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Democratic Revolutions
Students study the Age of Revolutions. In this Latin America instructional activity, students consider how democratic revolutions around the world led to imperialism in Latin America.
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The Technological impact on 1950's culture
Eleventh graders examine the 1950's. In this American History instructional activity, 11th graders explore the key vocabulary for the unit. Students research the new technology that existed in the 1950's.
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Commemorations Across Cultures
Students explore how different cultures commemorate people and events. They research how commemorations are created through music, painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, and poetry. In collaborative, students create a...
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Jobs in Jamestown
Students research data on Jamestown settlers in order to learn about the daily life and events in the colony. In this investigative history lesson, students work in groups to analyze the results of the Jamestown census. Students take...
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Rockin’ the World: Rock and Roll and Social Protest in 20th Century America
Students explore protest songs. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students examine issues-based music by summarizing lyrics and revealing inferences, generalizations, conclusions, and points of view found in the songs.
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The Myth and the Reality: Pioneering in the Midwest
Students examine the myth and reality of settlement in the Upper Midwest during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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Small Group Acting: Enlivening Canadian History
Tenth graders role-play events in Canadian history. In small groups they develop a script, practice their skit, and perform a skit for the class depicting various events in Canadian history.
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Timeline - United States and Germany, Before, During, and After World War II
Students read novel Rosa's Miracle Mouse, research assigned years in small groups, and create timelines and Powerpoint presentations detailing interaction between Germany and the United States before, during, and after World War II.
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Rendezvous
Fourth graders research the Rendezvous. They then set up bartering stations for students from other classes to visit.
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Hank Williams: Still Singing After All These Years
Young scholars research the life and music of Hank Williams. They take a quiz on country music, watch a video about Hank Williams, research Williams' song lyrics, create a poster and write a bio poem about his life and work.
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The Birth of the American Empire as Seen Through Political Cartoons (1896-1905)
Students explore the concept of political cartoons. In this political cartoons lesson plan, students examine political cartoons from different time periods in American history and respond to questions regarding them.
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A Closer Look at the Klan
Fourth graders learn vocabulary, answer discussion questions, complete writing assignments, and identify symbols connected to the Ku Klux Klan. In this Ku Klux Klan lesson plan, 4th graders also go on a field trip to the Thomas Hart...
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Woody Guthrie and The Grapes of Wrath
Students examine American idealism. In this literature and music lesson, students analyze the lyrics of Woody Guthrie songs as well as the themes of Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. Students examine parallels between the characters in the...
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Transmission of Family Histories
Students examine how different artifacts represent family history, stories, and experiences. They act as reporters for their own family artifacts sharing them with the class.
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Protest Signs
Students make their own chalk art or poster that represents a protest sign. In this protest sign lesson plan, students look at signs from the Civil Rights movement and then make their own.
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Constitutional Issues: Civil Liberties During War
Students discuss democratic ideals and constitutional principles. They decide which side of the issue they are on dealing with the placement of Japanese-Americans in camps during World War II. They examine primary source documents for...
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Canada Geography PowerPoint
Students create a PowerPoint about Canadian geography or history. In this Canada lesson plan, students spend two days researching their Canadian topic in the library and online. They create a PowerPoint presentation and add pictures...
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African American Identity in the Gilded Age
Ninth graders examine the tension experienced by African-Americans as they struggled to establish a vibrant and meaningful identity based on the promises of liberty and equality in the midst of a society. In this American History lesson...
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The American Dream
Students define the American dream. In this primary research lesson, students search the Library of Congress digital collections for primary sources regarding the ideal of the American dream. Students create presentation to share...
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Ku Klux Klan
Students discuss, write, and identify symbols of the activities of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920's in Indiana. In this Ku Klux Klan lesson plan, students also take a field trip to view the Thomas Hart Benton Murals at Indiana University.
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The Mayflower Compact-Freedom Contract
Students examine the main goal of the Pilgrims and the first amendment of the Constitution. They read and discuss "The Mayflower Compact," role-play excerpts of the reading, and write a journal entry.
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We the People: 270 out of 538
Students engage in a lesson that helps them better explain the quadrennial ritual surrounding the election of a president in the United States of America.
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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Childhood in Early 19th-Century America
Students interpret and analyze primary source documents and compare and contrast childhood today with that of the past.