Huntington Library
Huntington Library: Causes of the American Revolution: Stamp Act Crisis [Pdf]
In this lesson, 5th graders look at what role the Stamp Act played in the lead-up to the American Revolution. Includes background information for the teacher. Students learn about taxes, study a timeline and maps, participate in a...
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: Causes of American Revolution: Soldiers and Civilians at War
In this lesson, 5th graders look at causes and consequences of the American Revolution, at nations and individuals that impacted the outcome, at the roles women played, and at how the war affected families, economics, and the...
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: Causes of the American Revolution: Trouble in Boston [Pdf]
For this lesson, 5th graders look at ideas and British policies that contributed to the outbreak of the American Revolution. Includes background information for the teacher. Students explore ideas that were circulating in America before...
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Huntington Library: Settlement of the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies
In this lesson, 5th graders learn about the people who founded the New England colonies and the role that religion played in shaping them. Includes background information for the teacher. Students explore primary resource readings on the...
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Huntington Library: Pennsylvania Colony: The Holy Experiment [Pdf]
In this lesson plan, 5th graders learn about the people who founded the Pennsylvania colony and the role that religion played in shaping it. Includes background information for the teacher. Students explore primary resource readings on...
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Huntington Library: The Corps of Discovery: The Lewis and Clark Expedition [Pdf]
In this lesson, 5th graders learn about westward expansion and the Lewis and Clark expedition. Includes background information for the teacher. Students explore primary and secondary resource readings on the Louisiana Purchase, President...
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Huntington Library: Constitution on Trial: Internment of Japanese in Wwii
In this lesson, 11th graders look at what happened to the Japanese who were living in the United States during World War II and examine their experiences of internment. They will also consider the constitutionality of removing some civil...
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Huntington Library: Lampooning Injustice: Paul Conrad and Civil Rights
In this lesson, 11th graders look at the work of Paul Conrad, a political cartoonist, who often explored issues around civil rights, including Brown v. Board of Education and school desegregation. Includes background information for the...
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Huntington Library: The Poetry and Prose of Langston Hughes [Pdf]
In this lesson plan, 11th graders explore how the poetry of Langston Hughes reflected political and social issues of the time and how literature can support social change.
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Huntington Library: A Literature of Democracy [Pdf]
In this lesson, 11th graders explore the ideas of Ralph Waldo Emerson and his call for literature that was uniquely American. They then consider how Emerson would have responded to writings by Henry Thoreau, Frederick Douglass, Harriet...
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Huntington Library: Washington's Rise Begins: A Journal of a Noteworthy Journey
In this lesson, 5th graders examine letters and entries from George Washington's diaries to understand more about his character and ambitions, and the conflict and cooperation that existed between the French and English colonists and the...
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Huntington Library: Coming to California [Pdf]
In this lesson, 4th graders examine entries from Juan Bautista de Anza's diary and other documents to understand the experiences and obstacles he and his companions faced as they traveled from Arizona to California in 1774. Student...
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Huntington Library: The Widening World of Books and Readers [Pdf]
In this lesson plan, 7th graders examine the widespread impact of the printing press on promoting literacy and spreading ideas across societies and between countries.
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: Shakespeare's Universalism [Pdf]
In this lesson, students explore how Shakespeare was able to write in a way that his characters seemed to express real emotions and will look at the literary devices he used. An extension activity has them analyze what William Hazlitt...
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Huntington Library: The Development of Writing and Books: Part Ii [Pdf]
In this lesson, young scholars examine early civilizations and the evolution of written language, at different early methods used to record information in writing, how these methods evolved, and at the impact of books on societies.
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Huntington Library: Seeds, Soil, and Surprises
This site has excellent resources for teaching students about plants. It has a guide to scientific investigation and a glossary of plant terms. There are three lessons that each include a slideshow on the parts of a plant, the needs of...
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Huntington Library: Benjamin Franklin: Colonial Printer and Journalist
This lesson looks at the early career of Benjamin Franklin and he contributed to the spread of literacy in America, as well as his public service record at that time. Students will examine and analyze primary source documents to...
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Huntington Library: New Birth of Freedom: Lincoln's Presidency and the Civil War
In this lesson, 8th graders will examine primary source letters and speeches to learn about the lives of soldiers and leaders during the Civil War and about Lincoln as a leader. Student resources are included.
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: Freedom of the Press: The Trial of Peter Zenger
In this lesson, 5th graders learn about the trial of Peter Zenger and how it laid the foundation for the freedom of the press. They will examine primary source documents and hold a mock trial, ending with a discussion of the First...
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Huntington Library: The Bill of Rights
In this lesson, 5th graders learn about the bill of Rights, why it was added to the Constitution, and its importance to the freedoms and liberties that Americans have today. Student resources are included.
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Huntington Library: American Indians and English Settlers in Colonial America
In this lesson, 5th graders examine the relations between Indians and the settlers in the 1600s and 1700s. Background information for teachers is included. Students will work in groups to look at three different colonies and read primary...
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Early English Exploration and Settlement of the Colony of Virginia
In this lesson, 5th graders learn about the individuals and groups who first founded the different colonies in America and what their motivations were. Students participate in a reader's theater activity, create a poster that would...
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Huntington Library: The Rule of Law
In this lesson, students examine primary source materials including the Book of Laws, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Magna Carta in order to understand their meaning and to compare them. They then prepare an argument on...
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Huntington Library: The Reformation
For this lesson, students examine primary source materials to investigate how ideas change and evolve over time and what impact past ideas have on people's perceptions of the present, or how the present may be perceived at some future time.