Curated OER
Reconsidering Malcolm X
Students analyze the strategies and speeches of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.
National Endowment for the Humanities
From Courage to Freedom: Slavery's Dehumanizing Effects
Learners analyze slavery and its effects on humanity using Frederick Douglass' autobiography. In this slavery instructional activity, students analyze instances of reality and romanticized myth using a slave narrative. Learners explore...
National Endowment for the Humanities
From Courage to Freedom
Learners analyze Frederick Douglass' narrative about Christianity and slavery. In this Frederick Douglass instructional activity, young scholars read his slave narrative and analyze its word choice, imagery, irony, and rhetorical...
Spark Notes
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X Alex Haley
For this online interactive literature learning exercise, students respond to 7 short answer and essay questions about The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Students may check some of their answers online.
Curated OER
Reading Comprehension: Frederick Douglass
For this history worksheet, students read a one page biography about Frederick Douglass. Students then answer 15 short essay questions about the text.
Curated OER
Jackie Robinson and Civil Rights
Middle schoolers complete a worksheet and study key vocabulary while researching the biography of Jackie Robinson and the Civil Rights Movement. They chose another Civil Rights leader to investigate and present to the rest of the class...
Curated OER
Doing the Right Thing
Students consider the payoffs of doing the right thing. In this philanthropy lesson, students examine the virtue of courage in Jackie Robinson's life and in their own.
Spark Notes
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass: Study Guide - Mini Essays
In this online interactive literature worksheet, students respond to 8 short answer and essay questions about Frederick Douglass's Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas. Students may check some of their answers online.
Curated OER
Text Features
Fifth graders utilize text features. In this text features lesson students read The Story of Jackie Robinson: Bravest Man in Baseball by Margaret Davidson. Students use clues from the table of contents, illustrations, and timeline to...
Curated OER
Views of the American West: True or False?
High schoolers explain that a landscape painting may or may not accurately represent a specific place. They identify techniques that create the illusion of three-dimensional space on a flat surface.
Curated OER
Civil Rights Leaders
Tenth graders investigate three American leaders from the Civil Rights Movement while they examine the early 1960's and the topic of racial equality. They listen to music from the era, read speeches, and look at images of Martin Luther...
C-SPAN
Presidential Candidate Firsts
Hilary Clinton may have been the first woman to run for president on a major party ticket, but she was only one example of an historic candidacy. Class members use video clips curated from C-SPAN to examine historical firsts in...
Curated OER
The Gettysburg Address (1863): Defining the American Union
Students explore the Gettysburg Address. For this U. S. history lesson, students examine Abraham Lincoln's speech and it's themes of freedom, equality, and emancipation.
Curated OER
Letters from the Japanese American Internment
Students make deductions about life in an internment camp by reading and comparing letters written to Clara Breed. Along the way, they consider the advantages of looking at a historical event from the multiple points of view of...
Curated OER
Lesson 12- Quincy Jones:What Makes an American Master?
Students study the life of Quincy Jones and research black music for selected decades of the 20th Century. They discuss the qualities that help one create and sustain a successful career. They design a timeline of what their future...
Curated OER
Malcolm X and Race Relations
Students read sections of Malcolm X's autobiography. In groups, they create a poster which highlights the events in his life and explains his philosophy on race relations.  They present their poster to the class and answer any questions...
Curated OER
Crossing the Line: Jackie Robinson
Students participate in viewing The National Pastime, a film about Jackie Robinson's life.  They discuss how Robinson was a hero and how they can learn from him.  They work in groups using a graphic organizer to analyze Jackie Robinson...
Curated OER
Frederick Douglass: This is Your Life; The Abolitionist
Seventh graders study the abolitionist movement in antebellum America.
Curated OER
Frederick Douglass
Students identify three important aspects of slave life and describe important events in the life of Frederick Douglass. They identify at least two contributions made by Frederick Douglas.
Curated OER
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Vocabulary
In this Martin Luther King worksheet, students analyze 10 words that pertain to Martin Luther King. Students match the words with their meanings.
Curated OER
Bigger Than Life
Eighth graders explore the life of Jackie Robinson.  In this American History lesson, students examine different examples of courage.  Students read an article about Jackie Robinson.
Curated OER
Sunken Millions for People in our Past
This multiple choice review covers famous historical figures from all walks of life.  each slide has a scoring set up in the corner which assumes two teams and allows for hints and lifelines etc. but it is not clear how to use this...
Curated OER
Paper Vests
Second graders listen to background information on designated Black Americans and read some books about them. They choose one of the persons studied and create a paper vest relating the person's contributions.
Academy of American Poets
We Sing America
Pair the famous poems "I Hear America Singing," by Walt Whitman, and "I, Too, Sing America," by Langston Hughes, with a more recent poem by Elizabeth Alexander called "Praise Song for the Day" to demonstrate a theme and introduce your...