Lesson Plan
Curated OER

To Move or Not to Move? Decision Making and Sacrifice

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the motivations that prompted people to move westward during the 19th century. They take on the role of an average citizen and weigh the costs and benefits of making such a move and decide if they would have participated...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Windows of Wisconsin (History)

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders research the history of Wisconsin. They explore Wisconsin's culture, sovereignty and environment. Using multiple computer technology resources (computer, scanner, camera, internet), 4th graders develop a book on the...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Government: Defending the Bill of Rights

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils examine the proposition of a country without the Bill of Rights. In a role-playing activity, teams of students gather information to build a case for retaining the Bill of Rights and present it before their congressperson.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sojourner Truth, African American Woman of the 19th Century

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine Sojourner Truth's philanthropist acts during her life. They discover that everyone has the right to be heard by their government. They compare and contrast the woman's movement and the anti-slavery movement.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building Awareness of the Japanese American Wartime Experience

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars research the Japanese American World War II Camp Experience. They discuss the experience in the context of civil rights and the Bill of Rights.
Lesson Plan
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The Eiserloh Story

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students read "The Eiserloh Story" and evaluate decisions made by the government in time of war. They determine if the government violated the rights of innocent civilians. They identify the Bill of Rights and analyze each Right.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Beauty Behind Barbed Wire: The Relocation Camp Experience of Estelle Ishigo

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders study World War II through art.
Lesson Plan
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Arkansas Black Pioneers: A History of African-American Colonies in Arkansas

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students identify various regions of early Arkansas as these regions relate to African American colonies that settled in Arkansas after the Civil War.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Defining Moments From the Past: Japanese American Internment

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers conduct a mock Congressional Hearing to decide whether or not Japanese Americans who were sent to internment camps during World War II should be provided financial restitution. They research and create a time line of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shooting Civilians

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine world conflict issues. In this global conflict activity, students listen to a story that puts them in the shoes of an army soldier ordered to shoot civilians. Students discuss the plight of the soldier and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Abolishing Slavery In America

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discover details about abolition. For this slavery lesson, students watch Abolishing Slavery in America and then conduct further research about the events that took place on the Zong and Amistad. Students write essays that...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Coming to America: U.S. Immigration

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Analyze primary source documents relating the conditions under with prompted American immigration. Learners will analyze information in order to create a six-panel pamphlet. Much of the lesson is not available but the key objectives are....
Worksheet
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Abraham Lincoln

For Students 4th - 10th
In this Abraham Lincoln activity, students read the passage about Abraham Lincoln and answer short answer questions about him. Students complete 4 questions total.
Lesson Planet Article
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Incorporating Artifacts and Guest Speakers into Curriculum Planning

For Teachers 1st - 7th
Artifacts and guest speakers are enriching and exciting for your students.
Lesson Plan
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Afro-Caribbean Americans and the Sugar Economy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read the narrative, Caribbean Immigration and examine how sugar production and migration of people of African origin have been intertwined for centuries. Working in three groups, they present oral reports on the three eras of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mississippi Trial, 1955: Pre-reading Strategy

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Pink and Say, a picture book by Patricia Polacco, and an anticipation guide, set the stage for a reading of Mississippi Trial, 1955, Chris Crowe's novel based on the true story of the murder of Emmett Till. Instructional routines, the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

5 Mother's Day Lessons and Activities

For Teachers K - 5th
Learners complete a craft project.  In this Mother's Day lesson, students learn about Mother's Day around the world, write an essay about their mother, create a Mother's Day card, create coupons for meaningful time with their...
Lesson Plan
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Civic Oration Topic Planner "A Great Time in American History"

For Teachers 4th - 5th
In this report planning worksheet, students prepare to write a 3-5 page report about one great time in American History. Students choose a topic, answer 4 questions to help in planning the report and take this form home for parental...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Executive Order 9066: Japanese-American Internment

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students analyze conditions under which sections of United States Constitution are superceded, research history of Native Americans, African Americans, and Japanese Americans, and debate policy of reparations for various minority groups...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Birth of a Nation, the NAACP, and the Balancing of Rights

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders analyze primary sources.  In this US History activity, 11th graders interpret written information.  Students evaluate arguments and draw conclusions.  Students develop and defend a position. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Slavery in the Antebellum South

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discuss Stephen Foster's depiction of slavery. Using the internet, they discover what the life of a slave was really like in the antebellum South. As a class, they discuss contemporary arguments for and against slavery.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan: The Black Press

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners examine the history of the black press. In this media awareness lesson, students watch videos and conduct research regarding the history of the black press in America. Learners explore media careers as they read provided...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The African-American Experience During the Vietnam Conflict

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the experiences of African-Americans in the Vietnam War. They illustrate their experiences showing how these events related to the Civil Rights movement. They compare and contrast the views of sailors and officers aboard...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Double V Campaign: Victory at Home and Victory Abroad

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students write a persuasive essay as if they were an African American in World War II and decide if they would contribute war bonds or not. In this World War II lesson plan, students study the segregation of World War II and the unity...