Curated OER
Can You Walk a Mile With My Foot?
Young scholars engage in a lesson that is concerned with the measurement of a foot as a customary unit. They take part in a series of activities to help them acquire skills of using a foot to compare other units of measurement. The...
Curated OER
Expanding the Mission: Historical Parks
Students explore U.S. geography by viewing a documentary in class. In this national parks lesson, students view video clips of individual national parks and locate them using Google Earth software. Students create a persuasive...
Curated OER
A More Perfect Union: Barack Obama's Race Speech at the National Constitution Center
Eleventh graders explore the process of perfecting the Union through changes made to the Constitution, and through the powers delegated to each branch of government. In this American Government lesson, 11th graders research various...
Curated OER
USS Alligator
Student study the USS Alligator, the United States' first submarine. They describe the United States' first submarine, the USS Alligator's technology in 1862 and its voyages. A nautical vocabulary list is included for student reference.
Curated OER
Urban Concentration and Racial Violence
Students research one of the many urban race riots in U.S. history, from the New York City riots during the Civil War to the "Red Summer of 1919" or the hate-strikes of 1943. They present their findings in the form of a newspaper's front...
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Wisconsin Heritage Timeline
Fourth graders explore why groups of immigrants settled in Wisconsin. Through intervies with family members, printed materials, and internet research, 4th graders discover the contributions early residents made to the state. Students...
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Historical Events in Utah History
Fifth graders choose a topic they are interested in related to the history of Utah. Using the internet, they research the topic making sure to cite where they gathered the information and take notes. To end the lesson, they write their...
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Lesson III: Crisis, Pearl Harbor, Internment
The third in a series of lessons introduced by “A Fence Away From Freedom,” uses the Smithsonian website, “A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution” and focuses on the section of the presentation devoted to the...
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Flag Etiquette
Pupils study flag etiquette. In this US flag lesson, students explore the flag and its history. Pupils also demonstrate the proper procedures for folding a U.S. flag.
Curated OER
Satchel Page
Bring a lesson about Negro League Baseball to your Black history unit, or any other research unit throughout the year. While the lesson plan itself is simplistic, there are several good ideas that you could use, such as creating trading...
Deliberating in a Democracy
Violent Video Games
High schoolers examine violence in video games. In this American history instructional activity, students read an article on the link between video games and violence. High schoolers respond to discussion questions and debate the topic.
Curated OER
Runaways Past and Present
Tenth graders use video and the Internet to compare runaway teenagers of the 1930s with runaways today. The lesson plan uses the integration of technology in order to build skills and conduct research.
Curated OER
Jefferson on a Nickel
Students study our third president, Thomas Jefferson through stories and poems. They investigate the attributes of a nickel.
Curated OER
A Penny for Abe
Students explore Abraham Lincoln through stories and poems. They also explore him being on the penny.
Curated OER
Life in Colonial Times
Fifth graders examine significant ideas, beliefs and themes in US history. They identify causes and effects of historical events in the American Revolution. Evaluate critical issues and events. Analyze the views and lives of people of...
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Supreme Court: Practice with Precedents 2010
Eleventh graders examine the term precedent in the court system. In this American Government lesson, 11th graders research various court cases in history. Students create a study chart that shows comparisons of these...
Curated OER
Creating a Newscast on the Cold War
Learners research the events of a specific year of the Cold War. In this Cold War lesson, students investigate the causes of the Cold War and highlight the events of a particular year. Learners create a...
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Stonewall and Beyond:
Students examine issues that surround the quest for gay/lesbian equal rights, explore bias and negative stereotyping in the media and their effect on how gays and lesbians are treated, examine their own biases, and express their opinions...
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The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush: Native American Life
Students read," The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush" by Tomie dePaola and discuss the way legends are passed down orally. They then create their own legend and illustrate it on a simulated "Buffalo Skin" made from brown paper.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Native American Cultures Across the U.S.
Young scholars examine how American Indians are represented in today's society. They read stories, analyze maps, and complete a chart and create an illustration about a specific tribe.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
Analyzing the Inaugural Address
Get high school historians to step outside their own shoes by responding to JFK's inaugural address from the perspective of a civil rights activist, a soviet diplomat, or a Cuban exile. After a class discussion about the address,...
Federal Reserve Bank
Could It Happen Again?
The final lesson in a series of six about the Great Depression focuses on the Federal Reserve's role in stabilizing the economy.
Curated OER
Community and Colonization
Eighth graders explore the nature of the European colonization in the Americas. They compare how it relates to the inception of their community. Students identify the major players in America's colonization and explore the motivations...
Curated OER
Civil War Images: It's in the Cards!
Eighth graders review important figures of the Civil War. In this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders create flash cards of historical figures of the war and use them to review the war.