This lesson looks at the issue of slavery and the role it played in the American Revolution and the founding of the new Republic. Includes background information for the teacher. Students participate in performing a reader's theater...

This lesson supplements one on the "Settlement of the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies of New England." It looks at religious dissent and intolerance among the Puritans in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Students look at Roger...

In this lesson, 5th graders look at what role the Stamp Act played in the lead-up to the American Revolution. Includes background information for the teacher. Students learn about taxes, study a timeline and maps, participate in a...

In this lesson, 5th graders look at causes and consequences of the American Revolution, at nations and individuals that impacted the outcome, at the roles women played, and at how the war affected families, economics, and the...

For this lesson, 5th graders look at ideas and British policies that contributed to the outbreak of the American Revolution. Includes background information for the teacher. Students explore ideas that were circulating in America before...

In this lesson, 5th graders learn about the people who founded the New England colonies and the role that religion played in shaping them. Includes background information for the teacher. Students explore primary resource readings on the...

In this lesson, 5th graders learn about the people who founded the Pennsylvania colony and the role that religion played in shaping it. Includes background information for the teacher. Students explore primary resource readings on the...

In this lesson, 5th graders learn about westward expansion and the Lewis and Clark expedition. Includes background information for the teacher. Students explore primary and secondary resource readings on the Louisiana Purchase, President...

In this lesson, 5th graders examine letters and entries from George Washington's diaries to understand more about his character and ambitions, and the conflict and cooperation that existed between the French and English colonists and the...

In this lesson, learners examine early civilizations and the evolution of written language, at different early methods used to record information in writing, how these methods evolved, and at the impact of books on societies.

This lesson looks at the early career of Benjamin Franklin and he contributed to the spread of literacy in America, as well as his public service record at that time. Students will examine and analyze primary source documents to...

In this lesson, 5th graders learn about the many societal structures that developed in colonial days, including the conditions for self-government in America, the free-market economy, and the slavery system. Background information for...

In this lesson, 5th graders learn about the trial of Peter Zenger and how it laid the foundation for the freedom of the press. They will examine primary source documents and hold a mock trial, ending with a discussion of the First...

In this activity, 5th graders learn about the bill of Rights, why it was added to the Constitution, and its importance to the freedoms and liberties that Americans have today. Student resources are included.

In this lesson, 5th graders examine the relations between Indians and the settlers in the 1600s and 1700s. Background information for teachers is included. Students will work in groups to look at three different colonies and read primary...

In this lesson, 5th graders examine the lives of six people who were important in early American history. They include Abigail and John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and George Washington. Readings include...

These Election Lessons contain a variety of activities to use in your classroom, including a history of campaign buttons. Many of the links use primary sources from the Library of Congress.

Learners take a close analytical look at the historic Minerva mosaic from the Great Hall of the Library of Congress, and discover what it can tell them about the mission of the Library's founders. They will perform a basic primary source...

This is an online photocopy of the original text of the children's book Wings and Stings, or, Lessons from Insect Life by A.L.O.E. [1870], a children's novel showing what can be learned from watching insects.

This is an online photocopy of the original text of the children's book Charley's Lessons about Animals by Petter & Galpin Cassell (1864). This book includes the titled novella about the uses for domestic animals and the "Story of...

This is an online photocopy of the original text of the children's book Half Hours with the Little Ones by N. T. Langridge (1861), a collection of half-hour stories with moral lessons.

This is an online photocopy of the original text of the children's book The Fisherman's Daughter, or, Sebie's Lessons, and the Way She Learned Them by Zachariah Atwell Mudge (1865), a children's novel.

This is an online photocopy of the original text of the children's book Sabbath Afternoon with the Children by Orson Erskine Mallory (1886) Bible stories lessons each followed by questions and answers over the reading.

A lesson unit where learners work in small groups to examine stomata on a leaf's upper and lower surfaces. They then conduct an experiment to test whether plants can survive without air, learning about transpiration in the process.