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
Geology and the Battle of Gettysburg
Pupils create geologic maps of the Gettysburg battlefield. In this geologic skills lesson, students consider the variations of Earth's surfaces and explore strategies employed by the North and South in the Battle of Gettysburg to utilize...
Curated OER
A Visit to Manassas Battlefield Park and Museum
Fifth graders gain an appreciation of the battle. They see the perspectives of soldiers from both the North and the South. They choose a side and portray a soldier fighting in a battle or any other time, retelling his thoughts, his...
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
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.
Penguin Books
A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Whether new to teaching The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or an experienced pro, you’ll find useful resources in this teacher’s guide. The 40-page packet includes background information, historical context, an annotated list of...
Curated OER
"Pray, Why Speakest Thou Thusly?"
Examine popular language and slang and how they have changed over the course of American history. Conduct Internet research, use an online interactive Colonial House website to translate 17th century language into 21st century language,...
Curated OER
Northern and Southern Differences in 1856
Fourth graders investigate differences between the ideology of the Northern and Southern states in 1856. In this states' history lesson, 4th graders examine the needs for slaves in the Southern agricultural economy, and compare it to the...
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
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
Whispers from the Past
Middle schoolers use various primary sources on the Internet to travel on the Underground Railroad
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...
University of Virginia
Virginia Center for Digital History: The Valley of the Shadow
This is a must-have site for the study of the Civil War. Students will have access to primary documents from many sources, including: census and veteran records, letters and diaries, newspapers, and church records. This Project explores...
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of Us: A Fatal Contradiction Webisode 5
Webisode 5 - A Fatal Contradiction. The history of the United States is presented in a series of webisodes, within each are a number of segments.Included are links to lesson plans, teacher guides, resources, activities, and tools.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Abolitionists
Outline of the beginning of the Abolitionist Movement in a pre-Civil War America as part of the sectional conflict between the North and South.