Curated OER
What Counts as History?
Eighth graders explore the question "What Counts as History?" In this Philosophy lesson, 8th graders pretend that they are going to interview a historian. Students read a primary source and answer the questions that follow.
Museum of Tolerance
Just What Kind of American Are You?
Your parents were both in different countries. You were born in the US. Documents and application forms ask you to identify your racial or ethnic classification. Which box do you check? Class members collect documents...
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Home Healing and Family Stories
Students explore their family history by examining home remedy traditions. They read and discuss a handout about home remedies, conduct an interview with a family member, and complete an interview worksheet.
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Exploration and Encounters
Fourth graders research explorers of the New World. In this American history lesson, 4th graders conduct internet & textbook research about various New World explorers. Students compare and contrast the sources used for...
Curated OER
Unit Plan Template
Use this U.S. History unit plan as a template for creating your own! Simply download the resource and edit the text fields with your own customized unit plan. This is a great jumping-off step, especially for newer teachers.
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Immigration/Migration: Today and During the Great Depression
Eleventh graders compare experiences of their families to those living through the Great Depression using famiy interviews, photographs, films and document from the Library of Congress.
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Canadian History: The Seven Oaks Incident
Students examine primary source documents about the Seven Oaks Incident and consider the different perspectives written about it. They present their findings to the class orally or by creating posters.
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Fighting for Democracy, Fighting for Me
Students explore the contributions of African Americans, Japanese Americans, and Mexican Americans in World War II. For this World War II lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding the...
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Childhood in Early 19th-Century America
Students interpret and analyze primary source documents and compare and contrast childhood today with that of the past.
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Roughing It in the Backwoods
Learners have the opportunity to practice research and essay-writing skills using primary and secondary source materials. They explore aspects of early settlers' lives in the backwoods of Upper Canada.
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Ask an Expert-Grade 5-8
Students conduct oral histories about water in their community. They interview community members, create a class oral history journal, and record their findings on a school website, in the school or public library, or in another...
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The African American Heritage Trail of Martha's Vineyard
Students examine sites located in Massachusetts that celebrate the history of African Americans. In groups, they read census reports and oral histories to gather more information about this group of people. They develop a timeline of...
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Primary Grade Historians
Students read and analyze books about elders and develop a set of interview questions. They define respect and ways to show respect to elders and conduct an interview with elders. Finally, students write an oral history of a senior...
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MEDIEVAL SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Seventh graders examine the area of medieval Sub-Saharan Africa through eyes of travelers in the company of one of history's greatest travelers, Ibn Battuta. The project has been structured to include all the State standards for this unit.
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A Treaty Tail: U.S. - Indian Treaty Councils in the Northwest
Students view a painting as a document to find out about the Indian Treaty Councils. In this artist's perspective lesson, students study the conflicts as shown in various pictures. Students answer questions about what they...
Center for History and New Media
The Daily Experience of the Laurel Grove School, 1925
What was daily life like for those attending segregated schools in 1925? Modern learners fill out a KWHL chart as they explore historical background and primary source documents about the Laurel Grove School in Fairfax County, Virginia....
Maryland Department of Education
Our Children Can Soar
Amazing efforts of African American leaders are celebrated in a lesson on civil participation. The engaging resource focuses on primary and secondary sources to analyze the impact of African American leaders such as Ella Fitzgerald....
Global Oneness Project
Flamenco: A Cross-Cultural Art Form
Notes of pride and persecution, exclusion and isolation resonate in flamenco. Introduce this musical art form to your social studies or Spanish language classes with a resource that follows a young flamenco guitarist as he...
Curated OER
Understanding the Declaration of Independence
Students identify and interpret the Declaration of Independence and the rights and privileges demanded in the document. They also identify how those rights and privileges have affected our history. Students then research about the...
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Border Forum
Students read, analyze, and synthesize news reports on a current border issues. They prepare an oral presentation and written support documents which must clearly and accurately explain an issue to an audience which may be unfamiliar...
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One Country's Slave Trade
Young scholars examine the slave trade. In this research skills lesson, students research the slave trade in a selected country. Young scholars use databases to locate pertinent information in order to prepare an oral presentation.
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The Iditarod Adventure
Young scholars use the internet to follow the Alaskan Iditarod race as well as perform research. This project-based activity will result in students creating many desktop publishing documents.
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Antebellum North Carolina
Eighth graders examine pictures & documents relating to the Hayes Plantation (Edenton, NC). They also use various maps of North Carolina to help them analyze how James Cathcart Johnston used, modified and adapted to the physical...
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Post Civil War Reconstruction
Students analyze the process of Reconstruction after the Civil War. In this U.S. History instructional activity, students discuss specific details about Reconstruction with the class, then complete a worksheet with multiple...