Curated OER
Boundary Crossing
Seventh graders explore the issues that arose as a result of boundary crossing. For this US History lesson, 7th graders research supreme court cases in regards to crossing boundaries. Students present their findings to the class.
Curated OER
It Can't Happen Here or Can It?: Peer Pressure, Prejudice and Intolerance
Students study the Holocaust and explore peer pressure, prejudice and intolerance.
Curated OER
Progressive City Planners
Students plan cities. In this environmental racism instructional activity, students design imaginary cities taking into consideration the amenities and environmental hazards that exist. Students discuss city planning challenges.
Curated OER
It Can't Happen Here or Can It?: Peer Pressure, Prejudice and Intolerance
Students examine the pressures of group-pressured behavior. For this teaching tolerance lesson, students read literature and view videos regarding negative group behavior. Students answer comprehension questions and participate in a survey.
Curated OER
ANTICIPATORY SET
Learners are be able to analyze primary sources (photographs and speeches) and write a definition of American Democracy. They are shown a photograph of Martin Luther King Jr. by Ben Fernandez, students are asked what is happening in the...
Curated OER
Is Social Media a Trustworthy News Outlet?
Examine the role of social media in social and political uprisings. Pupils listen to NPR audio clips about social media and the Arab Spring and read an article that proposes the idea that revolution will not happen through social media....
Curated OER
Falling Water
Students drop water from different heights to demonstrate the conversion of water's potential energy to kinetic energy. They see how varying the height from which water is dropped affects the splash size. In seeing how falling water can...
Curated OER
White Man's Burden:The Expansionist/Anti-Imperialist Debate at the Turn of the Century
Students explore the roles of Expansionists and Anti-imperialists and take on the identity of a historical character to defend their position before a Senate committee. Roles of newsmen, senators, and futurists are also assumed in this...
Curated OER
Create Your Own Classroom Olympic Games
Students create their own version of the Olympic Games. They compete in the games of their choice and keep score.
Curated OER
Mystery Strategy for Elementary Students
Learners of all ages solve historical mysteries. Elementary learners research historical topics by organizing information presented by their instructor, formulating hypotheses, and considering solutions to mysteries presented about...
The New York Times
Looking for Answers: Making Sense of the Boston Marathon Bombing
How should America respond to acts of domestic terrorism? What motivates or prompts a terrorist attack? After reading an opinion piece on the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, your learners will critically analyze factors that could have...
PBS
The Sixties: Dylan Plugs in and Sells Out
Before Woodstock, there was Newport. Get plugged in to the social changes of the 1960s with a lesson that looks at Bob Dylan's performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival as a symbol of the radical changes that marked the era.
Curated OER
Role Playing Free Speech
Students conduct research into looking at a free-speech issue. They role play the events surrounding a court case. The lesson includes guiding questions to help create context and determine areas of further study. The presentation...
Curated OER
Living Under the Illinois Black Codes
Students use the text of the Illinois Black Codes to examine the laws in place. Using this information, they draw their own conclusions about why the laws existed in a free state. They also identify the purpose of these laws and how they...
Curated OER
President Kennedy and Kentucky Politics
Learners explore the interactions between Kentucky Governor Bert Combs and President Kennedy. They examine JFK's interest in Kentucky politics and construct history through Governor Bert Comb's interview.
Curated OER
My Brother Martin
Class members experience discrimination first hand. As pupils enter the room, some are given a piece of candy. Then the entire group listens to a reading of Christine Farris King's, My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers, and discusses...
Curated OER
From Jim Crow to Linda Brown: A Retrospective of the African-American Experience from 1897 to 1953.
Students research the American Memory collection to explore the African-American experience from 1897 to 1953.
Curated OER
Create a 60s Mural
Students conduct Internet research on the 1960s and use what they have learned to create a mural.
Curated OER
John Jones and the Fight to Repeal the Black Laws
Students examine the role of John Jones and his fight to repeal the Black Laws of Illinois. Using the text of the law, they explore his reasoning for repealing the laws and the arguments he used to support his beliefs. They draw their...
Curated OER
Understanding the Declaration of Independence
Students work in groups to do a document analyxix of several documents. Students view the Martin Luther King speech, "I Have a Dream." They discuss the Battle of Saratoge. Students give a personal view of the reason the Declaration of...
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
Race, Education, and Income: Comparing Carter & Reagan
High school learners compare economic outcomes for 3 racial groups under the presidencies of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan by analyzing a series of graphs, answering questions from a worksheet, and participating in a discussion.
Curated OER
The Tibet Question
Students examine the history or relations between China and Tibet. In this research skills lesson, students investigate the relationship between Tibet and China as they explore provided Internet links. Students write position papers and...
Curated OER
History of Miss America
Students make a time-lines of of decades using images from Miss America. In this history lesson, students looks at the country's beauty pageant and how it changes the lives of women in America. Students debate issues such as size...