Curated OER
A Changing of the Guard: Traditionalists, Feminists, and the New Face of Women in Congress
Students explore the role of women as Congressional leaders. In this women's rights activity, students identify and investigate the impact of women representatives and senators in the U.S. Legislative Branch. Comprehension questions,...
Curated OER
Gunpowder And The Explosion Of World War
Learners discover the role of technology in 20th century conflicts. In this technological advancement instructional activity, students research how World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and the War in Iraq were fought. Learners compose...
Curated OER
"What Was Rome"
Eighth graders study the richness, diversity and significance of Roman Civilization. They demonstrate in what ways Rome has influenced subsequent civilizations and what is meant by the "Fall of the Roman Empire". They clarify that...
Curated OER
From Jim Crow To Linda Brown: A Retrospective of the African-American Experience from 1897 to 1953
Students examine African American issue between the years 1897 and 1953. In this African American history instructional activity, students research the social, economic, and political conditions of African Americans during the...
Curated OER
Understanding the Music of the Civil Rights Movement
Students examine protest music and songs from the Civil Rights movement. In this music of the Civil Rights era lesson, students listen to selected music before working in groups to determine who the music was directed at, what social...
Curated OER
Maps and Models
Students study maps of New Mexico examining settlement patterns over time and the location of water sources. They research the history of their community and discover how cultural groups interacted, adapted to their physical...
Curated OER
The Plight of Four Million Newly Emancipated Slaves: Reconstruction - 1865-1877
Students study the Reconstruction Era after the US Civil War. In this Reconstruction lesson set, students examine the problems that were encountered by the South after the Civil War, look at different plans for Reconstruction, and...
Curated OER
Coca Cola vs. People of India
Students study the presence of Coca Cola in India and what it has done to the water supply there. Students research web articles. They compare and contrast diverse cultural points of view. Students participate in a mock trial to...
Curated OER
Deadlock on Verdict
Students read a text about a murder trial. They review related vocabulary, complete a matching exercise and take a quiz. Afterward, they play a game called 'alibi' where the group with the weakest alibi is found guilty.
Curated OER
Billie Holiday's Song "Strange Fruit"
Pupils analyze a variety of primary source materials related to lynching (news articles, letters written to or written by prominent Americans, pamphlets, broadsides, etc.) in order to assess the effectiveness of the anti-lynching...
Curated OER
Who Freed the Slaves During the Civil War?
Pose the question to your historians: who really freed the slaves? They critically assess various arguments, using primary sources as evidence. In small groups, scholars jigsaw 5 primary source documents (linked), and fill out an...
iCivics
Mock Election
Here is an excellent resource in which class members host a mock election for a candidate and policy that will be implemented into your very own classroom. Progressing from primaries, through the campaign trail, and finally to the mock...
Curated OER
Congressional Committees and the Legislative Process
Students consider the importance and influence of congressional committees. They research congressional committee assignments, jurisdictions and responsibilities as illustrations of the basic principles of American federalism.
Curated OER
Colonial Broadsides and the American Revolution
Students access the Library of Congress's collection of Broadsides (printed material with news, entertainment, advertisements, etc.) and explore their impact on events leading up to the Revolutionary War. They create a timeline with...
Curated OER
Jazz and World War II: A Rally to Resistance, A Catalyst for Victory
Young scholars examine the impact of WWII on the development of jazz music and consider how jazz music helped to boost morale of both soldiers and those left at home. They identify the function of jazz as a cultural export and discuss...
Clark County School District
Hollywood's Take on the Cuban Missile Crisis: Thirteen Days
Watching the film Thirteen Days is an engaging way of acquainting learners with the Cuban missile crisis, and this activity is the perfect accompaniment for viewership! It includes 15 questions for your young historians to...
Curated OER
Landscape Confection: Pre-visit Activity
Upper graders explore the concepts of landscape art, man, nature and their inter-relationship. This is a critical thinking and analysis activity intended to prepare the class for an up coming trip to a local art museum. They analyze,...
PBS
Women's History: Parading Through History
Want to teach your pupils about debate, effective speech techniques, propaganda, and the women's movement? The first in a sequential series of three, scholars analyze real propaganda images from the the historic women's movement, view a...
Curated OER
Egyptian Cartouche
Sixth graders demonstrate their knowledge of Earth clay construction by creating, inscribing, and glazing an earth clay Egyptian cartouche. The lesson culminates with learners sharing their knowledge of key terms in the lesson through...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Ancient History: The Importance of Logistics in Greek & Roman Armies
Before one can understand the military tactics practiced throughout history, he needs to become familiarized with tactics practiced in the ancient past. Learners take a critical look at the military logistics used by Alexander the Great...
Curated OER
India: Is Terrorism Hurting the Economy?
Students investigate the effect of terrorism on the Indian economy. They conduct research on terrorist activity in India, create a timeline, and participate in a summit between Indian and Pakistan.
Briscoe Center for American History
Mary Maverick and Texas History - Part 2
To conclude their investigation of the life of Mary Maverick and to demonstrate their ability to analyze primary source documents, groups use the SOAPS questioning method to examine Maverick's account of events in early Texas history.
Briscoe Center for American History
Mary Maverick and Texas History - Part 1
What's the difference between a diary and a memoir? Young historians explore the ramifications of this question as they learn how to use primary source materials to gain an understanding of life on the Texas frontier.
Briscoe Center for American History
Applying the SOAPS Method of Analyzing Historical Documents
Young historians use the SOAPS (Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject) method of questioning to determine the historical value of primary source documents. The third in a series of five lessons that model for learners how...