+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Causes of the American Revolution

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students recognize the taxation of the American colonists by the British led to the revolution. They participate in or analyze a performance of an 18th-century song and then discuss its meaning and craft.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Americans after the Civil War

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students explore the events of Reconstruction after the Civil War.  In this US History lesson, students complete several activities and worksheets that reinforce challenges and social upheaval experienced in the South after the Civil War.
+
Interactive4:44
PBS

The Symbolism of Sunflower Seeds in Ghost

For Students 5th - 7th Standards
Ghost by Jason Reynolds is a coming-of-age book that resonates with teenagers who have experienced childhood trauma. Explore the novel with an interactive resource that focuses on the author's use of symbolism, particularly with...
+
Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Norbert Rillieux, Thermodynamics and Chemical Engineering

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The man who invented the earliest examples of chemical engineering was an American-born, French-educated, free man of color before the Civil War, and went on to translate Egyptian hieroglyphics. There is something of interest for almost...
+
Lesson Plan
PBS

Henry David Thoreau: Author, Philosopher, and Abolitionist

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
What would Henry David Thoreau think of life in 21st-Century America? Pupils investigate the abolitionist using primary and secondary materials. They analyze what Thoreau would think of the changes to American lifestyles since the time...
+
Lesson Plan
National History Day

Reporting on World War I

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Throughout history, newspapers have reported the events of the day as they unfolded. Using primary and secondary sources from World War I, scholars uncover how the American people learned of the events of the War to End All Wars. History...
+
Lesson Plan
2
2
Teaching Tolerance

In Our Own Words: A Story Book with a Purpose

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Academics turn into storytellers in an engaging activity on activism. The activity focuses on promoting social change in local communities with stories. Young historians plan a storybook to target a specific audience and social issue and...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Points of View

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Investigate the importance of author's point of view. Young linguists study primary source documents related to the Treaty of Casco Bay. The first source is authored by the Native American Chiefs, the second by an English...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Curated OER

Navajo Pottery: Beautiful Objects

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Young potters make their very own version of the classic Navajo Pottery. With helpful worksheets and applicable cross-curricular activities, the lesson is an enriching way to mold both your clay and the multicultural acceptance of your...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating Langston Hughes

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders read and appreciate the writing of great American Authors. use technology to garner information about famous American authors. They have selected sites to explore. The information they save be used for a future Powerpoint.
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Channel Islands Film

Dark Water: Lesson Plan 3 - Grades 6-12

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
After watching the documentary Dark Water about a traditional Chumash ceremony and reading a Chumash origin story, viewers are asked to create a coat of arms and to craft an essay that details a family tradition or their own origin story.
+
Lesson Plan
National Constitution Center

Creating Your Own Town Hall Poster

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
Middle and high schoolers are walking into a world rife with strong political viewpoints and vocal opinions. Help to prepare them for controversial discussions with a lesson in which they choose, research, and learn more about a...
+
Lesson Plan
Crafting Freedom

The Self-Empowerment of Harriet Jacobs

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
In a hands-on learning activity, pupils read about and recreate the experience of Harriet Jacobs, author of one of the most famous slave narratives of all time in which she describes her years of hiding from her master in a confined...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Asian-American History

For Teachers Pre-K - 2nd
Students explore aspects of Asian-American culture.  In this lesson plan, students use the internet to research American history and the Asian American experience, complete Asian inspired art and read a biography. This lesson includes...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mark Twain and the American West

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students analyze Mark Twain's "Western" voice. In this literature instructional activity, students read Roughing It by Twain and watch "The West." Students examine Twain's history and compare it to the history of America's developing...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Indians

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students research early Indian adaptations in this lesson plan. They research the different American Indian tribes. They also research and compare the tribes' rituals, daily lives, and their impact on the Europeans who came later to...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Impact of Westward Expansion on Indigenous Populations

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students study the impact of westward expansion on Native American populations. They create a diorama of a Native American scene, write imaginary letters as a pioneer child reflecting on his/her experiences, and create story sticks that...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's in a Name? The Use of Native American Images in Sports

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discuss and analyze the pros and cons of using Native American names and images to represent sports teams. Using primary sources, including position statements from Native American tribes, interviews with school alumni and...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning about Native Americans through Artifact Analysis and Artwork

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders assess how a Native American's environment and the geographic region where they lived influenced their food, clothing, shelter and the overall culture of a tribe. They study the impact of conservation, family, rural life,...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A River, Dead or Alive: Native Americans and European Colonists' Treatment of a River

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students write an expository paragraph about the uses of the Nashua River for the Native Americans and the European Colonists. In this river uses lesson plan, students determine the causes and effects of both parties using the river.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The First North Americans

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify and interpret the different North American Indian groups, by region, and the type and impact of their interaction with Europeans. Then they complete an overview of one main Native American group during the age of...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Turning Points in the American Revolution

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders examine the causes and effects of the American Revolution. In groups, they make a portfolio page and write a response to the Proclamation of 1763. They also make a timeline of the events of the Boston Massacre and answer...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
National Endowment for the Humanities

The Argument of the Declaration of Independence

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
When in the course of a course on historic American events, it becomes necessary for learners to examine, with decent respect, the Declaration of Independence, it becomes evident that there are six separate and equal parts of that...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Native American Living Museum

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders complete a unit of lessons on Native Americans. They analyze Native American cultures, create a Native American artifact for a Living Museum, and develop a tour of the museum using a digital camera and a Powerpoint...