Curated OER
Stories of the Wrights' Flights
Students examine primary sources to understand the work of Wright Brothers. In this aviation history instructional activity, students study how primary documents and images are analyzed and write essays about the signifcance of...
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Monroe Doctrine: A Close Reading
Students identify specific passages in the Monroe Doctrine to events in early U.S. diplomacy.
Curated OER
President Madison's 1812 War Message: Answers Lead to More Questions
High schoolers investigate President Madison's case for declaring war against Great Britain. Students assume the roles of newspaper reporters and cite key points in Madison's argument for declaring war, and hypothesize about primary...
Curated OER
President Madison's 1812 War Message: A Brief Overview
Students investigate President Madison's War Message. Students read the message and discuss any information they may have misunderstood. Students hypothesize about what kinds of documents might help them find answers to their questions.
Curated OER
Portraits, Pears, And Perfect Landscapes: Investigating Genre in the Visual Arts
Differentiate between the various genres in the visual arts world, particularly in Western painting. Your class can view and discuss, in small groups, paintings published on the National Galleries website. Then each student individually...
Curated OER
A Brief History of Fairfax County
Students begin the instructional activity by writing what they know about Fairfax County in their journals. Using primary source documents, they identify ten interesting facts about the area and watch a video. They complete a Venn...
Curated OER
Inaugurating a President
Learners study the traditions and history of the U.S. Presidential Inaugurations. They examine the topics George W. Bush talked about in his inaugural address and determine if his remarks clearly outlined what he has done.
Curated OER
Examining the African American Role in New Haven History: Pride in the Past? Hope for the Future
Fifth graders examine the role of African-Americans in New Haven, Connecticut. Using two maps, they compare and contrast the differences in the town from the past to today. In groups, they use the internet to research the contributions...
Curated OER
Peekikng At Public Sculpture
Pupils use the internet to investigate public examples of sculpture. They reflect upon the possibility of being a reference of lifestyles that can exist in a society. A variety of media sources serve as inspiration for the activity.
Curated OER
An Investigation Into Our Community
Learners examine maps of Palmer, Massachusetts and practice giving directions. As a class, they discuss how it changed from a farming community to more industrial. To end the lesson, they take pictures of the community to show how it has...
Curated OER
The First American Party System: Events, Issues, and Positions
Learners identify factors which lead to the development of the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. They examine the writings of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton as well. They discuss what elements are needed for an orgainized...
Curated OER
The Monroe Doctrine: President Monroe and the Independence Movement in South America
Students identify conditions in Europe that relate to the independence movements in South America and list reasons why President Monroe gave for recognizing the independence movement in South America.
Curated OER
Monet and Impressionism
Monet is a great artist to study and impressionism is a wonderful art style to practice. Learners read about Monet then attempt to use impressionist painting techniques. Book and image links are included.
Curated OER
The Patriot Act: What Is the Proper Balance Between National Security and Individual Rights?
Students discuss the Patriot Act and are given questions at the end of the lesson to respond to.
Curated OER
Students Directed Learning
Students engage in a instructional activity which facilitates their learning about the history of the American presidency. They create their own lessons based on C-SPAN's American Presidents Timeline poster.
Curated OER
The Wrights' Flight: History Through Primary Sources
Learners read primary source material about the Wrights' first flight such as a journal and a telegram. In this The Wrights' Flight lesson, students select the most reliable primary source and compare the pros and cons of using primary...
Curated OER
Flip Flop Diplomacy
Ninth graders examine the dress of diplomats. In this American Government lesson plan, 9th graders read an article and answer guided questions. Students participate in a quiz on the reading.
Curated OER
The Constitutional Convention: What the Founding Fathers Said
Students critique the Creation of the U.S. Constitution. They list some ideas proposed and debated during the Constitutional Convention. Discussion of the important issues requiring compromise are examined.
Curated OER
President Madison's 1812 War Message: A Documentary Review
Young scholars analyze primary documents to determine why President Madison believed it was important for the US to declare war with Great Britain. Students research documents on the Internet to determine President Madison's argument for...
Curated OER
Archaeology and Storytelling
Students identify and interpret both individual families and whole cultures learn about their pasts by collecting and analyzing stories and artifacts. Then they identify that not all archaeological finds readily reveal their history to...
Curated OER
You're a Grand Ol' Flag
Students explore American flag and its symbols, and create an original flag that represents what they see in their own lives.
Curated OER
The Constitutional Convention: Four Founding Fathers You May Never Have Met
Students read biographies of their assigned Founding Father. They present an oral argument that their assignee deserves to be better known by making connections between regional politics and postions defined by character.
Curated OER
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT, OLIVIA'S FRIEND
Students study Eleanor Roosevelt the person. They explore how she cared about people. They examine what she looked like and some basic good qualities about her.
They study three historical facts about ER, such as: Eleanor Roosevelt...
Curated OER
The American Revolution: Victory
Students discover the United States began to recognize the wounded as deserving of commendation toward the end of the American Revolution. They research the Purple Heart on two specific websites then design their own awards for other...