Curated OER
Abraham Lincoln: The Face of War
Students compare life masks and photos of Abraham Lincoln that were made before and at the end of the Civil War. In this "Faces of War" instructional activity, students analyze images of Lincoln in a historical context and create a...
Curated OER
The Age of Reform
Students are introduced to a variety of reform movements within this lesson. They explore the beliefs and motivations of each group. Connections are made from these movements to present day situations and happenings.
Curated OER
Our Unique Legacy of Giving
Students view The Gift of All, a Community of Givers. In this philanthropic lesson, students discuss the gifts of philanthropists they've seen. Students research and write a two page paper with four bullet points. Students include a...
Curated OER
Drums of War
Students research the political climate prior to major American wars of the past, then reflect on the current call for power to confront Iraq. They create posters using newspaper articles and headlines to highlight the major opinions of...
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Impact of a Poem's Line Breaks: Enjambment and Gwendolyn Brooks' "We Real Cool"
Students analyze the Gwendolyn Brooks use of enjambment in her poem "We Real Cool." In this poetry analysis activity, students define common poetic devices and the examples of enjambment in the poem. Students discuss the poem and write...
Curated OER
Library of Congress Learning Page: The Historian's Sources Lesson Overview
Students study techniques for analyzing primary sources. Finally, students apply these techniques to analyze documents about slavery in the United States.
Library of Congress
The Conservation Movement at a Crossroads: The Hetch Hetchy Controversy
Should wilderness areas be preserved or managed? Class members examine primary source documents, including lecture notes, articles, essays and congressional records to better understand the Hetch Hetchy controversy that created a split...
School Improvement in Maryland
Political Systems: Advantages and Disadvantages
Every political system has advantages and disadvantages. To gain an understanding of these differences, groups investigate the political system of another country—oligarchy, monarchy, dictatorship, parliamentary—and prepare a...
Library of Congress
Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the Fugitive Slave Act
From the time of its publication, Uncle Tom's Cabin has been controversial. To better understand the debate, class members first examine a broadside decrying the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, and then two newspaper reviews of the...
Library of Congress
Jack and the Beanstalk
A poor boy's dreams come true with a hand full of beans in Jack and the Beanstalk. After Jack throws out beans, they grow into a giant beanstalk—where an angry giant waits to greet him. Scholars read in an easy-to-use format to find...
Library of Congress
The Secret Garden
Mary Lennox was a disagreeable little girl; do your scholars relate? An eBook version of The Secret Garden introduces readers to Mary Lennox and tells the story of how she grows to think beyond herself. The digital text includes the...
Library of Congress
Dracula
Readers experience classic thrills and chills in the digital version of Mary Shelley's Dracula. The online version of the classic text has the look and feel of an old book with modern upgrades, such as buttons to navigate between...
TCI
Ain't I a Woman?
Learners discover the impact of women on civil rights in United States history by analyzing primary source clues to identify influential female figures.
ThoughtCo
Thomas Jefferson Matching Activity
What are some notable happenings that occurred during Thomas Jefferson's life and presidency? Give young historians a worksheet about the life and accomplishments of Thomas Jefferson.
Library of Congress
White Fang
When a person is stuck in the wilderness, it helps to have a friend. An eBook version of White Fang by Jack London tells the story of a man and a dog/wolf that becomes his companion. A table of contents outlines each of the five...
PBS
Using Primary Sources: Wide Open Town
A picture speaks a thousand words, no matter how old! Scholars use political cartoons from the era of Prohibition and the Temperance Movement to analyze what, a primary document (in this case, a bootlegger's notebook) is telling them...
University of California
Principles vs. Practices
Have you ever wondered what your own World Order would look like? Scholars use primary and secondary documents as well as video clips to investigate and analyze the Cold War. Using the sources, the principles and practices of nations...
Whole Person Associates
Teen Self Esteem Workbook
Happy teens are healthy teens! Pupils embark on a self-reflective journey using a series of assessments and discussions to promote personal development. The lessons focus on identifying low and high self-esteem attitudes and behaviors,...
Curated OER
Childhood Lost: Child Labor in the United States, 1830-1930
Working in groups, middle and high schoolers describe and discuss photographs depicting working conditions experienced by child laborers in the 19th century. They then write a persuasive paragraph supporting an amendment to regulate the...
Curated OER
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Have your class explore the effects of war by reading Eleanor Coerr's story, "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes." This is a story about a sixth grader who lives in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb is dropped. Learners answer questions,...
Curated OER
In Their Own Words: Slave Narratives
Students identify primary sources, explain the strengths and weaknesses of personal accounts in history, and negotiate the Library of Congress Database. They also analyze documents and write a summary that compares and contrasts the...
Curated OER
Westward Expansion: Links to the Past
Students investigate the impact of Manifest Destiny. In this California history lesson, students conduct research on the settlement of the state between 1849 and 1900. Students use their findings to create scripts that link primary...
Curated OER
The Federalist Papers
Students identify the Articles of Confederation and explain why it failed. They explain the argument over the need for a bill of rights in the Constitution and James Madison's role in securing its adoption by first Congress. Finally,...
Curated OER
Separate is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education
Pupils analyze photographs that feature segregation. In this human rights activity, students examine photographs of a segregated movie theater, a Ku Klux Klan gathering, a segregated business sign, and an illustration from "Harper's...