Curated OER
Key Ingredients: America by Food
Students participate in a series of activities to explore the types of food Americans eat, how food choices differ in various parts of the country, and how the availability of various foods has changed over time.
Curated OER
Lee Chew's Story
High schoolers put themselves in the shoes of a Chinese immigrant to America. In this immigration instructional activity, students read an account from Lee Chew, a Chinese immigrant to America in the 19th century. High schoolers discuss...
Curated OER
Comprehension Questions for Stitching Stars
In this comprehension questions for Stitching Stars worksheet, learners answer 30 comprehension questions after reading the book about quilts made by slaves in the 17-19th centuries.
Reed Novel Studies
Elijah of Buxton: Novel Study
Most think Elijah in Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis gets famous for being the first African American child born free from slavery. However, his true fame comes from his adventures to capture a thief. Readers study Elijah's...
Curated OER
Assembling a Story
Students observe, discuss, and interpret Radcliffe Bailey's work, By the River. They create personal narratives of people who came to the U.S. during the 18th or 19th century.
Smithsonian Institution
Solomon G. Brown: Letter Writing
Personal correspondence in the form of letters is not as common as it once was. This resource presents an opportunity for you to introduce your class to letter writing and cover topics in social studies. Learners read a letter written in...
Curated OER
Victorian Philosophies in the Connecticut River Valley: The Connection between Mind, Body, and Spirit
Eleventh graders explore late 19th century concepts of physical and spiritual health, which includes spiritualist and conservation movements, heath tonics, the perceived relationship between climate and physical well being.
Curated OER
Immigration and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Eleventh graders explore the effects of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. In this immigration lesson, 11th graders consider the impact of Chinese immigration to America as they read and discuss writings on the topic from noteworthy...
Curated OER
The Great Migration: Two American Tales
Young scholars compare and contrast experiences of European immigrants and African American migrants in U.S. cities. After examining the topic, they write essays evaluating the differences and similarities of the groups' experiences.
Curated OER
Sioux Treaty of 1868
Students explore and research the history of Native Americans in North America.
Center for History and New Media
The Impact of the Jim Crow Era on Education, 1877–1930s
Even though American slaves were officially emancipated in 1865, the effects of slavery perpetuated throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Middle and high schoolers learn about the ways that discrimination and the Jim Crow laws...
Curated OER
Photography and the National Park Service
During the 1800s the United States was expanding westward; land was there for the taking. Kids explore how some early photographers used their photography to influenced the US Congress to save areas like Mirror Lake. They complete a...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Women's Lives Before the Civil War
Women's lifestyles before the Civil War made a huge impact as a point of causation. Give middle schoolers the opportunity to view firsthand the lives of women before the Civil War. They analyze primary source documents, view photographs,...
Curated OER
Knife River: Early Village Life on the Plains
Students discover the complex culture and trading economy of the Hidatsa and Mandan tribes in North Dakota during the 18th century, as seen by anthropologists and artists.
Curated OER
Words and Pictures Connect Nature and People: The American Conservation Movement
High schoolers research some of the men and women who help to raise the environmental consciousness of the American people through their writings and drawings. They write a persuasive piece about an outdoor place which will connect...
Curated OER
"Go West, Young Man!"
Students examine reasons why people migrated west. They describe how the geography of the U.S. changed in the 19 th century and design a PowerPoint presentation to convey factors for westward expansion.
Curated OER
Dinosaur! Fossil Rush: Tale of a Bone
Explore 1870s when a "bone rush" led to amazing discoveries, as fossil-hunters risked life and limb in their quest for dinosaur remains. The class uses the attached visual encyclopedia to prep for a discussion on early paleontology. Two...
Curated OER
Louisa May Alcott: The Candle and the Mirror
Students discuss the life of Louisa May Alcott and create an outline of a biography of her life and times. In this Louisa May Alcott lesson, students explore the Transcendentalist involvement in the abolitionist movement, relating...
Curated OER
Westward Ho
Middle schoolers examine primary sources regarding Western migration. For this Manifest Destiny lesson, students determine why the pioneers moved west and what the trip was like as they examine sources and write journals based on their...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
The Election of 1912
The Election of 1912: an election with four competitive opponents. Pupils get to know the candidates with informative reading passages that provide context to the election. Then, the class engages in a debate and answers questions as one...
Curated OER
Crystal Blue Persuasion
Students examine historic posters, jewelry, quilts and buttons that were created to protest or call attention to a political issue. After evaluating how these items were used to communicate a political message, students create an item...
Curated OER
Urbanization As Seen Through Late 19c - Early 20c Architecture
Incorporating the cultures, architecture, and ethnic populations of several American cities (namely Chicago and New York), this presentation displays vivid photographs of buildings and people in 19th - 20th century urban America. The...
Curated OER
Cemetery Study for New Hampshire History
Students take a field trip to a New Hampshire cemetery. They examine the way of life in the 19th century and their belief systems. They answer questions before and after their field trip.
Curated OER
Immigration; The New Colossus
Seventh graders explore The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus. In this The New Colossus activity, 7th graders read the poem and analyze its meaning. Students discuss what the poem means about American culture and why it was engraved on the...