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Brutal British

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners read and predict the outcome of a story set during the Civil War, then map the story. To prepare for the activity, students determine why it is important to look at historical events from all angles by using primary and...
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What Killed the Dinosaurs?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers demonstrate how scientists use evidence to formulate hypotheses. They write an essay describing the Cretaceous and Paleocene time periods from the point of view of someone living in that time. In addition, they formulate...
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Politics during the Civil War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the politics of the Civil War. They use a graphic organizer in order to help sort the information. The use of key questions help to create starting points for class discussion or student essay responses.
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Old Hickories

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students analyze historical events to develop a historical perspective. In this critical analysis lesson, students read excerpts, primary sources and other materials in order to understand the Native American Removal that occurred during...
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Comparing/Contrasting Northern Life to Southern Life

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students compare and contrast the lives of African Americans who moved North vs. those who stayed in the South during the era of Jim Crow Laws.
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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...
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Poetry and Our National Anthem

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students express the meaning of the Star-Spangled Banner. In this American history lesson, students read through the national anthem and complete an activities from a list of choices. Some choices include: writing the anthem in your own...
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Russia's Colony: A Story of the Colony Through Primary Sources (Part 1)

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students review the Russian American Timeline connected to the Russia's Colony unit narrative.
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Change Since 1609

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students recognize how the climate of the Hudson Valley has changed since the last glaciation. They explain these changes using a reconstruction of the land use changes in the Hudson Valley composed of confetti, Ziploc bags and other...
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Jazz in America Lesson Plan 7

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The student will explore free jazz, fusion, and contemporary jazz. They will listen to avant garde, fusion, and pop recordings. In addition, they participate in a class discussion regarding jazz's contribution to and reflection of...
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The Great Debate Lesson Plan: Slavery in the U.S. Constitution

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers examine the U.S. Constitution to see what has been writte about slavery. Then, students, in groups, research the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to explore slavery compromises.
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Cultural Impact of Jim Crow Laws and Civil Rights Movement

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students compare the cultural customs of people from European descent and African Americans between 1900 and 1940. Next students listen to interviews about life during the time of Jim Crow laws, and determine how life might be different...
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Patriots v. Loyalists

For Teachers Pre-K - 6th
Students consider how colonial citizens chose sides in the American Revolution. In this Revolutionary War lesson, students role play Loyalists, Patriots, and undecideds in a classroom simulation. Students research their positions so that...
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Civil War General Comparison

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders compare Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. In this Civil War lesson, 8th graders research both generals and write a comparative essay. They include a paragraph about Lee, another about Grant, and one showing the...
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"Logs of Straw: Dendrochronology"

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students act as dendrochonologists working to reconstruct a 50 year climatic history. They make a personal timeline.
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Counting On Freedom

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students examine the poem and artistic masterpiece The Quadroon Girl and use this knowledge to practice mathematical concepts such as: more than, less than, counting, and majority.
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Body and Media Reconstruction

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners use discussion and activities to create a message about body image. They discover their voice in the media and discover how the production process affects the final message from the media.
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Tall Tales: Reconstructing A Personal Tell

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders discover the ways archaeologists examine artifacts and where they are found. After being introduced to new vocabulary, they use artifacts from their own lives and discover what could be told about their life from them. ...
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Ralph McGill: the "Conscience of the South"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students view a film, "Dawn's Early Light: Ralph McGill and the Segregated South." As groups of students observe the movie, they list key dates, significant persons interviewed, and cultural characteristics. Upon completion of the movie,...
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Evaluating the "Save the Indian" Reforms

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the policies of the "Save the Indian" reforms. Working in groups, they review the motives, methods, and effects of the "Save the Indian" campaign of the late 19th century. Through discussion and writing, they form an...
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Pieces of the Past

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders compare and contrast the way of life of Native Americans in Texas and around the country. As a class, they brainstorm about the uses of pottery today and use broken pieces of pottery to create an artifact. In groups,...
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Challenges Faced by the New Nation's Presidents

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders, while in the computer lab utilizing the internet, locate primary sources to interpret and analyze the struggle of the new nation to gain the respect of European countries. They interact with a worksheet that organizes...
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Integration of Education

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the history of Civil Rights and how the struggle for Civil Rights and the Second Reconstruction, transformed society and politics in the United States in the 1950s. Then they identify why American Schools are integrated...
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Muses of Independence

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore the entertainment options in colonial America. In this colonial life lesson, 8th graders watch a movie about colonial music and arts. Students then respond to questions regarding the movie and also respond to 1...