Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cultural Impact of Jim Crow Laws and the Civil Rights Movement

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students examine the Jim Crow laws and how they impacted the lives of both African Americans and white Americans. They discuss the Civil Rights Movement and how their lives may have been different had it not occurred. Groups...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Post Civil Way Reconstruction

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders research different documents pertaining to the reconstruction era. They present their findings to the class in structured presentations and unstructured discussions. Students compare and contrast their findings about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reporting on a Battle

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students report on battles of the Civil War. In this American Civil War lesson, students conduct research that allows them to report on selected battles of the war. Student's newspapers should include eyewitness statements, photographs,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Election of 1860

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Students determine how the presidential election of 1860 led to the American Civil War. In this election of 1860 lesson, students discover details regarding the election and hold their own mock debate and election. Students also write an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Museum Exhibit

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders summarize the participation of Indiana citizens in the Civil War. They research an assigned topic and build a museum exhibit that displays at least five points of information relating to the topic. Students write a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Living History - Civil War

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders, after researching antebellum North Carolina and the role of North Carolina in the Civil War, write, edit, publish, and produce their own plays.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Tribune

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders choose a black and white copy of a photo from the Civil War and 'enhance' picture by adding color using crayons and colored pencils. They research the photo.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Battle Cubes

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders research one of the major battles of the Civil War and display their research on a cube.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War: Matthew Brady Photos

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders read background information on Matthew Brady and examine photographs of the Civil War taken by him. They fill in worksheets based on their research.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hit the Trail

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students read about the history of cattle trails and complete language arts, math, social studies, and more activities about barbed wire. In this barbed wire lesson plan, students read poetry, research changes over time, draw cattle...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Home Front (Circa 1863)

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this American Civil War instructional activity, students examine sources and then write personal accounts of the war.
Lesson Plan
1
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West Virginia Department of Education

Editorials: The Guiding Voice of Authority?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
How much can opinion influence a news story? A standalone resource discusses the importance of John Brown's Raid through the lens of journalism. Learners analyze two different texts, one from the perspective of the North and the other of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

“Will I or Won’t I?” Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, 54th Massachusetts Regiment

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discover the story of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment. In this American Civil War lesson plan, students study the life of Robert Gould Shaw and the regiment he led. Students research primary and secondary sources to learn about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan on Important Citizens in the American Civil War

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students, in groups, half representing the Confederacy, half the Union, conduct research to find out about important Civil War era citizens from each side. They explore the effect these people had on the war and what effect the war had...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan on Military Leaders in the American Civil War

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students, in groups, half representing the Confederacy, half the Union, conduct research to find out about important Civil War military leaders from each side. They find the answers to a variety of questions regarding their military...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Free Blacks in the North and in the South

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders research the different lives of free blacks in the South and the North. In this Post Civil War lesson, 11th graders analyze primary sources that illustrate their lives. Students create posters that compare and contrast...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Road to War Assessment

For Teachers 8th - 12th
In this American Civil War worksheet, students respond to 20 short answer, multiple choice, and true or false questions about the events that led to the outbreak of war.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Early Threat of Secession: The Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Nullification Crisis

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students analyze an interactive map of the Missouri Compromise to identify the regions and their relation to slavery. In this pre-civil war era lesson, students read primary source documents and research online to answer questions...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding the Declaration of Independence

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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...
Lesson Plan
1
1
West Virginia Department of Education

History Scene Investigators - John Brown's Raid

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
An informative resource covers the event of John Brown's Raid, an event that became an important part of West Virginia history. It serves as a standalone and covers the event and John Brown's life in depth using group work, online...
Lesson Plan
1
1
West Virginia Department of Education

Harpers Ferry Letters

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Scholars write letters as if they were someone who heard the story of John Brown's raid. The resource, a standalone, covers information from primary sources that is important to West Virginian history: the Harpers Ferry Letters.
Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X: A Common Solution?

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Much has been made of the differences between Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. But was there any common ground between them? Class members reconsider what they think they know about these two civil rights leaders with...
Lesson Plan
Macmillan Education

Webquest: Thanksgiving

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Class members use the Internet to research the history of Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada, as well as the traditions surrounding the Thanksgiving-style celebrations of the Hebrews, the Chinese, and in Ancient Greece and Rome.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Union vs. Confederate (Drama)

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders experience a creative lesson in history. They investigate the events of the Civil War. Then students use the information to reenact different scenes that portray historical events. They conduct the simulation and have a...