Curated OER
The Mystery of Exploration
Students comprehend the history of European exploration of North America. They are introduced to basic reasearch techniques. Students focus on four explorers who visited New York State: Verrazano, Cartier, Champlian, and Hudson. They...
Curated OER
Trails of Understanding: The Earliest Immigrants
Students research Native American tribes. In this human migration lesson plan, students determine how tribes lived and established cultures. Students create PowerPoint presentations that feature their findings.
Curated OER
Assimilation in America
High schoolers, after reading the novel, "The Joy Luck Club," create a four question survey about assimilation in America. They each ask four members of their family or peers to take the survey. After data is collected, they create...
Curated OER
Life on Plymouth Plantation
Third graders research life of Plymouth Plantation and write letters about life there home. In this Plymouth life lesson plan, 3rd graders complete a webquest as they gather information about the journey to America on the Mayflower and...
Curated OER
From Rags to (Paper) Riches: Explore Colonial Papermaking
Young scholars explore Colonial papermaking. In this Colonial America U.S. history lesson, students analyze two poems written in the 1690s about the Rittenhouse paper mill to learn about papermaking. Young scholars produce their own...
Curated OER
From Jim Crow To Linda Brown: A Retrospective of the African-American Experience from 1897 to 1953
Learners examine African American issue between the years 1897 and 1953. In this African American history lesson, students research the social, economic, and political conditions of African Americans during the aforementioned time span...
Curated OER
Create a "Hero" Trophy
Students identify American heroes. In this research skills lesson plan, students discuss the characteristics of heroes and examine society's definition of heroes. Students research selected American heroes of the 20th century and create...
Curated OER
Faces of the Past: Boys in the Civil War
Learners investigate the role of boys during the American Civil War. In this Civil War Research lesson, students study the contributions of young Union and Confederate men to the war effort. Learners also make classroom presentations...
Curated OER
Kensington Mansion: Plantation, Sharecroppers, Tenants
Eleventh graders investigate the significance of the Kensington Mansion. In this South Carolina history lesson, 11th graders take field trips to the mansion and research primary and secondary sources about plantations, sharecropping, and...
Library of Congress
Suffragists and Their Tactics
Students research the fight for voting rights. In this women's history lesson, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of the strategies employed by the suffragists to gain voting rights.
Curated OER
Opportunity and Danger
Students analyze the immigrant experience. In this Chinese immigration lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding the topic. Students also watch videos regarding the topic and interview immigrants or children of...
Curated OER
It Ain't Necessarily So
Students examine characterization of African Americans in literature, popular culture, and opera. In this stereotypes lessons, students conduct research that requires them to analyze the origins and content of stereotypes perpetuated...
Curated OER
Everything was up to date in 1628
Students view a video of Colonial House, a reality series where people lived according to the standards of European immigrants to the U.S. in 1628. In this colonial history instructional activity, students research changes in geographic...
Curated OER
Buying, Selling, and Trading in Antebellum South Carolina
Young scholars research the role of general stores in the development of communities. In this South Carolina history lesson, students study the economic development of early U.S. communities. Young scholars write essays and create...
National First Ladies' Library
Colonial America: The Original 13
Middle schoolers work in small groups to research the initial history of two colonies and answering a list of questions. They then prepare a PowerPoint presentation or poster that includes all the findings of the questions and share...
Curated OER
Criminal or Hero
Young scholars investigate slavery in America circa the American Revolution. They will examine point- of view and perspective as they research a variety of informational resources. While this is designed to be used with the PBS video...
University of Pennsylvania
Mock Trial of Alfred Dreyfus
What if scholars based mock trials on history? The fourth installment of a five-part series on the Dreyfus Affair asks learners to read various pieces of evidence before conducting a mock trial for a French officer. Teams answer...
DocsTeach
Extending Suffrage to Women
Votes for women! The activity highlights the push for the Nineteenth Amendment giving women the right to vote. High school scholars learn how the Fifteenth Amendment giving African American men the right to vote helped to spark the...
Learn NC
Buffalo Soldiers
"Stolen from Africa, brought to America,/Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival." Bob Marley's "Buffalo Soldiers" provides high schoolers an opportunity to explore the rich history of the Rastafarians in Jamaica and the Buffalo...
US National Archives
WWII: The Pacific 1939-45 – Iwo Jima
Of the images that have permeated history to define American courage, perseverance, and patriotism, the 1945 photograph of United States Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima is one of the most well known. After researching the pivotal...
Syracuse University
American Industrial Revolution
While the Industrial Revolution may have fueled America's rise to the top of world markets, the child laborers often faced dangerous conditions. Using primary source images and other information, scholars consider what these children...
San Francisco Symphony
Music and Early Man
Creative projects are great ways to increase interest in topical research. Middle schoolers learning about primitive life styles in the Americas explore the importance of music to hunter gatherers. They research and create musical...
John F. Kennedy Center
Baila! Latin Dance in the Spanish Classroom
One, two, three. One, two, three. Invite your language learners to practice the steps for researching and presenting information. Each small group has the task of explaining one Latin dance in full detail.
Curated OER
Was the Stamp Act Fair?
Elementary and middle schoolers examine and evaluate different perspectives concerning events leading to the American Revolution. In this case, they hone in on the Stamp Act. They research controversial bills, laws, or events of the time...