Curated OER
Samuel's Choice
The book, Samuel's Choice is used to illustrate the decisions that African Americans who were enslaved during the Revolutionary War had to make. The series of four lessons is designed to be implemented after the book is read. The book,...
PBS
Ken Burns: Jackie Robinson - A Journey Back to Separate but Equal Conditions
Baseball great Jackie Robinson fought for social justice. His efforts to push for equal access are detailed in an episode from from the Ken Burns: The Jackie Robinson Collection. After viewing the clip, class members engage in a...
Making Evidence-Based Claims: Grade 7
The most effective way to support an argument is with clear and relevant evidence. As seventh graders read and listen to Cesar Chavez's California Commonwealth Club Address, they work through five sections of a textual analysis unit,...
National Park Service
The Young Naturalist
Beginning with a brief history of our 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt, then followed by a discussion of his interest in nature, young scientists take to the outdoors to locate and observe local plants and insects....
National Park Service
Civil War to Civil Rights: From Pea Ridge to Central High
Explore how the Civil War impacted the Civil Rights Movement. Class members complete a series of projects for a unit that uses a layered curriculum approach to learning.
media.yurisnight.net
Science Lesson Plan: Our Solar System: I Wonder?
Ever wonder why Pluto isn't considered a planet? Or how large the Earth is compared to the other inner planets? Explore the universe with a series of projects that simulate different aspects of our solar system. The activities require...
State Bar of Texas
Hernandez v. Texas
What if the jury is not made up of people from your ethnicity or background—are they still considered your peers? Scholars analyze the impact the Supreme Court case Hernandez v. Texas had on jury selection across the nation. Paired...
PBS
Ken Burns: Jackie Robinson Living in Jim Crow America
Your class members may know that Jackie Robinson was the first African American man to play Major League Baseball, but they may not be aware of his efforts to achieve social justice. A clip from Ken Burns: The Jackie Robinson Collection...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Impeachment Explainer
Andrew Johnson (1868) Bill Clinton (1998) and Donald Trump (2019) were impeached by the House of Representatives. To demonstrate their understanding of the impeachment process, individual create their own "Impeachment Explainer." Writers...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Electoral College Philosophical Chairs Debate
Because of the Electoral College, it is possible to win the popular vote in a US Presidential election and still lose the election. After researching the pros and cons of the Electoral College, class members engage in a structured debate...
Odell Education
Building Evidence-Based Arguments: “Doping can be that last 2 percent.”
Even the most thrilling sports career can end in an asterisk if the player uses performance-enhancing drugs. Focused on the topic of doping in sports, a seventh grade unit breaks down the arguments for and against steroids in five...
Ashbrook Center at Ashland University
Federalist - Antifederalist Debates
Who should have the power—individual states or the federal government? Scholars research the arguments of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists during the formation of the United States Constitution. Online resources, including a vast...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan for Japan
The effect of cultural beliefs on the progress and industrialization of a society is an interesting idea to consider, and this is certainly true in this lesson on feudal Japan. Your young historians will read informational texts on...
Bully Free Systems
Bully Free Lesson Plans—Seventh Grade
Having a hard time defining bullying with your seventh graders? Discuss the different types of behavior one would see in a bullying situation with a series of lessons, worksheets, and group activities.
Curated OER
An Electronic Self-Portrait Lesson Plan - A Unit for Middle School
Using a photo of themselves for inspiration, learners create a multi-media self-portrait. A digital image of each child is taken, it is uploaded into the computer where is can be experimented with in a digital format. Young artists then...
Curated OER
Concept Formation Lesson Plan: Understanding "Protest"
After analyzing both examples and non-examples of a variety of protests conducted by ethnic groups in Seattle and the state of Washington during the twentieth century, your class members will work to identify the key ideas and...
Carolina K-12
Colonialism and American Foundations Sample Test Questions
What was the main cause of European colonization in America? How did Thomas Paine's Common Sense play a role in the establishment of the United States? What was the trans-Atlantic slave trade? These are just a few of the many questions...
Civil War Trust
Civil War Reader's Theater
Encourage class members to add expression and put themselves back in time during the Civil War with a reader's theater activity. The scripts include dialogue on what it was like for the Union and Confederate sides during this time.
New York Historical Society
The Vietnam War: 1945-1975
Do pupils know that the Vietnam War spanned a period of 30 years? A war that long is bound to leave devastating effects. Help young historians develop a comprehensive understanding of the war through multiple units on the subject that...
Ford's Theatre
Not Just Stone and Metal: Memory and Monuments Today
Should we remove historical Confederate monuments? Teach scholars both sides to the story using a resource that includes a class discussion, reading materials from two prominent figures on both sides of the argument, and an assessment...
PBS
Stories of Arrival
While every family's immigration story is unique, patterns emerge when looking at individual narratives. Using clips from the PBS video series, "Latino Americans," learners look at commonalities among immigrant experiences. A chart helps...
New York State Education Department
US History and Government Examination: June 2014
The 1960s marked a pivotal point for social and foreign policy in the United States. Using documents, such as speeches from Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy, and authentic test prompts, class members consider the impact of this...
Teacher.org
The History of Thanksgiving
The first Thanksgiving is the focus of a lesson that boosts reading comprehension and interview skills. Half the class reads about Pilgrims while the other half reads about the Native American, Squanto. After answering questions, pupils...
North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies
The Importance of Holocaust Remembrance
Designed as the culminating activity after a unit study of the Holocaust, class members assume the voice of a world leader, write a speech, and participate in a simulation of the Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust.