US Citizenship and Immigration Services
Thanksgiving 3—Traditions
Thanksgiving is a treasured national holiday, but it can look different from table to table. Through a reading passage, real-world images, and class discussion, scholars take a look into Thanksgiving's importance to the United States of...
Museum of Tolerance
Disenfranchised People of the New Nation
Why are some immigrant groups in the United States embraced while others become disenfranchised? To answer this question, teams investigate why groups emigrated to the US, why some of these these peoples were disenfranchised, and their...
James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
Those "Other Rights:" The Constitution and Slavery
Did the United States Constitution uphold the institution of slavery, or did it help to destroy it? Young historians study Article 4, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution and evaluate the rights of slaveowners as they compared to or...
Center for History and New Media
A Look at Virginians During Reconstruction, 1865-1877
The transition between rebellion to reunification was not smooth after the Civil War. Young historians compare primary and secondary source documents in a study of the Reconstruction era in Virginia, noting the rights that were not...
Center for History and New Media
Slavery and Free Negroes, 1800 to 1860
What was life like for enslaved and free black people before the American Civil War? Explore the building tension between states and the freedom of individuals with a thorough social studies lesson. Learners of all ages explore primary...
National Research Center for Career and Technical Education
Hospitality and Tourism 2: Costing
The lesson plan provides a richly detailed narrative and sample problems for teaching or reinforcing how to work with percentages. In particular, your audience will compute the costs per serving of food and simulate setting menu prices...
National Endowment for the Humanities
James Madison: Raising an Army—Balancing the States and the Federal Government
To war! To war! Every nation in the history of the world has had to deal with warfare on some level. Scholars go through a series of activities and discussions surrounding the development of the Constitution to help them better...
Curated OER
My Secret War: Lesson 4
Fifth graders write a speech. In this history lesson, 5th graders define the word infamy and listen to a speech by FDR. Students work in groups to summarize his speech and rewrite sections of the speech.
Read Works
The United States Constitution
The US Constitution is the beginning of Americans' rights. Use a five-paragraph passage to give a brief history of the US Constitution. A great last minute addition to a lesson on Constitution Day.
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
The Articles of Confederation
Have you ever started a project only to realize you need to scrap it and start over? Scholars analyze the issues leading to the fall of the Articles of Confederation. A group investigation into Articles II, III, and VIII unveil the...
Media Smarts
Unit Two: Celebrities and World Issues
Develop media smarts by considering the power of celebrity involvement in world issues. A look at the work of such celebrities as Angelina Jolie, Oprah, and Bono prepare learners to develop their own media campaign for a global...
Stanford University
Ruby Bridges
A two-part lesson features Civil Rights hero, Ruby Bridges. Part one focuses on the heroic actions of Ruby Bridges then challenges scholars to complete a Venn diagram in order to compare themselves to her. Part two begins with a...
Heritage Foundation
The Amendment Process and the Bill of Rights
Did you know that lawmakers have proposed more than 5,000 bills to amend the US Constitution in Congress? Your class learns intriguing facts about the process of choosing amendments. A variety of activities including before and after...
Curated OER
Lesson: Looking Closer: The Artwork of Wangechi Mutu
Social issues of gender and media stereotypes, begins with a multi-sensory experience. Learners view the painting Backlash Blues and make critical comments based on what they see. They then read the Langston Hughes poem and listen to the...
Curated OER
International Curiosity and National Pride
Students analyze their own culture and a Bulgarian culture to identify national, local, or ethnic traits. In this culture analysis lesson, students identify three important characteristics of their culture and compose a list of questions...
National Park Service
Petrified Forest National Park
Poetry Soup, a reading and writing unit constructed by the Petrified Forest National Park, will have scholars hungry to learn about nature. The cross-content unit contains topics related to history, science, and language arts. Content...
Curated OER
Middle East Lesson Plan
Students explain the position of both the Arab and the Jewish populations of the Middle East. They use this information to develop United Nations proposals to end this conflict.
Curated OER
The Wilderness Concept: Our National Parks, History and Issues
Students examine the history of the National parks. In groups, they discuss the concepts of conservation and preservation. They discuss the use of natural resources and how some are renewable and non-renewable. To end the lesson, they...
Curated OER
Ayiti: Children of Haiti Summit
Ninth graders explore the core challenges faced by children in Haiti. For this World History lesson, 9th graders examine the impact poverty has on access to education, nutrition, basic healthcare, and child mortality. Students research...
Curated OER
Simulating a Middle East Peace Summit
Tenth graders explore the issues in the Middle East. In this World History instructional activity, 10th graders research the problems between Palestine and Israel. Students write a speech on their point of view of the peace process.
Curated OER
Mangrove Loss Faster than Land-Based Forests
Students explore the reasons Mangrove forests are in jeopardy. In this lesson, students read an article that discusses specific facts on Mangrove forests, then complete numerous activities that reinforce the information, such as taking...
Curated OER
Wilma Mankiller and the Cherokee Nation
Students examine how Wilma Mankiller became the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. They listen to a teacher-led lecture, write a letter to President Andrew Jackson, participate in a jigsaw activity, conduct research,...
School Improvement in Maryland
Are These Human Right Violations?
Using the Declaration of Human Rights and the United States Constitution as reference tools, class members examine 14 scenarios to decide if the situation represents a violation of human rights, and if these same rights are protected by...
Advocates for Human Rights
The Right of Indigneous Peoples in the United States
The sovereignty of U.S. Native American nations is the focus of a resource that asks class members to compare the Right to Self-Determination in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples with a fact sheet that details the...