NPR
Same-Sex Marriage
The battle over same-sex marriage is a prevalent issue in the United States, and a valuable topic to be discussed in your social studies classroom. Here is a basic outline of introductory questions, focus questions, vocabulary, and media...
NOAA
History's Thermometers
How is sea coral like a thermometer? Part three of a six-part series from NOAA describes how oceanographers can use coral growth to estimate water temperature over time. Life science pupils manipulate data to determine the age of corals...
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...
Curated OER
One Grain of Rice
Upper graders read the story One Grain of Rice, and use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast topics found in the story to current event topics today. Groups of three learners work together to create their diagram. The topics they must...
C-SPAN
Evaluating Historical Presidential Campaign Ads
Political ads flood the airwaves each election cycle. An activity including more than a dozen political ads from iconic presidential campaigns helps learners unpack how the sausage gets made during election "silly season." Using the...
Curated OER
Barack Obama
In this black history instructional activity, students read a short, informational passage about Barack Obama. Students then answer 8 questions about the text.
Curated OER
Uncle Tom's Cabin and American Culture
Young scholars examine and analyze primary sources. They analyze the causes and effects of major events of the Civil War. They explain a variety of antebellum notions of slavery. They understand the impact that Uncle Tom's Cabin had on...
Curated OER
Abraham Lincoln and the Five-Dollar Note
Students study Presidential history by researching Abraham Lincoln. For this U.S. history lesson, students discuss the changes in the 5 dollar bill and create a timeline of Abraham Lincoln's life. Students complete a puzzle...
Curated OER
Myth-Conceptions
Young scholars examine the myths and misconceptions surrounding early European colonists in the New World. They analyze images, artwork, and media relating to the early colonists and discuss their accuracy.
Curated OER
Lincoln 2.0
Students investigate the Presidential history of Abraham Lincoln by completing a multimedia project. In this U.S. politics lesson, students examine the image of Lincoln on a penny and work in groups to research Lincoln's life using...
Curated OER
Texas Kid Writes Book About Presidents
Arranged into small groups, learners read a paragraph of the news story "Texas Kid Writes Book About Presidents." As one reads, others mark the text (underlining important information and writing notes in the margin of the story). After...
Curated OER
No Place Like Home
Young scholars analyze photographs of high plains sod homes and read accompanying narratives. They then choose one photograph and, using the copy and paste features and simple drawing tools available in Microsoft Word, students identify...
Curated OER
Let's Meet The Presidents
Create a digital movie documenting research about an American President. Using internet sources, learners with special needs gather information about their chosen president. Working in groups, they use this information to create a...
Curated OER
Social Studies: War and the Media
Students examine the impact of the media on various wars, especially the Iraq and Vietnam wars. By examining cartoons and popular music as primary sources, they suggest motivations for the conflicts and propose reasons for public...
Curated OER
Black Panther Party Lesson Plan
Why did the Black Panther Party feel colonized, and what methods did they employ to achieve empowerment? Your class members will engage in an online PowerPoint presentation, analysis of several documents, and discussion in order to...
Louisiana Department of Education
The Scarlet Letter
Use Nathanial Hawthorne's immortal text on the influence of religion on the early American settlements, as well as its continued impact on American culture, with a unit that focuses on The Scarlet Letter. In addition to Hawthorne's...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
The Election of 1912
The Election of 1912: an election with four competitive opponents. Pupils get to know the candidates with informative reading passages that provide context to the election. Then, the class engages in a debate and answers questions as one...
The Alamo
A Lesson in Citizenship
What does it mean to be an American citizen? Lieutenant Colonel Commander William Barret Travis believed that it meant honor to country first—even above one's own life. Middle and high schoolers read his final letters from the Alamo that...
Curated OER
Abolish the Office of Governor
High schoolers explore the history of the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776. In this historical analysis activity, students analyze the constitution of the state and determine how citizens benefited (or didn't benefit) from the document....
Curated OER
The Roots of Prohibition: Examining the Effort to Prohibit Alcohol in America
Five segements from Ken Burns' documentary series Prohibition, easily accessed on the PBS website, are at the center of a terrific short unit on the roots of America's ambivalent relationship with alcohol. Engage your secondary...
Curated OER
Body / Kinesthetic & Visual / Spatial
Tenth graders produce a multimedia project using HyperStudio. This project is similiar to an "information kiosk", with engaging media to "tell a story" about the Battle of Gettysburg. They have knowledge about the Civil War events that...
Curated OER
Canada and the United States: A Collage
Students create a visual presentation that describes the influence of American culture on Canadian culture, the Canadian response to that influence, and the benefits and drawbacks of that influence to Canadian culture.
Curated OER
A Walk Through History
Fifth graders construct a multi-media CD-ROM using cross-platform Hyper Studio software. They identify a person in history to research for their report. In order to broaden their horizons, 5th graders are encouraged to investigate...
Curated OER
Dreaming to Come to America
Students examine reasons for immigration to America, including economic, political, and religious considerations, and conduct research to determine immigration history of students' families and compare reasons other groups have come to...