Curated OER
Chapter 24 – The JFK & LBJ Administrations
In this 20th century American history instructional activity, students read assigned textbook pages regarding the Kennedy and Johnson presidencies and respond to 46 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Andrew Jackson
Fifth graders examine the presidency of Andrew Jackson. Using the Internet, they research his decision to remove the Indians from their land and place them on reservations. They discuss the effects of the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
Curated OER
Political Cartoons as Part of the Election Process
Students explore the impact of political cartoons on American elections. In this presidential elections lesson, students discuss the election process and then analyze political cartoons that were published during presidential elections....
Curated OER
Who Said That? Scavenger Hunt
For this Presidents worksheet, students explore the Internet to access a specific website to match up five memorable quotes to five memorable Presidents.
Curated OER
Ethnography of the Lewis & Clark Expedition
Young scholars research the people that Lewis and Clark encountered on their expedition. In small groups, they conduct research on a group of Native Americans, answer research questions, and contribute information to a class chart...
Curated OER
Executive Orders
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this foreign policy lesson, students examine U.S. foreign policies of Presidents since World War II. Students prepare PowerPoint presentations with...
Curated OER
American Thanksgiving Through Time
Students explore five web sites in order to identify the various ways Thanksgiving has been celebrated in the past and how it is celebrated today. They consider the diversity of United States and this affects celebrations of the day.
Smithsonian Institution
Mexican War
Did you know that without the Mexican War, the United States would not include the states of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Utah, and even parts of Colorado? Scholars learn a variety of interesting facts about the...
Curated OER
Valuable Lessons
Students explore how immigration, citizenship, due process of law, and the freedoms of speech and assembly have shaped American values throughout American history
Curated OER
Are We Americans Again? A Portrait of Japanese American Internment
Students study letters and images of the Japanese American Interment during World War II. They discuss the issues presented.
Smithsonian Institution
Conflicting Voices of the Mexican War
Americans wanted to fulfill Manifest Destiny, and this pattern continued with the Mexican War. The resource specifically teaches about the Mexican War through a variety of exercises including a research project, group work, brainstorming...
Curated OER
My Very Own Washington Exhibition
Students work as curators. In this George Washington lesson, students research primary and secondary sources in order to create their own exhibitions of the first president. Students may visit selected Web sites in order to create their...
Curated OER
The Social Security Act
Students examine the Social Security Act of 1935. In this U.S. history lesson, students research primary sources in order to prepare for a mock debate of the act prior to it becoming legislation.
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A "Capital" Idea
Eighth graders prepare for a field trip to Washington, DC by researching landmark, monument, or building in Washington. They use the information in small groups to design a multimedia presentation. They include a spreadsheet that shows...
Curated OER
The Berlin Airlift
Students examine a document from the Berlin Airlift in order to research his important event in World History.
Curated OER
George Washington and Slavery: The 1799 Census of Slaves
Learners discover details about the slave community at Mt. Vernon. For this George Washington lesson, students examine Washington's 1799 Slave Census in order to determine what life was like for slaves of the first president. An analysis...
Curated OER
Social Studies: Presidential Mock Interviews
Learners, working in pairs, conduct mock interviews of American presidents, highlighting personal and political details. They research their chosen president on the Internet prior to their role-playing presentation. Students publish...
Curated OER
Religious Revival: The American Response to the Cold War
Students examine the impact of religion on the Cold War. In this Cold War instructional activity, students analyze speeches delivered by Lenin, Truman, and Graham regarding the role of religion in society. As a culminating activity,...
Penguin Books
Teacher's Guide: When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
Julie Otsuka's haunting novel, When the Emperor Was Devine, is the subject of a 14-page teacher's guide. The guide includes the text of an interview with Otsuka, background information about Japanese immigration to the United States, and...
Curated OER
Know Your Presidents
Students research and are able to identify the presidents placing them in chronological order.
Curated OER
Persuasive Practice: A Mt. Rushmore Addition
Budding authors research a US President and persuade the National Park Service to add him to Mt. Rushmore. In addition to the persuasive essay, individuals are required to develop a visual presentation using a web-based software that...
Curated OER
What Portraits Reveal
Students examine how portraits can tell us more about people of the past than just what they looked like. They compare three portraits of U.S. Presidents, analyze portraits of Americans from the Revolutionary War, and write a report on...
Curated OER
Slave Life on George Washington’s Mount Vernon Plantation
Eleventh graders investigate slave life on the Mount Vernon Plantation. In this slavery instructional activity, 11th graders examine photographs of and documents about George Washington's home as they participate in classroom station...
Constitution Facts
U.S. Constitution Crossword Puzzles: Intermediate #1
All of the details of American history fall into place with a clever crossword puzzle. Nearly 100 clues prompt middle and high schoolers to fit the correct answers to topics including the American Revolution, the Civil War, and...