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Birth of a Nation
Fifth graders portray one of the actual framers of the Constitution. They summarize each class period with a journal entry and culminate the experience with the actual framing and signing (or not signing) of the Constitution.
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Cowboy Cooking
Students explain uses and reasons for leftovers. They compare similarities and differences between present day food and what the cowboys ate.
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Celebrate World Holidays with Hanukkah Lesson Plans, Kwanzaa Activities and More
Every year millions of people around the world celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and other holidays.
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Berlin Wall Lesson Plans
Berlin Wall lesson plans can teach students how this barrier divided a country and why it gained so much international attention.
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Gettysburg Address Lesson Plans
Gettysburg Address lesson plans can show how Lincoln’s historic speech helped to unite the nation.
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Benedict Arnold Lesson Plan
Fourth graders read about and write a biography on Benedict Arnold.
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Chain Across the Hudson Lesson Plan A - Locating the Chain
Students read a letter from George Washington requesting them to identify on a map a location that would stop the advance of British warships. They choose a location and justify their choice.
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Integrated Lesson Plan
An ambitious and engaging lesson plan on the Westward Movement for your students to enjoy! Groups of learners rotate between learning tasks such as learning about the Chislom Trail, Lewis and Clark, and the Gold Rush. A WebQuest is also...
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Tintin and I: Primary and Secondary Sources
Mickey Mouse, Elmo, and Tintin? Belgian cartoonist Georges (Herge) Remi’s famous comic character launches a study of primary and secondary source material and the impact these sources have on storytelling. Class members also examine the...
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Northwest Ordinance
Students examine the area where the Northwest Territory was located. They discover the steps territories need to follow to become states. They create a map of the Northwest Territory and label the states that came out of that region.
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Civil Rights and the Michigan Supreme Court II
Students view a PowerPoint presentation on the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society's Civil Rights and/or the Native American Rights. They write a reaction paper and prepare for a class discussion. They work in groups and discuss...
National First Ladies' Library
Were There Two Wars for American Independence?
Students debate whether or not the War of 1812 can be counted as America's second war of independence. After researching the War of 1812, they complete a WebQuest designed to help them decide on the validity of the war as a quest for...
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Don't Miss The Boat
Fourth graders study immigration and what it is like to be an immigrant. They choose immigrant identities, dress appropriately, and role play during an International Fair where each student displays some aspect of his/her "home country."
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Dying to be a Martyr
Students study primary source document that describe the beginnings of the Middle East conflict. They survey the connections that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have to Israel.
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Once Upon a Castle
Learners complete a variety of activities surrounding castle communities and fairy tales. They write a letter to a fairy tale character, write a fairy tale, create a model of a castle, and draw a map of a castle community.
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Reconstruction to Civil Rights
Eighth graders complete a unit of lessons on the period of time from Reconstruction to the Civil Rights movement. They analyze and interpret political cartoons and editorials, conduct research on famous civil rights places, and complete...
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The Causes and Course of the First World War
Use this twelve-day lesson plan to teach about the causes and courses of WWI. Each day scholars attend lectures, complete creative activities, and hold round table discussions on what they've learned. Web links and resources are...
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Who is Mark Zuckerberg?: Reading Informational Text
This New York Times "Learning Network" exercise provides 10 questions that apply to an article about Mark Zuckerberg. It poses key journalistic questions like, who, what, why, where, how, and when. This resource provides a nice, short...
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Freedom and Dignity Project
Pupils research the economic impact of the Revolutionary War on a variety of occupations. They examine and discuss the topic of whether political leanings influenced the economic outlook.
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French and Indian War
Seventh graders complete a unit on the French and Indian War. They conduct an Internet document search and use what they find to complete a document based essay about the war.
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The Cold War and Development of Post-War America
Students view examples of political advertisements during the years of 1952 through 1964. After viewing, they discuss how the Cold War and the threat of Communism affected the development of the United States. They compare the Cold War...
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D-Day: A Call to Courage
Students examine the events surrounding the D-Day invasion. They watch and discuss a documentary, answer discussion questions, conduct Internet research, simulate war correspondents going ashore, and create a multimedia presentation.
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Is It an Authentic Gutenberg Bible?
Sixth graders conduct Internet research to determine what makes Gutenberg Bible authentic, view Ransom Center's digitized version of Gutenberg Bible, and create Powerpoint presentation supporting research findings.
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The Decisive Victory: Philadelphia and the Winning of the War for American Independence
High schoolers examine primary documents and apply their knowledge to describe them. For this primary document analysis lesson students interpret sources and evaluate roles of foreign allies.