Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Model United Nations Activity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine current and past problems and situations affecting the United Nations, and explore life, career, and philosophy of Ralph Bunche, American diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner. Students then prepare portfolios to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

America's Wars, 1898-1945

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners examine the wars the United States was involved in between 1898 and 1945. In groups, they determine the causes and effects of each war and how each war changed the way the United States handled their foreign affairs. As a class,...
Worksheet
Curated OER

The British Attack on the Capital

For Students 6th - 8th
In this reading comprehension worksheet, students read a historical passage about the British American war. Students then answer 10 true/false questions based on their reading.
Lesson Plan
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Learning the Printing Trade

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore U.S. History by reading biographical text in class. In this Benjamin Franklin instructional activity, students read about the famous American's first job and the transition he underwent from printing to politics....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Revolutionary Idea

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students take a field trip to watch a reenactment of the Revolutionary War. In groups, they participate in the same daily chores as the soldiers and examine the contributions of the colonies. To end the lesson, they eat a typical...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Pocahontas Show

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders complete background reading of Europeans and the Native American Indians. They work in groups and represent an area of European colonization and create a "character" to represent their colonists on a class talk show....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Day for Choosing Revolution

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students read contemporary news articles about public protest. They describe a form of protest that took place in 18th-century Virginia. Students compare events or ideas that people protest about today to events or ideas protested about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Thanksgiving Unit

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders identify: why the Pilgrims came to America; how they adjusted to life in America; what impact the Native Americans had on the survival of the Pilgrims; and what events brought about the First Thanksgiving.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Mayflower Compact

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students use primary source documents to discuss the Mayflower Compact and the story of the first Thanksgiving. They discover how the Pilgrims were influenced in developing a community and American democracy.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Life in Jamestown Settlement

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders examine life in early colonial settlements. Students investigate what settlers ate and create a menu for a fictitious restaurant in a settlement.
Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

La Mobile: A Case Study of Exploration and Settlement

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The Le Moyne brothers, Jean-Baptiste and Pierre, were among the first explorers of the Gulf Coast. Class members read biographical information and journal entries about these men, study maps showing where the settlements they established...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jamestown in Context: The Colonization of North America

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Learners analyze the significance of Jamestown in the broader picture of colonization and analyze a historical document to determine the effects of previous explorations on the expectations of the Jamestown colonizers
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding the Declaration of Independence

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students work in groups to do a document analyxix of several documents. Students view the Martin Luther King speech, "I Have a Dream." They discuss the Battle of Saratoge. Students give a personal view of the reason the Declaration of...
Lesson Plan
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Channel Islands Film

Once Upon a Time (Sa Hi Pa Ca): Lesson Plan 3

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What was the most significant tool used by the Chumash? How did the environment make the tool possible? What group behaviors allowed the Chumash be be successful for thousands of years? After watching West of the West's documentary Once...
Handout
Plimoth Plantation

History In A New Light: Illuminating the Archaeology of Historic Patuxet and Plymouth

For Students 4th - 12th Standards
Sixty-seven pages take scholars on a digital tour through the exhibit, History in a New Light: Illuminating the Archaeology of Historic Patuxet and Plymouth. Crystal clear pictures accompanied by text offer a deep understanding of the...
Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Declaration of Independence

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Scholars work in pairs to decide whether leaders wrote the Declaration of Independence for the rich and powerful or for every man. To draw their conclusion, pairs read excerpts from two historians and complete a graphic organizer...
Interactive
DocsTeach

To Sign or Not to Sign

For Teachers 6th - 8th
To sign or not to sign, that is the question. Scholars review the Declaration of Independence and discuss the Framers' decisions for signing the document. The activity uses primary text, a worksheet, and group discussion to help...
Lesson Plan
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Memorial Hall Museum

Dedham Deed

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Class members examine primary source documents that expose the contrasting views of land ownership between the Pocumtuck and English settlers.
Lesson Plan
Scholastic

The First Thanksgiving Feast

For Teachers Pre-K - 2nd Standards
Following an online activity, scholars listen to a read-aloud of If You Were at the First Thanksgiving by Anne Kamma. Pupils discuss their family traditions and complete a T-chart comparing the holiday then and now. Collages are made to...
Lesson Plan
National Woman's History Museum

Pocahontas: The Truth vs. The Legend

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
Young historians study primary and secondary source materials to try and separate the true story of Pocahontas from the myths, fictional tales, and conflicting accounts of her life.
Lesson Plan
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Facing History and Ourselves

Insights on Democracy from South Africa

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
As part of their study of democracy, high schoolers listen to a podcast featuring two South African educators and their efforts to support the process of transforming the nation from apartheid rule into a democracy. Learners also read...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Mexican Culture and History through Its National Holidays

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young historians have an opportunity to study the complex history and culture of Mexico by learning about several holidays: The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe), The Day of the Dead (El Dia de los...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Revolt in Boston

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders study the American Revolution. In this American History lesson plan, 11th graders analyze primary sources. Students participate in a simulation on taxes. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Family Life

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Learners investigate the lives of families in two different centuries. They compare the 1600's to the 1800's. Students write an essay about the differences and how they developed in history. Special attention is paid to the external...