Lesson Plan
Civil War

Civil War Medicine: Fact or Fiction

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Young historians compare the presentation of medical care during the Civil War in passages from fictional and nonfictional texts. They examine passages from Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell and Soldier's...
Lesson Plan
National History Day

Poetry from the Trenches of World War I

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Often, the real-life experiences of soldiers gets lost back home when the war seems so far away. Scholars investigate the personal side of World War I in the trenches of Europe to complete a collaborative social studies activity. When...
Interactive
Smithsonian Institution

Who Am I?: A History Mystery

For Students 5th - 12th Standards
Who Am I? Scholars go online to gather clues and evidence to uncover just who was involved in the American Civil War. They use hands-on Internet activities to come to an understanding of the roles soldiers and civilians played in the...
Graphic
Teaching Ideas

Florence Nightingale Fact Cards

For Students 6th - 9th Standards
When you hear the name Florence Nightingale, what comes to your mind? Wartime nurse? The International Red Cross? Florence Nightingale's many contributions to the Crimean war effort, the welfare of injured soldiers, and the future of...
Lesson Plan
1
1
PBS

Civil War: Blacks on the Battlefield

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Imagine a war being fought to free slaves, with slaves on the front line. Scholars use primary documents, videos, and research in the second installment of a three-part series to guide their analysis of the first African-Americans on the...
Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: Mediterranean and N. Africa 1939-45 – Where Will the Allies Invade?

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
An interactive asks learners to act as German intelligence agents and examine documents found on the body of an English soldier wash ashore on the cost of Spain. Using the documents, the agents are asked to predict where the Allies were...
Lesson Plan
Ford's Theatre

How Perspective Shapes Understanding of History

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The Boston Massacre may be an iconic event in American history, but perhaps the British soldiers had another point of view. Using primary sources, including reports from Boston newspapers and secondary sources from the British...
Lesson Plan
Syracuse University

World War II

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
During World War II propaganda was as important to the war effort as the soldiers in the field. Scholars consider how the government communicated messages of patriotism with propaganda by examining pieces from World War II. Then, they...
Lesson Plan
National Park Service

The Battle of Stones River: A Contrast in Leadership Styles

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
US Commanding General William S. Rosecrans led the Union soldiers and Confederate Commanding General Braxton Bragg led the rebel army at the Battle of Stones River. Young historians compare how the leadership styles of these two...
Activity
University of California

Religious Influences

For Teachers 6th Standards
While the Roman empire often conjures up images of soldiers and emperors, its culture was more complex. Using primary sources, including ancient historians and pictures of artifacts, pupils consider the religious influences on Roman...
Lesson Plan
Education City

Remembrance Day

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Eleventh hour. Eleventh day. Eleventh month. 11th year. As part of a study of World War I and Remembrance Day, class members consider what it was like to be a soldier during war.
Interactive
American Battlefield Trust

Gettysburg Virtual Tour

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Step into one of the most iconic battlefields of the American Civil War with an educational interactive resource. Young historians learn about key moments, locations, soldiers, and turning points in the battle with a clickable map and...
Lesson Plan
US Holocaust Museum

Life in Shadows: Hidden Children and the Holocaust

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Hiding in the filth of a sewer, as a child, to avoid capture by Nazi soldiers—sounds scary! Scholars investigate the youngest victims of the Holocaust, the children. They research video clips and written sources from the Holocaust...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Lily's Crossing: Novel Study

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
War affects much more than just soldiers. Lily and Albert in Lily's Crossing know that better than anyone as World War II affects both of them in different ways. Scholars use vocabulary words, answer questions, and work with literary...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

War Horse: Novel Study

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
Some war heroes have four legs. War Horse tells of a courageous foal taken from his farm and sent into war. Joey, the foal, loves and touches the lives of many soldiers. However, his heart is still with his boy back on the farm. Scholars...
Lesson Plan
National WWII Museum

On Leave in Paris: Maps as Primary Sources

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Primary sources—even those that seem mundane—offer a window into those who experienced history. Using a Red Cross map offered to soldiers stationed in Paris after World War II alongside worksheet questions, scholars consider what life...
Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

Civil War Play

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Everyone has a role to play. Young scholars step into history by taking on the roles of soldiers—both male and female—during the Civil War using a fictionalized play of what life was like on the battlefield. Pupils also examine the roles...
Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

Civil War Overview: Elementary Lesson Plan

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
How do you teach the Civil War and all its intricacies within the time limits of an average school day? Using a three-part plan, teachers easily integrate coverage of key Civil War battles into the unit. The lesson includes activities to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gettysburg 360

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An interactive site allows scholars to explore the Gettysburg battlefield up close, read soldiers' accounts, and view images of the event. In addition, enrichment activities enhance young historians' experience with Gettysburg...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Remembering the Fallen

For Teachers 7th - 12th
A thought-provoking lesson showcases Civil War battlefield monuments to demonstrate how fallen soldiers are remembered. High school scholars compare Union and Confederate monuments to learn how each group commemorated the battles. They...
Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

The Battle of Saltville

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
It may be hard to see through the fog of war, but primary sources describing what happened at the Battle of Saltville during the Civil War shed some light on what happened there. Using primary sources, including descriptions from...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Alfred Sinker and the Writ of Habeas Corpus in 1861

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Scholars learn how the judicial system treated under-age Civil War soldiers using historical analysis. The resource uses court documents to help historians understand why Habeas Corpus was used in the case of Alfred Sinker and why he was...
Activity
Digital Public Library of America

Women in the Civil War

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Vivandieres and cantinieres, nurses and soldiers, loyalists and unionists. A primary source set provides young historians an opportunity to investigate the many roles women played in the United States Civil War. 
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Who Fired the Shot Heard Round the World?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Take a closer look. Young academics become detectives in an engaging lesson on the American Revolution. Scholars work in groups to analyze documents to uncover whether the American colonists or British soldiers fired the first shot at...

Other popular searches