Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Learning the Printing Trade
Students explore U.S. History by reading biographical text in class. For this Benjamin Franklin instructional activity, students read about the famous American's first job and the transition he underwent from printing to politics....
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Getting to Know 2 Presidents
In this Presidents worksheet, students answer short answer questions about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln by looking on the websites given to them. Students complete 7 questions each.
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The Preamble to the U. S. Constitution
Fifth graders explain the purpose of the government by examining the Preamble to the Constitution. They identify ways in which the government is preserving those rights today. They discover one of the fundamental principles of...
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Exploratory Teaching
Students participate in an exploratory teaching program. Individually, they identify the positives and negatives of being a teacher and how they effect the students. They use the internet to research the history of the profession and...
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Tools of the Historian: Primary vs. Secondary Sources
Students identify the difference between primary and secondary sources. They discuss the importance of evaluating all sources they might use. They read primary and secondary sources that relate to the colonial period.
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Only 48 Hours
Students compare and contrast experiences of Les Aigner in Hungary and Kennie Namba in Oregon in being forced to relocate to concentration camps during WWII, and explore personal and social effects of prejudice, discrimination,...
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The English Settle America
Sixth graders compare immigration today with that of the colonial period. They locate colonies on a map and describe reasons their families immigrated to the United States.
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Pilgrim Presentation
In these pilgrim presentation worksheets, students conduct research about their assigned pilgrim. Students create presentations for their research that may be a video, skit, or poster.
K12 Reader
Find the Meaning: JFK's Inaugural Speech
Analyze a seminal speech from the 20th century with an activity focused on President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address. After reading an excerpt from the address, pupils use a worksheet to practice their reading comprehension skills...
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Ballad Blast
Students write epic poems, songs, or ballads to describe adventures of their own. They discover that storytellers often told stories as epic poems, songs, or ballads. They share and discuss some of Homer's Odyssey and Iliad.
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Rudyard Kipling's "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi": Mixing Fact and Fiction
"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," from The Jungle Book, offers young readers a chance to examine how Rudyard Kipling uses setting and personification to bring to life the brave mongoose who battles cobras to protect his family. Class members explore...
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The Transatlantic Slave Trade Lesson Plan
Students study former slave ports in the South.
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Virginia History Mini Quiz: Tobacco and Slavery
In this history of Virginia worksheet, students complete a quiz over the tobacco and slave industry that existed in the Virginia colony. Their objective is to illustrate the facts they know about cash crops, tobacco plantations, and...
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Foundations
Students investigate the history of literature in America by looking at the types of genres first read in the United States. They look at the foundations of how the original colonists had the intention of transmitting religious and moral...
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Jamestown Journey Part 4
Fourth graders review their prior knowledge from the previous lessons of this unit on Jamestown. After reading a novel, they examine and discuss the life of Pocahontas. Using the internet, they answer comprehension questions and write...
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Lesson Plan on Indigenous Children
Pupils explore indigenous, traditional and tribal cultures--their rights, protections by law, and obstacles as a people. In groups, they form their own activist groups to contribute to the global effort to preserve indigenous cultures.
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Thanksgiving Day 1621; What Really Happened?
Third graders read "The Plymouth Thanksgiving Story" by Chuck Larsen. They discuss their prior knowledge of Thanksgiving history and question traditional views. They consider that there are always two or more sides to a story.
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Triple Meter
Pupils chant "Mabel, Mabel, Set the Table" in beats grouped in 4's using a percussive pattern. They repeat using 3's. Students sing a song in 4's and in 3's. they move to recorded music to practice threes. Pupils create Orff...
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Rights for Indigenous People
Students consider how to fight poverty. In this global issues lesson, students define indigenous communities and participate in an activity that requires them to allocate funds to end poverty among the indigenous in Papua New Guinea.
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Loyalists
High schoolers explain why some colonists remained loyal to England during the American revolution. In this social studies lesson, students write a letter to an editor about their reasons for remaining loyal to England.
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The Power of Journals: Going Beyond the Text
Eighth graders define and use new vocabulary and identify the reasons why Native Americans captured Europeans during the colonial period. They write their own journal entries about the topic and explain the importance of journals as a...
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Food Matters
Fifth graders identify physical and chemical changes. In this science inquiry lesson, 5th graders observe the changes that occur when making bread and butter. Students explain if the product is result of a physical or chemical change.
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Surprising Facts About Life 50 Years Ago
Students research a specific time period and look for interesting facts about that time. They compile a list of these facts and share what they find by creating a class book or bulletin board.
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Nineteenth Century Family Portraits
Students compare two nineteenth century family portraits using historical data, statistics, and historical context. Students analyze their own family pictures adjusting the criteria to the current decade. Lastly students study the...