Curated OER
The Immigration Experience
Students research the reasons people immigrated to the United States. In this United States history lesson, students explore the causes and effects of immigrating. Students engage in a role-playing scenario , watch a video, and explore a...
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Immigration Reform: Understanding the Issue From Different Points of View
Learners examine the topic of immigration reform. They conduct research on groups representing various viewpoints on immigration, write and perform a role-play, and write a persuasive essay or letter to a state senator on their views of...
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Family Ties
Learners explore what life is like for immigrant women in the United States. In this immigration instructional activity, students study about immigration through reading and watching a video, then share their thoughts and ideas by...
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The Cuban Missile Crisis
Students reflect on the events that lead up to the Cuban Missile Crisis in the early 1960s. In this history lesson plan, students explore the conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union revolving around missiles in...
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Kim's Nuclear Gamble
Students view a video clip on North Korea's nuclear weapons. They identify issues between the United States and North Korea. They write any questions they have about the documentary and participate in a class discussion.
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Policies that Relate to American Indians
Eleventh graders demonstrate an understanding of the impact of the western settlement patterns on American Indians. They analyze the growth and division of the United States from 1820 through 1877 and examine the non-Indian concept of...
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US Patriotic Symbols: The North American Bald Eagle
Young scholars research the North American bald eagle to determine if this bird's characteristics make it an appropriate symbol to represent the United States as a country. They debate the substitution of other bird species for the eagle.
Council for Economic Education
Trade in Colonial America / NAFTA
Learners learn the how trade impacted the colonial economy. They analyze the the benefits of NAFTA and learn the advantages to both the United States and Mexico.
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All Those In Favor
Students share opinions about measures recently passed in their school, vote on and argue for and against hypothetical school policies, and respond to a "president's" decision to pass or veto the measures.
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College Costs are on the Rise
Students examine college costs in different states. In this college cost lesson, students create a table and determine the average cost of college for the states listed. They organize the data into measurement categories. Students create...
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Presidential Gallery
Learners identify the three branches of the federal government and their role in our government. They identify important events and accomplishments in the life of one president of the United States. Students identify the major national...
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Grappling with Trade-Offs
Students are divided into groups representing different departments of the United States government. They identify the goals and needs of their department. They present their information to the class and answers comprehension questions.
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Calculating the Cost of a "Sound Basic Education"
Students state their opinions about school funding and the use of monetary resources by school districts and use reasons, facts, and examples to support their ideas. They compare sets of data related to school funding and draw...
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Oral History of World War II
Students research how citizens from the United States respond to the onset, duration and aftermath of World War II. They view clips from the movie "Swing Shift" and discuss the roles of civilians, minorities and military personnel. They...
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Fabulous Funnels
Students explore what tornados are, how they are created and measured, and what their effects are on communities. They keep a journal of their activities and explorations as part of an ongoing process of learning.
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Island of the Blue Dolphins Jigsaw
Fourth graders research three topics from the book, either Village Life, Sea Life, or San Nicholas Island. They research independently and meet in a jigsaw format to share what they learned. As group they create a poster for class...
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The Death Penalty
Young scholars examine the controversy surrounding the death penalty in the United States. For this current events lesson, students research the history of the death penalty as well perspectives on the topic. Young scholars interview...
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Border to Border
Students use the Internet to gather information on the country of Mexico. They also discover the culture of their people and compare them with the United States population. They take a virtual tour of some of Mexico's most historical ruins.
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Azùcar!
Learners engage in a activity which honors the Latino community as part of Thirteen/WNET's annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. They utilize worksheets and access websites imbedded in this plan which guide their learning.
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Graphically Speaking
Students discover the links between population and Congressional representation. For this government lesson, students research population statistics and create spreadsheets that compare population to the number of Congress members per...
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Conflicting Views
Young scholars complete a Venn diagram comparing the United States and Afghanistan. They research the history of the Taliban and how they relate to the United States and its foreign policy. They write a paper on possible solutions.
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Liberty Vs. Safety: an American Dilemma
Students study the process of consensus and the value of studying history as we try to craft a more perfect society. They examine President Franklin D. Roosevelt's decision to incarcerate Japanese Americans in the Western United States,...
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These Maps are for the Birds
Students identify and study New York State Breeding Bird Atlas maps to learn where different bird species nest and how their distributions have changed over time. They also identify how maps serve as representations of a geographic...
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American Foreign Policy Since World War II (The Cold War)
Students identify and interpret some key figures and major events during the Cold War era, including the Korean War, Vietnam, Cuban Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs Invasion, and the United States and China Cold War Relations. They also play...