Curated OER
Awwwk…..Jim Crow Laws/ Constitutional?
Students examine the constitutionality of Jim Crow Laws. In this civil rights lesson, students read excerpts of the U.S. Constitution as well as examples of Jim Crow Laws. Students select Jim Crow laws and then find out what portions of...
Curated OER
The Industrial Revolution
Eighth graders examine the time period of the Industrial revolution in American history. In this American History lesson, 8th graders read the chapter on this time period. Students create a presentation on this time period to teach...
Curated OER
Inventory of Ebenezer Wells (1730-1783), Nephew of Ebenezer Wells (1691-1758)
Students understand that farming was still the backbone of the economy at the beginning of this period. Students compare inventories from the first turn (1680-1720) and the second turn (1780-1820).
Curated OER
Canadian History: City In Transition
Twelfth graders create an electronic presentation documenting information about St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. Using research from an interactive web exhibit, 12th graders create a PowerPoint presentation documenting the human...
Curated OER
What Killed the Dinosaurs?
Students demonstrate how scientists use evidence to formulate hypotheses. They write an essay describing the Cretaceous and Paleocene time periods from the point of view of someone living in that time. In addition, they formulate...
Curated OER
Good Brother, Bad Brother
Students are exposed to the writings of John Wilkes Booth. They discover that fanaticism is not just a modern phenomenon. They examine four periods in American history when treason was at issue.
Curated OER
Super Seniors
Students research senior citizens who were heroes during the Reconstruction Era. They interview senior citizens who they believe to be heroes and write a biography about them. They explain how small acts can contribute to the common good.
Curated OER
Scatterbrained Soliloquies
Students reconstruct a famous soliloquy from Romeo and Juliet which the teacher has cut apart and scattered. They piece the soliloquy back together making sense of the passage.
Curated OER
Earth History Part II
Eighth graders hypothesize what caused the break up of continents. In this earth science lesson plan, 8th graders study about the events that took place during Mesozoic and Cenozoic Era. They reconstruct a supercontinent and report their...
Curated OER
What Events Led to Lincoln's Assassination?
Fourth graders use primary and secondary sources to research the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. They identify arguments supporting and opposing the position that Lincoln's assassination could have been prevented and write a report...
Curated OER
Civil War Timeline
Seventh graders identify the major events before, during and after the Civil War. In groups, they use the events to create a timeline and research the figures and places involved in their specific event. They present their information to...
Curated OER
What Events Led to Lincoln's Assassination?
Fourth graders investigate the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. In this American history lesson plan, 4th graders conduct research, share their findings, and write a report about the events leading up to the death of President...
Curated OER
What Were the Political & Social Views of People During the Civil War
Eighth graders study the Civil War. In this US history lesson, 8th graders discuss the causes for fighting for the North and the South showing that there was no good side or evil side just people believing in what they were fighting for....
Friends of Fort McHenry
A Just War or Just a War?
What, if anything, makes a war "just"? This is an interesting and important question to explore with your class, and you can utilize an excellent lesson plan to support your group inquiry. The American Revolution and the War of 1812 are...
Curated OER
Reporting from the Front Lines
Students examine the battle of Gettysburg as they write news articles. In this Battle of Gettysburg lesson, students become familiar with the job of the news reporter as they report on the events of the Battle of Gettysburg as they write...
Shakespeare Uncovered
All the Globe’s a Stage: Shakespeare’s Theatre
“All the world’s a stage,” exclaims Jaques in As You Like It, but it is the structure of the Globe stage and how that structure influenced Shakespeare’s plays that is the focus of an on-line research project. Class members visit a series...
National Park Service
Should America Have Gone to War in 1812?
Using an incredibly engaging activity and detailed lesson plan, your learners will serve as advisors to President Madison on whether to participate in what would become the War of 1812! Utilize a variety of effective instructional...
West Virginia Department of Education
Intelligence of Authentic Character - News Coverage and John Brown's Raid
The resource, a standalone, shows how news coverage of John Brown's Raid began when the event happened and how that reporting shaped perception in West Virginia history. The resource includes interesting anticipatory discussion...
North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies
Missing Pieces of the Puzzle: African Americans in Revolutionary Times
What's missing from most studies of the American Revolutionary War is information about the role African Americans played in the conflict. To correct this oversight, middle schoolers research groups like the Black Loyalists and Black...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Historical Climate Cycles
Ice core samples give scientists access to climates of old—those from more than 800,000 years ago. Through an analysis of various temperature graphs from ice cores, tree rings, and weather stations, scholars compare historical climates...
Defining US
Integration of Education and American Society
How did the struggle for Civil Rights during the 1950s transform American society and politics? Why are American schools integrated today? Class members explore these essential questions by examining a series of primary and secondary...
Curated OER
Analyzing Tree Rings to Determine Climate Change
Middle schoolers examine how to locate and access data sets. In this climate change lesson plan students import data into Excel and graph it.
Curated OER
Jazz in America Lesson Plan 7
The student will explore free jazz, fusion, and contemporary jazz. They will listen to avant garde, fusion, and pop recordings. In addition, they participate in a class discussion regarding jazz's contribution to and reflection of...
Polk County Public Schools
Suffragists
The Women's Rights movement is the focus of an engaging and collaborative exercise, in which young historians use information found in textbooks, class notes, and the provided documents to craft a DBQ essay.