Stanford University
Native Californians and the Portola Expedition
What was California like before the Spanish came? Class members discover the answer to the question using images of Native Americans and diaries of the early Spanish explorers. Scaffolded activities allow instructors to adapt the...
Curated OER
World War II Home Front
Eleventh graders examine the political demands put on one of four groups living in America during WWII. Each class member is asked to research and write a paper describing the homefront experience for women, Hispanics, African-Americans,...
Curated OER
African American Population Shifts
Students investigate population trends. In this African American history lesson plan, students access U.S. Census records from 1900 to the present online. Students analyze the migration of African Americans from one area of the U.S. to...
Curated OER
Clash of Cultures and Marching North
Each of the 23 slides that comprise this presentation are intended to enhance or support lessons on shifts in religion and the colonization of the Americas. Students are guided through the changes in religion that ultimately lead to the...
Advocates for Human Rights
The Right of Indigneous Peoples in the United States
The sovereignty of U.S. Native American nations is the focus of a resource that asks class members to compare the Right to Self-Determination in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples with a fact sheet that details the...
San Francisco Symphony
American Civil War Songs
Learners will compare and contrast two songs from the Civil War era, one from the North and one from the South. They'll write a comparative essay on their songs, and then compare their essays and songs with others in their small groups....
Smithsonian Institution
Civil War
Did you know that more than three million people fought in the Civil War? Through artifacts, graphics, and passages class members learn about the stark divide between North and South that led to the war, as well as about the events that...
Curated OER
Civil War and Reconstruction
Introduce your class to some of the most important events and people of the Civil War. This American history PowerPoint includes information about the most important battles and gets into the period of Reconstruction after the war ended....
Stanford University
Korean War
Learners study the cause of the Korean War. In this World history lesson, Students read excerpts from two different textbooks, one from South Korea, and one from North Korea. They discuss how the cause of the war differs depending on the...
Curated OER
American Civil War: Conflicting Newspaper Reports
Students examine the happenings at the Battle of Antietam from all sides. In this American Civil War lesson, students analyze newspapers accounts from different perspectives regarding the battle and then write their own accounts of the...
Curated OER
American Culture in a Musical Setting
Students discover the significance of similarities and contrasts of three separate cultures of the United States through music. They take out maps and trace the expedition of the Spanish along the coasts of Mexico and North and South...
Curated OER
No Gun Ri, Korea
Young scholars participate in a lesson conducting research about the Korean War. They investigate the different points of view that existed in the North and South of Korea. The concept is that there is two different points of...
Curated OER
A New Red Menace?
Students research and analyze the current political situation of North Korea. They read and discuss an article, conduct research, participate in a simulation of an international round table, and write a response essay.
Curated OER
American Colonization Society Lesson Plan
Students read an article online "Colonization and Emigration" and break into debating groups. They research points that support their side, namely whether or not the American Colonization Society was for or against segregation. They...
Curated OER
The Role of African Slaves on South Carolina Rice Plantations
Fourth graders investigate the role of African American slaves in rice plantations. In this slave life instructional activity, 4th graders discuss the products produced in the 13 colonies. Students discuss the importance of rice to South...
Curated OER
Native Americans: Origins
In this Native Americans worksheet, students read about the origins of the Native Americans and the discovery of North America. Students also read about the arrival of the Europeans to the continent and the Plains Indians.
Curated OER
South American Lakes, Rivers, and Seas Map Quiz
In this online interactive geography quiz activity, students respond to 25 identification questions regarding South American lakes, rivers, bays, and seas.
Curated OER
South American Outline Map
In this blank outline map worksheet, students study the political boundaries of the continent of North America and those of the countries located there.
New York City Department of Education
Geography and Early Peoples of the Western Hemisphere
Young historians discover the early people of the western hemisphere. The unit explores how the land changed, how it was used and homes of early Americans such as Incas, Mayans, Inuits, Aztecs, and Pueblos. Individuals also examine these...
American Battlefield Trust
Pre-1860: Disunion
Using personas ranging from freed African Americans to wealthy plantation owners, young historians consider various points of view around the events in the days leading up to the Civil War including major milestones such as the Dred...
American Battlefield Trust
The Gathering Storm: The Coming of the Civil War
Slavery or states' rights: What really started the American Civil War? A lesson geared towards middle schoolers explores the causes of the Civil War. Scholars view an interactive of the Gathering Storm exhibit online and complete a...
Smithsonian Institution
Who Am I?: A History Mystery
Who Am I? Scholars go online to gather clues and evidence to uncover just who was involved in the American Civil War. They use hands-on Internet activities to come to an understanding of the roles soldiers and civilians played in the...
Curated OER
Traveling as an Ancient American
What would you bring on a trip...if you had to carry it all through freezing temperatures for 3 months? Historians consider this question, faced with their family's need to move south for warmer temperatures in the ancient world....
Curated OER
North Dakota Reading Comprehension
In this North Dakota reading comprehension learning exercise, learners read a 2-page selection regarding the state and then respond to 10 true or false questions.