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Activity
Teacher Web

1920's Magazine

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What a creative and engaging project to incorporate into your studies of the 1920s! Your young historians will work in groups to design a magazine discussing the political and cultural topics of the decade, each member writing one...
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Lesson Plan
2
2
What So Proudly We Hail

The Meaning of America: National Identity and Why It Matters

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Combining a close reading of a classic American text with the study of history can be a very powerful strategy, and this is most certainly the case with this resource using Edward Everett Hale's The Man without a Country. Consider themes...
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Lesson Plan
NPR

Same-Sex Marriage

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The battle over same-sex marriage is a prevalent issue in the United States, and a valuable topic to be discussed in your social studies classroom. Here is a basic outline of introductory questions, focus questions, vocabulary, and media...
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Lesson Plan
What So Proudly We Hail

The Meaning of America: Equality

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What if society sought equality by handicapping the gifted and dispelling any traces of diversity? Kurt Vonnegut Jr. offers one possible answer to this question through his incredibly engaging and thought-provoking satirical...
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Worksheet
Digital History

Compensation for Slavery

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Should Americans provide compensation to those whose ancestors suffered from slavery? Read and analyze the arguments of two modern-day journalists on the topic. Then, have a discussion on both the merits of the arguments as well as what...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
American Library Association

Creating 21st Century Superheroes

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Create 21st century learners by utilizing technology and library databases. Scholars explore the concept of comic books as literature and create a superhero who could uniquely solve a 21st century global issue. Databases such as SIRS are...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

The Iran Hostage Crisis

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
While the Iranian Hostage Crisis was a watershed moment, few history classes take on the complex series of events leading up to it. Using declassified documents, including a hostage's diary, young historians create their own reports to...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Debating Social Security: Understanding and Evaluating the Social Security Act of 1935

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
With throngs of Americans out of work and hungry, Franklin D. Roosevelt made the bold move to establish a social safety net with programs such as Social Security. The move was—and still is—controversial. Using documents from the 1930s,...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

The Freedmen's Bureau: Success or Failure?

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
What is freedom? The United States grappled with the question at the end of the Civil War after four million enslaved people were freed. Using circulars and images from the Reconstruction period, individuals examine how successful the...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Daily Lives of Slaves - What Really Happened?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The stories of enslaved people are preserved forever thanks to the Great Depression. Budding historians explore slave narratives gathered by a federal government initiative to discover what life was actually like for enslaved people....
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Lesson Plan
1
1
National Endowment for the Humanities

Creating the Office of the Presidency

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The United States needed an executive power, but it wanted to avoid a monarchy. Using James Madison's notes on the Constitutional Convention, young historians look at the juggling act the Founding Fathers did to create a role for the...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
National Endowment for the Humanities

The Question of Representation at the 1787 Convention

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
While the Constitution is considered enshrined today, its current form is the result of haggling at a secret convention in 1787. Using transcripts from the meetings and various plans as drafted by the delegates, class members unpack the...
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Activity
Constitutional Rights Foundation

What Should the US Do About North Korea's Nuclear Weapons?

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
North Korea, a shadowy nation distrustful of America, is working on a nuclear weapons program. What should the United States do? The question has plagued American presidents for years, but now young scholars get to make their...
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Interactive
iCivics

DBQuest: The Nashville Sit-In Movement

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
What was it like to be a part of the sit-ins during the Civil Rights Movement? Learners consider the question and whether the protests were effective using an online documents-based investigation. The program allows for virtual...
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Primary
Cornell College

Dred Scott v. Sandford Supreme Court Decision

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
Dred Scott was a harbinger of the Civil War. An enslaved man claimed freedom because his owner had taken him into free territory. Not only did the Supreme Court rule that Dred Scott and his wife were to remain enslaved, but it also ruled...
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Lesson Plan
3
3
Curated OER

Centers of the Storm: The Lyceum and the Circle at the University of Mississippi

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Greek Revival architecture and the Civil Rights Movement? Sure! Examine how the Lyceum and Circle, two historic buildings located on the campus of the University of Mississippi, relate to integration and the 1962 riot on the university...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Spread of Enlightenment Ideas

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Looking for a simple and straightforward reference on the Enlightenment for your young historians? Check out this list of key terms and important figures from the period, followed by a traditional assessment where your learners will be...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart: Oral and Literary Strategies

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Readers are first introduced to Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart by making a map of Africa. They will better understand the novel's historical and literary contexts, European and African literary traditions, and how historical events...
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: American Memory: A Century of Law Making for a New Nation

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This site provides a collection of U.S. Congressional documents and debates from 1774 to 1873.
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Thomas: Legislative Information

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This retired site captures historical legislative activity that includes bill summary and status, bill text, public laws by law number, most recent issue, roll-call votes, committee reports, house committees, and senate committees.
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Rubric
Georgia Department of Education

Ga Virtual Learning: Web Site Evaluation Rubric [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This is a two-page PDF of a rubric to use in the evaluation of websites in the quest for credible websites for research purposes. RI.11-12.7 Eval Different Media/format
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Graphic
Scholastic

Scholastic: Write It: Journalism

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This workshop launches will launch students into the writing process. Read advice from Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nigel Jaquiss, and read work from other students. The Sandwich Critique is an excellent way to peer review. Finally,...
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Activity
University of Missouri

Exploring Constitutional Conflicts: The Reach of Congressional Power

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Read about the privileges and powers exercised by Congress from a constitutional law perspective. Includes examples of many cases which have tested the limits of Congressional power in the history of the United States. Many links to...
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Activity
University of Missouri

Exploring Constitutional Conflicts: War and Treaty Powers

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
War and treaty powers are given to both the President and Congress. How have these powers in the Constitution been interpreted? Here's an easy-to-understand guide along with examples of various cases, Articles I and II, and questions at...