Annenberg Foundation
Becoming Visible
The television and interstate highways both came of age in 1950s America. Scholars use film, text, and discussion to explore how these and other cultural icons shaped the literature of the time. Pupils also create a family history...
West Virginia Department of Education
Intelligence of Authentic Character - News Coverage and John Brown's Raid
The resource, a standalone, shows how news coverage of John Brown's Raid began when the event happened and how that reporting shaped perception in West Virginia history. The resource includes interesting anticipatory discussion...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Differences Among Colonial Regions
Classes look at and analyze primary source images to explore the differences between the colonial regions during the Revolutionary era. They break into groups to tackle each region and then present their findings to the class. A final...
Curated OER
Get Out and Vote!
High schoolers examine political activism. Pupils discuss forms of political activism, specifically voting. They listen to Public Service Announcements. Classmates write and record their own Public Service Announcements to encourage...
Curated OER
Wartime Posters
Learners recognize that, America's eventual involvement in World War II, not everyone initially agreed that intervention was the answer. They conduct research about the political, economic, sociological, and historical factors in the...
Curated OER
Playing it Safe
Young scholars explore the importance of an election and act as political advisers for an upcoming election. Students create platforms for various candidates, by writing a letter to their candidate with suggestions for winning the election.
Curated OER
The Glorious Revolution, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution
Students relate the Glorious Revolution, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution through web based research and scenarios.
Judicial Learning Center
The Judge and the Jury: Trial by Jury
Why is it so important to have a trial by jury in the American judicial system? This right is one of the hallmarks of American democracy, but it also comes with the responsibility of serving on a jury if called. Young legal scholars...
Curated OER
The Kennedys: An American Camelot?
A life in pictures makes sense for a frontline public family like the Kennedys. Slides depict the parents and each sibling as successful, sad, or tragic. The initial slide provides two web links for information to go along with the images.
College Board
Balance of Power Between Congress and the President
Three branches of government help create a system of checks and balances. A helpful resource provides a series of articles regarding the balance of power between the legislative and executive branches of government. Historians answer...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
George Washington: General, President, Slave Owner
Times change; behaviors that were once considered acceptable can be seen in a very different light. Middle schoolers revisit the legacy of George Washington in a three-day lesson plan that uses primary sources to reveal Washington as a...
ThoughtCo
Thomas Jefferson Matching Activity
What are some notable happenings that occurred during Thomas Jefferson's life and presidency? Give young historians a worksheet about the life and accomplishments of Thomas Jefferson.
Judicial Learning Center
Law and the Rule of Law
We hear a lot about the importance of the rule of law, but most people do not really know what those words mean. The lesson is a webpage that defines the rule of law, explains why it is important in a democratic society and provides...
C-SPAN
Landmark Supreme Court Case: Roe v Wade
Perhaps no issue is as controversial than abortion in the American landscape. Go beyond the rhetoric by examining the Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in the United States. A guided note-taking activity unpacks the arguments...
Curated OER
McCarthysim
Eleventh graders explore and analyze the impact of the Cold War at home and how the fear of communism and nuclear war affected American life throughout the Cold War. They study what role Senator Joseph McCarthy played on American fears...
Curated OER
Lewis and Clark: Meeting the Indians of the Northwest
Eighth graders examine the relationships forged with Native Americans by Lewis and Clark. In this Westward Expansion lesson, 8th graders research digital and print sources to study details regarding the Native American tribes that Lewis...
Curated OER
This Land is my Land-Westward Expansion During Reconstruction
Students analyze policies regarding Native American territories during Westward Expansion. In this Reconstruction lesson, students research primary and secondary sources pertaining to the transfer of Native American land. Students take...
Curated OER
A New Society Project
Ninth graders examine the social and political movements of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. In this American history lesson, 9th graders work in groups to form their own society and laws. Students make a diagram of their town and...
Curated OER
Guardians of the West
Eighth graders discover the role of American buffalo in Westward Expansion. In this Westward Expansion lesson, 8th graders examine primary and secondary sources in order to create a cause and effect chart that features the treatment of...
Bette Brooks
"No Irish Need Apply..."
Students describe conditions that led to massive immigration from Ireland in the 1840s, and compare response of native-born Americans to Irish immigration with responses to Mexican immigration today.
Curated OER
Vidal's History--And Yours?
High schoolers watch AMERICAN MASTERS: THE EDUCATION OF GORE VIDAL and apply Guided Reading principles to Vidal's writing. They discuss how to think and question in his way and determine for themselves how political writing can shape...
Curated OER
Segregation: From Jim Crow to Linda Brown
Young scholars examine the African American social, economic, and political conditions between 1896 and 1953. In this segregation lesson, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of the plight of African Americans'...
Curated OER
The Reconstruction Period
Young scholars use documents and other resources to evaluate the success or failure of the Reconstruction for giving rights to African Americans. The documents are primary resources with questions included for students to complete.
Curated OER
The Transcontinental Railroad
Students investigate the impact of the Transcontinental Railroad. In this Transcontinental Railroad lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding the effect of the railroad on Chinese immigrants and American Indians,...