Curated OER
Segregation
Students consider the implications of prejudice. In this segregation lesson, students experience a simulation that has school staff favoring students with blue eyes. Students discuss the simulation experience, watch "The Eye of the...
Curated OER
Keeping A Watchful Eye
Students explore the use of satellite surveillance systems to track criminals. They consider how the use of this technology in law enforcement might affect them and write opinions on whether or not such a system should be adopted by...
Curated OER
Justice or Injustice?
Middle schoolers participate in a human rights discussion and define the concepts of justice and injustice. They research the concept justice in order to create a Wisdom Wall identifying human rights issues. Students also participate in...
Curated OER
Care of Prisoners During the Civil War
Students identify the needs of prisoners through the study of the Civil War. For this Civil War lesson, students are divided into two groups to represent the two armies. Students simulate a situation where students are captured prisoners...
Curated OER
Governance- Grade 9
Ninth graders participate in talking circles about how their classroom will function. In this self-governance instructional activity, 9th graders participate in talking circle activities to create rules that will govern their class....
Curated OER
Should US Officials & Health Professionals be Investigated for War Crimes?
Students explore ethical issues. In this human rights lesson, students read articles and documents related to torture used in government investigations and if medical ethical guidelines were adhered to. Students respond to discussion...
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Tiananmen Square
Students identify and explain the Tiananmen Square incident of June 1989.
Studentsl compare what it is to be an American Citizen (Democracy) vs.
Chinese Citizen (Communism). Students identify and define various vocabulary terms,...
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Paul Robeson: 20th-Century Renaissance Man, Hero In Any Century
Students study the life and times of actor Paul Robeson. In this social activism activity, students research primary and secondary documents to create multi-media presentations featuring Paul Robeson's life and political activism.
Facing History and Ourselves
The Range of Choices
Learners examine crimes against human rights. In this world history instructional activity, students watch a segment of a video about the Armenian Genocide. Learners reflect on the crimes of the Ottoman government in classroom...
Curated OER
Understanding the Declaration of Independence
Middle schoolers identify and interpret the Declaration of Independence and the rights and privileges demanded in the document. They also identify how those rights and privileges have affected our history. Students then research about...
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Equality: Are Some More Equal than Others?
Students research a person who has been active in supporting human rights around the world. They simulate an international conference and write a newsletter focused on human rights in a specific country.
Curated OER
The Underground Railroad and The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
Students discover racism and slavery by completing a role playing activity. In this U.S. history instructional activity, students analyze documents from the Civil War era and describe the Fugitive Slave Law. Students view a video on...
Curated OER
Ruby Bridges & School Integration
Students explore school integration issues. In this Civil Rights Movement lesson, students read Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges and school integration and then write reflections about difficult experiences.
Curated OER
The Bill of Rights
Students practice their reading comprehension skills by reading about the Bill of Rights. They answer questions after reading to test their comprehension.
Curated OER
American Civil War
Eighth graders read a collection of stories about the Civil War. Based upon their readings, they perform various activities to reinforce facts about the Civil War. Students create time lines, maps and reports about the war. They...
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Dred Scott and the Constitution
Students investigate the outcome of the Dred Scott case. In this human rights lesson, students read Justice Taney's decision about property rights and citizenship. Students write essays about the outcome of the case and President...
Curated OER
Social Movements of the 20th Century
Sixth graders study the social movements of the 20th century. In this social movements lesson, 6th graders discuss social unrest, review social and political movements of the 20th century, and discuss the main movements for unrest....
Curated OER
The Law: Your Rights and Responsibilities
Students explore First Amendment rights and responsibilities.
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Race and Representation
Students consider race and representation. In this voting rights lesson, students listen to their instructor lecture on the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Georgia congressional districts, and North Carolina voting districts. Students respond...
American Battlefield Trust
Pre-1861: Disunion
Nat Turner, John Brown, and Abraham Lincoln all played a key role in the run-up to the bloody American Civil War. Using a PowerPoint, timeline activity, and essay prompt, young historians consider the roles of these men and more to...
Curated OER
Martin Luther King, Jr. Team Activity
Students sequence the events of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, after first being read a biography. The facts are on strips of paper, which are later glued end to end.
Teaching Tolerance
Dismantling Racial Caste
It's time to end racism. The final installment of the series encourages scholars to consider what is needed to ended the racial caste system in the U.S. Young historians complete group discussion, written prompt, and a hands-on-activity...
Maryland Department of Education
Our Children Can Soar
Amazing efforts of African American leaders are celebrated in a lesson plan on civil participation. The engaging resource focuses on primary and secondary sources to analyze the impact of African American leaders such as Ella Fitzgerald....
Center for History and New Media
Growing Up in a Segregated Society, 1880s–1930s
What did segregation look like in the beginning of the 20th century? Middle and high schoolers view images of segregated areas, read passages by Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois, and come to conclusions about how the influence of...