the incorporation of slavery into early colonial life even with...
Curated OER
Noncombatancy and the Seventh day Adventist Church
Upper graders investigate how the Seventh Day Adventists are objectors to the practice of war. The lesson covers the Civil War and examines the church's position about the practice of war. The research extends to modern wars and learners...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Changes in Transportation over Time
Planes, trains, and automobiles. How many ways to travel are there? Scholars learn about modes of transportation in the past and how they have changed over time. Budding historians view a timeline, participate in group discussion, and...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Two Different African-American Visions: W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington
The strategies civil rights activists Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois proposed for blacks to achieve racial progress is the focus of an activity in which class groups identify the strategies as well as the benefits and drawbacks...
Curated OER
The Monroe Doctrine: Whose Doctrine Was It?
Was James Monroe the sole contributor of the Monroe Doctrine? Young scholars study the doctrine and cite evidence to show contributions of John Quincy Adams and Thomas Jefferson in its formulation.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Women's Equality: Changing Attitudes And Beliefs
Students analyze archival materials contemporaneous with the birth of the Women's Rights Movement, and begin to appreciate the deeply entrenched opposition the early crusaders had to overcome. They discuss whether or not such attitudes...
Curated OER
Understanding Loyalist Vs. Revolutionary Ideology
Students understand some causes of the American Revolution. Students learn the viewpoints of the loyalists and the American Revolutionaries. Students learn a timeline of facts which they use to compare and contrast the views of the...
ReadWriteThink
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Me: Identifying with a Hero
Here, young historians compare their early lives to that of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s. They listen to a read aloud of a story by Dr. King's sister, and then write in the provided reflective journal template. Lastly, they share their...
Curated OER
History of the American West
Ninth graders research early mining in California. They study the "placer method" for mining gold, which is surface mining that does not involve tunneling. They examine what it was like for the early miners to pan for gold with...
Curated OER
Entertainment and Recreation in the Early Twentieth Century and Today
Eleventh graders research entertainment and recreation in the early twentieth century using primary sources and the book From the Hidewood, by Robert Amerson. They compare the rural experience of the time period to the national...
Curated OER
What Made George Washington a Good Military Leader? What Are the Qualities of a Good Military Leader?
Students examine the military leadership of George Washington. In this military leadership activity, students use Internet and print resources to research Washington's military experience and his successful military campaigns. Students...
Curated OER
Secession: A Southern Perspective
Eighth graders determine how secession impacted South Carolina as well as the United States. In this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders examine selected primary and secondary sources in order to study the state's sovereignty and the...
Curated OER
The Crittenden Conway Duel
Students explore primary and secondary sources. For this primary and secondary source lesson, students investigate a crime scene. Students search for evidence around the classroom and evaluate their findings. Students write a crime...
Curated OER
The Second Inaugural Address (1865)—Restoring the American Union
Students explore the content of Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. In this Abraham Lincoln activity, students analyze the text of the speech to determine how Lincoln sought to reconstruct the country as the Civil War drew to a...
Curated OER
The Beautiful Works of Georgia O'Keefe
Students discover the art of Georgia O'Keefe. In this art history lesson, students investigate the influential power nature has on art. Students create their own works of art by observing local nature.
Facing History and Ourselves
Emmett Till: Choosing to Remember
Mamie Till, the mother of Emmett Till and civil rights activist, believed that her son's murder was the last straw before public outrage over racial injustice spilled over into the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. A history...
Curated OER
A Historical and Educational Perspective on American Sign Language
Using Sign Language to Communicate with Your Special-Needs Students in the Classroom
Curated OER
Native Lands: Indians in Georgia, How Do We Know What We Know?
Learners examine Native American oral traditions. In this Georgia history lesson, students discuss Native American oral traditions and research stories of migration. Learners create their own oral history projects that feature their...
Curated OER
Portraits of Power: American Presidents
Ninth graders explore the presidency of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. In this US History instructional activity, 9th graders examine the life of Abraham Lincoln. students write an essay describing the presidency and...
Curated OER
Sporting Tolerance
Students investigate African-American baseball players from the early 20th century. They read an article, answer discussion questions, write a journal entry, and create a poster-size baseball card for an athlete.
Curated OER
Pilgrim Immigration Lesson Plans: Then and Now
Pilgrim immigration lesson plans offer more than a study of these early settlers. It gives students an insight into modern immigration.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Slavery and the American Founding: The "Inconsistency Not to Be Excused"
High schoolers examine slavery in the revolutionary and colonial eras of the United States. In this slavery lesson, students investigate the presence of slavery in early America, the language of the Constitution, and the intent of the...
Curated OER
Bison on the Plains
Fifth graders explore U.S. geography by reading assigned text about American Indians. In this migration lesson plan, 5th graders identify the differences between Native Americans and European settlers who traveled through middle America...