Tennessee State Museum
Deciphering the Document: Unlocking the Meaning of the Emancipation Proclamation
Help your learners truly understand the Emancipation Proclamation by asking them the put it into their own words. After reading the document out loud to the class, and briefly discussing the legal language, split your class into small...
Curated OER
History Repeats Itself
Twelfth graders research historical turning points, gather-data, and extrapolate possible alternate outcomes. They work individually to choose one historical event from Attachment D, Historical Turning Points. Students complete either...
Curated OER
An Age of Exploration
Learners investigate U.S. history by examining North American timelines. In this American exploration lesson, students research the events that led to Columbus finding America and participate in a jeopardy game regarding his adventure....
Curated OER
Lines Of Connection
We need the help of your history detectives! After giving them a set of questions to answer, reading groups must create their own timeline of the events. Then, as a class, have each group present their timelines. What is different? Why...
Curated OER
Underground Railroad
Fourth graders use internet cites to explore the Underground Railroad. They also learn the importance of the Emancipation Proclamation. Focus questions are included.
Curated OER
Snoozer
Students read a fictional story set during the Civil War and identify how oral history and folklore contribute to the richness of U.S. history, African American history, and baseball history.
Curated OER
Prudence Crandall House and Little Rock High School
Students examine how Prudence Crandall influenced the education of African Americans in New England prior to the Civil War and compare and contrast events in Canterbury, CN in the 1830's to those in Little Rock, AR in the 1950's.
Curated OER
ON BECOMING A NONVIOLENT WARRIOR
Students examine the concept of non-violent social change. In this lesson on social change, students research and role play to demonstrate ways in which this might be accomplished while making connections to various events in history.
Curated OER
Organizing Main Ideas and Supporting Details
Students read given information and identify the main ideas and specific detail of the story. In groups, they read a historical title and create a "book talk" for each one, summarizing the story. In addition, students create a...
Curated OER
Hull of a Ship
Fifth graders engage in this introductory unit lesson. A bulletin board for the unit be started, Colonial Notebooks be presented to each student, and a pre-test on colonization be administered.
Curated OER
History: Fact of Fiction?
Students find a historial novel online and distinguish between fiction and nonfiction books. They research three historical events related to their novel and write a letter to a figure from their novel's time period.
Curated OER
Lincoln Home National Historic Site
Students investigate the community in which Lincoln and his family lived and explore how the citizens felt about him. The national issues that inspired Lincoln to act decisively in politics and that propelled him to the White House are...
Curated OER
Early Settlements
Students embark on a journey through colonial times. In this early settlement lesson, students come to understand what life was like for the settlers in the early colonies. Students research and create projects illustrating their...
Curated OER
Louisa May Alcott: The Candle and the Mirror
High schoolers discuss the life of Louisa May Alcott and create an outline of a biography of her life and times. In this Louisa May Alcott instructional activity, students explore the Transcendentalist involvement in the...
Curated OER
Coming to America: U.S. Immigration
Analyze primary source documents relating the conditions under with prompted American immigration. Learners will analyze information in order to create a six-panel pamphlet. Much of the lesson is not available but the key objectives are....
Museum of Tolerance
The Pursuit of Democracy and Diversity: The Trial of Pro-Social Injustice in Historical Documents and Accounts
Class members investigate The Indian Removal Act of 1830, U.S. Theft of Mexican Territory Timeline, and President Abraham Lincoln’s letter to Horace Greeley, 1862, and then conduct a mock trial of each of these documents to determine...
Curated OER
Chasing Lincoln's Killer: A Novel Study
James Swanson's novel, Chasing Lincoln's Killer, provides an engaging unit of study for all readers.
Curated OER
Condon National Bank
Use maps, readings, and photographs to analyze the historic, cultural, and social conditions surrounding the activities of the Dalton brothers and their gang. Learners identify how the residents of Coffeyville defended themselves against...
Curated OER
Children and Slavery Document Search
Students review the causes of slavery, the Middle Passage, triangular trade and the spread of slavery throughout colonies. They work in small groups and search documents in order to find the answers to a question and document packet.
Curated OER
Historical Scavenger Hunt
Students engage in a game of History Scavenger Hunt to research significant figures found in History. The focus of the lesson coincides with the curriculum being studied for review.
Curated OER
You Mean I Am Part of History?
Fourth graders open the lines of communication between family members and to gain a historical understanding about family history. They research and interview their grandparents and parents and create a research paper.
Henry J. Sage
Sage American History: Approach to Civil War: America in the 1840s & 1850s
Comprehensive article on the events leading up to the Civil War. The Author separates myth from fact and provides a detailed account of this period in history. Links to further reading and primary source material.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Factory vs. Plantation in the North and South
This lesson helps young scholars study life in the United States in the years before the Civil War. Students will gain a better understanding of why people grew willing to fight to defend their way of life. Many of the documents young...
A&E Television
History.com: Tailgating: How the Pre Game Tradition Can Be Traced to Ancient Times
The ritual grew as ownership of automobiles and then mass production of portable grills and plastic coolers soared. Tailgating before college and professional football games is an American tradition. Temporary tent cities pop up in...