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Understanding Reconstruction in South Carolina

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this Reconstruction lesson, 8th graders research the role of Reconstruction in South Carolina by simulating the environment of East Bay Street...
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What Kind of Santa Claus You Are.

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students use a photograph analysis sheet to analyze primary sources (photographs) of the Great Depression in small groups. They then write a poem about kids in the Depression Era that reflects their comprehension of the period and...
Lesson Plan
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Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits: Grades 3-5

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore the contributions of African Americans of the 20th century. In this African American history lesson, students examine portraits of Muhammad Ali, Romare Bearden, Lorraine Hansberry, Judith Jamison, and Leontyne Price in...
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Abolish the Office of Governor

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the history of the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776. In this historical analysis lesson, students analyze the constitution of the state and determine how citizens benefited (or didn't benefit) from the document....
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The Great Gatsby: Primary Sources from the Roaring Twenties

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research the Roaring Twenties. In this 1920's America lesson, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of lifestyles and values of the era as they read F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.
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Concern in East Virginia

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students investigate the statehood of West Virginia. In this lesson plan on statehood, students use primary sources to examine the separation of Virginia from Wes Virginia. The lesson plan incorporates a field trip as a means to put...
Lesson Plan
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Why Would I Owe My Soul to the Company Store?

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders listen to "Sixteen Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford and discuss what it means to owe one's soul to a store. In this mathematics lesson, 6th graders determine what a miner's income was minus his expenses graphing findings in a...
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Off to Work We Go!

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students create a book about The Great Depression in West Virginia.  In this West Virginia history instructional activity, students visit the West Virginia State Museum, answer questions about West Virginia history, and create a...
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Acting in Marriage-Is It on Stage or Off?

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students compare views of marriage in Macbeth and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.  In this comparative literature  lesson, students discuss and debate the marriages of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare's...
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George Washington - A Graphic Novel

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students write and illustrate their own graphic novels. In this George Washington lesson, students collaborate to research Washington's life as surveyor, his involvement in the French and Indian War as well as the American Revolution,...
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The Right Choice

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the leadership role of George Washington in the American Revolution. In this George Washington lesson, students read selections titled "Generalship," and "Candidate for Commander-in-Chief." After students read the...
Lesson Plan
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Underground Railroad

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders read about Harriet Tubman and develop vocabulary lists.  In this Underground Railroad lesson, 4th graders find similarities and differences in primary and secondary sources, create a timeline and recognize important...
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Shark Attack

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students study the white shark and the red triangle.  In this critical thinking lesson students assess the validity of facts about sharks and create a public service announcement either promoting shark or human protection.
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Population and Productivity: Two P's in a Pod

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate the link between countries' population growth rates and levels of industrialization. They observe that, over time, as a country becomes more industrialized, its population growth rate decreases.
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Assignment #5 Sci-Fi Analysis

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Class members select a science fiction novel for independent study. To verify they have completed the reading, they write a summary, a critique, and an outline of the plot for a sequel or prequel. They then deliver a five-minute...
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Making a Travel Brochure of a Louisiana Parish

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Although the attachments for this travel brochure project are no longer linked, you can still use the idea here and create your own assignment sheet and rubric. Learners choose a parish in Louisiana (or a city in your state) to research,...
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Half Lives

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Students investigate the concept of half-life by conducting an M&M experiment. In this chemistry lesson, students differentiate nuclear fusion and fission. They present investigation findings to class.
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Have You Seen Sasquatch?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students create a newscast documenting sightings of SasquatchBigfoot. Working individually, students research information on Sasquatch using traditional and electronic sources, including e-mail. The class produces a newscast based on...
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Live with Lewis and Clark!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students list in chronological order the major events in the Corps of Discovery's westward journey. They research goals of the expedition, the make up of the Corps, the modes of travel, the route and the interactions with American Indians.
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History in the Making

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students create and perform a skit that demonstrates the historical period and foriegn policy of a particular president. They first complete a diagram of George Washington's presidency as a class and then form small groups to research...
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Do We Have to Do This?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students conduct Internet research, and read articles about education to determine why particular educational practices are used, and why they are important in terms of No Child Left Behind. Students create PowerPoint presentations...
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Pinckney Benedict's "The Sutton Pie Safe" from Town Smokes

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students read Pinckney Benedict's "The Sutton Pie Safe" to learn about family symbols and social commentary. In this close reading lesson, students read four journal prompts for the story and answer the listed questions for each section.
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Which Came First?

For Teachers K - 1st
Students examine the significance of the Louisiana Purchase and the journey of Lewis and Clark. They sequence events that occurred on the journey of Lewis and Clark.
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Interesting Idioms

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students are introduced to the topic of idioms in figurative speech. Using the definition of idioms, they use literature to view examples. They identify idioms in different forms of writing and practice using them in speech. ESL...