Curated OER
Weaving a Story of Cooperation: The Goat in the Rug
Weaving is an important part of Navajo culture. Read The Goat in the Rug to your fourth and fifth graders, and give them a glimpse into the process of rug making from the point of view of a goat! They will learn new vocabulary words and...
Federal Reserve Bank
Gini in a Bottle: Some Facts on Income Inequality
Delve into the hard numbers and fundamental concept of income inequality in the United States, using graphs, detailed reading materials, and an organized worksheet.
Curated OER
Thomas Edison's Inventions in the 1900s and Today: From "New" to You!
Young scholars research types of technology available to Americans at the beginning of the 20th century and compare the style of living to modern times. They identify Thomas Edison's contributions to technology and their own current...
American Chemical Society
Dissolving a Substance in Different Liquids
Second of six lessons in a unit on dissolving, this one focuses on how sugar behaves in different liquids. Learners stir it into water, alcohol, and oil and make observations. This lesson can stand alone, but is best used as part of the...
Curated OER
Famous Americans
Students investigate famous Americans. In this American history and research instructional activity, students choose a famous American to research, collect information from a variety of sources, and create a related PowerPoint presentation.
Curated OER
Everything American
Eighth graders complete an American slideshow. In this American culture instructional activity, 8th graders take digital photographs of things they believe contribute to American culture. They create a slideshow showing these photographs.
Curated OER
Latin American Film
Students explore the Latin American film industry. In this Latin American film lesson, students compare Latin American films to American films as they watch segments of "Que Viva Mexico!" Students research the painters on the film and...
Curated OER
The American Flag and the Pledge of Allegiance
Young scholars create an iMovie about what they have learned about the American flag as a conclusion to an eight-day unit.
Curated OER
Student Travel in the Shadow of War
Students research on the Web and in magazines and newspapers what a variety of school districts have decided on student travel during the War in Iraq. Students examine the rationale the administrators or state officials use for canceling...
Curated OER
William Apess and the Mashpee "Revolt" of 1833
Prompt your class with the following question: What was the status of American Indians in Massachusetts during Jackson's presidency? To answer this question, class members will read a series of primary source documents (attached),...
National Constitution Center
American Treasures
Just how long did it take the framers to write the Constitution? What role did the drafting process play? Scholars examine various drafts from the Constitutional Convention to gain a better understanding of its formation. Interactive...
Daughters of the American Revolution
Lesson 1: How Do Society’s Expectations Influence Education?
The history of women's education can be traced back to the delicate stitching of student samplers from the 19th century. Modern-day pupils examine and analyze four primary sources, three of which are images of embroidered samplers, which...
Stanford University
Napalm in Vietnam
An assessment requires high school scholars to use their knowledge of the Vietnam War while analyzing primary sources. A short answer format asks pupils to identify the image and explain the significance of using napalm during the...
Stanford University
Soviets in Berlin
High school historians use their knowledge of WWII to analyze a photo of the Soviets entering Berlin. The social studies assessment is comprised of two short answer questions to assess academics' understanding of the historical...
Curated OER
What's in the Time Capsule? A Technology-Connected Lesson Plan
Twelfth graders use computers and the Internet to research a specified area, word processors to prepare an essay, a digital camera, a video camera gather visuals, and a scanner to add visuals to a PowerPoint presentation as they discover...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Ingenious: Franklin Assembles a Scientific Community
Few Americans have heard of the burgeoning scientific community known as the America Philosophical society, started by none other than Benjamin Franklin. With inquiry, research, and discussion, high schoolers come to understand their...
Facing History and Ourselves
The Legacies of Reconstruction
The final instructional activity in the seven-resource Reconstruction Era collection examines the legacies of Reconstruction. Class members investigate why the period has been called an "unfinished revolution," "a splendid failure," and...
Curated OER
America on the Home-Front during WWII
Here are 35 images ready to complement your next lecture on the Home-Front during WWII. While there isn't any text in this presentation, it won't matter. Each image is a great representation of what life was like for the people back...
Curated OER
Raising Buffalo
Fifth graders investigate the significance of buffalo in Native American society. For this Native American history lesson, 5th graders discuss construct a survey to identify what should be learned about buffalo and buffalo ranching....
Curated OER
American Society: 1800 - 1860 (1)
In this online interactive American history worksheet, learners answer 12 multiple choice questions regarding 1800-1860 America. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Issues of Asylum in the U.S.
Who gets to come to the United States? Examine cases of individuals seeking asylum with an informative reading passage that includes examples, statistics, and representations of public opinion regarding asylum. Groups then go on to...
Annenberg Foundation
Modernist Portraits
How did literature reflect people's attitudes in post-World War I America? A lesson explores the topic using a variety of activities. Individuals watch and respond to a video; read author biographies and engage in discussion; write...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Educating European Immigrant Children Before World War I
As if surviving a journey to America wasn't enough of a feat for early 20th century immigrants, they then needed to settle into American life. Learn about the ways New York public education attempted to meet the needs of its students,...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Plyler v. Doe: Can States Deny Public Benefits to Illegal Immigrants?
Illegal immigration is an ever-changing source of consistent controversy. A reading passage about the rights of undocumented workers and illegal immigrants—and the lack thereof—guides high schoolers into a mock trial activity. Three...