Curated OER
Passport to the World Field Day
Learners participate in a variety of cultural activities from around the world. In this multicultural instructional activity, students visit a variety of "stations", each representing a country. Learners learn facts and engage in a...
Center for Civic Education
Historical Analysis of Constitutional Amendments
Each of the 27 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution were adopted within specific economic, political, social or cultural, and international contexts. As part of their Constitution Day/Week studies, seniors investigate these factors for...
Curated OER
Martin Luther King Day
Invite your advanced ESL learners to explore the US national holiday Martin Luther King day. Play the attached mp3 which is a description of this important holiday and facilitate the phrase match and listening gap activities...
Curated OER
Modern-Day America: Ronald Reagan Presidency to 9/11
Young scholars examine contemporary America. In this contemporary American history lesson, students watch a DVD titled "Modern-Day America," discuss the events depicted in the video, and create memorials for those who perished in the...
Curated OER
Emperor or President?
Sixth graders complete a Venn Diagram. In this government comparison lesson, 6th graders discuss how rules are similar and different at home, school and in their community. Students learn about the type and structure of the United...
Curated OER
President FDR and the New Deal
Students explore the New Deal and President FDR. In this Great Depression lesson plan, students listen to an FDR Broadcast (Fireside Chat) and read sections in their textbooks. Then, in small groups students design and create a broadcast...
National First Ladies' Library
Workers, Take a Holiday! the Beginning of Labor Day
When your upper elementary class returns in the fall, have them identify and define the beginnings of the labor movement and Labor Day in the United States. They thoughtfully reflect on changes that have occurred in the way we think...
Curated OER
Surveying our First President
Middle schoolers act as surveyors. In this George Washington lesson, students read transcriptions from Washington's surveying journal and then try surveying skills on their own.
Center for Civic Education
Matching Game with the US Constitution
In September we celebrate Constitution Day. Begin the celebration with a grand conversation about the US Constitution. Follow up the in-depth discussion with a learning game in which scholars match terms to images such as...
Curated OER
An "Unconstitutional" Act? The Suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus
Learners explore the implications of habeas corpus. For this Civil War lesson, students analyze the writ of habeas corpus by Lincoln during the war. Learners examine primary sources from Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney. Students design...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nonviolent Resistance
Was nonviolent resistance the best means of securing civil rights for black Americans in the 1960s? In this highly engaging and informative lesson, your young historians will closely analyze several key documents from the civil rights...
PBS
Abraham Lincoln: Man versus Legend
Abraham Lincoln was one of the greatest presidents ever ... right? Scholars research the accomplishments and struggles of the Lincoln presidency. They uncover facts, materials and information via video clips, primary, and secondary...
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
The Cuban Missile Crisis: How to Respond?
For 13 days, the United States stood on the edge of nuclear War. The Soviet Arms buildup in Cuba is the focus of an activity that asks groups to analyze how the governmental role each of John F. Kennedy's advisors played went on to...
Academy of American Poets
We Sing America
Pair the famous poems "I Hear America Singing," by Walt Whitman, and "I, Too, Sing America," by Langston Hughes, with a more recent poem by Elizabeth Alexander called "Praise Song for the Day" to demonstrate a theme and introduce your...
PBS
Pearl Harbor and the Internment of Japanese Americans during World War II
Balancing national security and civil liberties can be tricky. To appreciate the tension between these two concepts, class members investigate the Japanese attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor and President Franklin D....
Anti-Defamation League
Shirley Chisholm: Unbought, Unbossed and Unforgotten
A 13-page packet introduces high schoolers to a lady of amazing firsts. Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to Congress, the first Black woman to run for President of the United States, and a leader of the Women's Rights...
Center for Civic Education
Responsibility and the U.S. Constitution
When are responsibilities freely chosen, and when have they actually been imposed on us? Here you'll find a unique way to frame your class discussion on civic duty and responsibilities inherent in the United States Constitution.
Curated OER
Sam Houston for President...Again
Fourth graders discover the political career of Sam Houston. In this Texas history instructional activity, 4th graders research primary resources and create a modern-day version of Sam Houston's political campaign of the 1840s.
Curated OER
The Happy Progress of Our Affairs: George Washington and the U.S. Constitution
Young scholars engage in a instructional activity which uses Washington's own words to illustrate the events leading to the establishment of our national government, and the crucial roles he played throughout that process.
Curated OER
Presidential Trading Cards
Students research the Internet to collect data about the US Presidents. They use the data that they collect along with available technology to produce trading cards and brochures using keyboarding skills, text boxes, acquiring photos,...
National Endowment for the Humanities
On This Day With Lewis and Clark
Walk in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark as they discover the wonders, beauty, and dangers of the American frontier. After gaining background knowledge about Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase, young explorers use primary...
Curated OER
Father Knows Best
Students recognize that history describes events and people of other times and places identifying George Washington by historical account. They describe everyday life in the present and in the past and begin to recognize that things...
Curated OER
Mother's Day
Students construct Mother's Day cards. In this holiday lesson, students use art supplies to create Mother's Day cards. Students may include an acrostic poem about their mother or a coupon book for their mother.
Curated OER
Cuban Missile Crisis in Thirteen Days
Eleventh graders explore the Cuban Missile Crisis. In this Cuban Missile Crisis lesson, 11th graders take notes from a PowerPoint presentation regarding the topic and then watch the film "Thirteen Days". Students participate in...