National WWII Museum
On Leave in Paris: Maps as Primary Sources
Primary sources—even those that seem mundane—offer a window into those who experienced history. Using a Red Cross map offered to soldiers stationed in Paris after World War II alongside worksheet questions, scholars consider what life...
Echoes & Reflections
Contemporary Antisemitism
Despite the recognized atrocities of the Holocaust, anti-semitism continues. The 11th and final installment of the Teaching the Holocaust series explores the long-term effects of the Holocaust on modern anti-semitism, asking pupils to...
Echoes & Reflections
Perpetrators, Collaborators, and Bystanders
After the Holocaust, the world grappled with how to bring justice to the Nazis. But what to do with the thousands—if not millions—who allowed it to happen? Young historians consider the issues of guilt, collaboration, and responsibility...
Pace University
American Revolution
Young historians get hooked into a unit study of the American Revolution with a simulation that lets them experience some of the outrage colonists felt about unfair taxes. Class members demonstrate what they have learned in the study by...
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Declaration of Independence in Six Parts
Everyone knows that the Declaration of Independence is important, but what does it actually say? Members of American history classes analyze the Founding Fathers' arguments against British tyranny and for a more perfect union with a...
Pace University
Native Americans
Introduce middle schoolers to the First Nations that inhabited the Northeast during the Age of Exploration with a series of activities designed for differentiated groups.
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Many Bens: Character Revealed in Writing
Benjamin Franklin may be known as a Founding Father, but he was also a prolific writer. Scholars examine his better-known pieces to learn about genre, voice, and early American history. The resource includes options for various...
National WWII Museum
The War in the Pacific by the Numbers
It may be difficult to quantify the cost of war, but an informative resource shows learners the toll of the Pacific campaign during World War II. From the number of presidents who served during the war (two) to the square feet of a...
State of Victoria Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
The Long Wall of China
While some aspects of the Great Wall of China are known, other parts of its story are obscured by time. A research lesson asks scholars to consider what we know and don't understand about this wonder of the world. The class then compiles...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Join, or Die: Reenacting the Albany Conference
The Albany Congress was one of the first attempts at colonial unity. While it was an effort against the French during the French and Indian War, it was one of the events leading up to the American Revolution. Scholars consider the...
State of Victoria Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a wonder of the world. Learners explore the history and construction of the incredible feat using both non-fiction and fictional works. The resource includes multi-day lesson plans that contains ideas for...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Simple Machines, Ben Franklin and the Technology of the 1700s
Benjamin Franklin was an inventor, and he was fascinated by the mechanics of machinery. Using a fun exploration, pupils examine simple machines from the pre-Industrial era. Then, they must identify and build their own using common objects.
Americans All
A Simulation: The Peopling of America
What was it like to pass through Ellis Island? Learners move through the immigration process of the early 1900s in a simulation activity. A comprehensive activity includes role-playing profiles and other manipulative items such as...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Franklin’s Philadelphia: Another Point of View
While Benjamin Franklin enjoyed fame and success in colonial Philadelphia, that was not the experience of all coming to the British colonies. Young scholars trace the life of an indentured servant using a scholarly biography and reading...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
What Good May I Do: Franklin and the American Civic Association
Benjamin Franklin may have been a Founding Father of the United States, but he also founded a number of civic associations. Learners explore his legacy using a biographical essay and collaborative activity. After their exploration,...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Lists to Live By: Developing a Self-Improvement Plan
Ben Franklin was a man with a plan. Learners investigate his plan for self-improvement using excerpts from Franklin's autobiography. Then, pupils develop their own plans and discuss how to sell them to others using the two-session lesson...
Prairie Public Broadcasting
Egyptian Pyramids Virtual Field Trip!
A virtual field trip takes enthusiastic travelers to the pyramids of Giza. Using Google, scholars explore the grounds of the ancient pyramids found in Egypt then complete three worksheets: a photo analysis page, a reflection sheet, and a...
College Board
2007 AP® Microeconomics Free-Response Questions
A monopoly gives a company exclusive rights to a market. What is the impact of that decision on the economy? Problem sets from College Board explore this question, as well as variables in labor markets and government regulations on profit.
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
Colonial Tobacco Economy
Tobacco as money? Middle schoolers investigate how eighteenth-century Virginia farmers used tobacco as a cash crop to buy tools, livestock, and household goods. They also examine the connection between tobacco production and the slave...
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
How Do We Know about Colonial Life?
Young history sleuths examine an inventory of the belongings of a Virginia colonist and use deductive reasoning to determine what the document reveals about colonial life. They then use a Venn diagram to compare the inventory with a...
National Park Service
“Famous Footsteps” Teacher’s Guide
As part of a study of Ellis Island Immigration Station, class members assume the role of immigration service workers, investigate the dossier of an immigrant, and recommend whether or not their subject should be allowed to enter the US....
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
What Was Everyday Life like in Colonial Virginia?
After reflecting on jobs people perform in the present day, scholars discuss what they believe jobs would have been like in Colonial Virginia during the American Revolution. Small groups then perform a jigsaw using informational packets....
Newspaper Association of America
Celebrating Women’s History Month
Examine the lives of four women—Blanche Stuart Scott, Madeleine L'Engle, Margaret Evans Price, and Sybil Ludington—in a 23-page activity packet. Each profile comes with a set of vocabulary and reading comprehension questions. Further...
Penguin Books
An Educator’s Guide to Ruta Sepetys
Historical fiction novels give readers a chance to step into someone else's shoes. An educator's guide from Penguin Common Core Lesson Plans provides resources to accompany three historical fiction novels written by Ruta Sepetys: Between...