Facing History and Ourselves
Taking Ownership of the Law
The work of building and maintaining a democracy is, in the words of Justice William Hastie, "never finished." To better understand what Hastie sees as an ongoing building process, class members listen to a seven-minute podcast about two...
Curated OER
Women's Achievements
Third graders read the passage in their textbook about Mary McLeod Bethune and discuss why education was important to her, and why she beleived that education allowed African American children to reach their potential. They then discuss...
Curated OER
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Students investigate the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In this American Civil Rights Movement instructional activity, students determine whether or not they would have taken part in the boycott and write a 5 paragraph essay about the...
Curated OER
Planetary Surface Evolution and Resurfacing
Learners are provided with drawings of planet surfaces in order to investigate different types of planetary terrain. They make observations for each planet and discuss the characteristics observed. The lesson includes background...
Curated OER
Punctuation: Periods. Commas,
Color-coded slides model for viewers the various uses of the comma and the period. The rule is presented and followed by several examples. Consider extending the lesson with a practice exercise.
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Countdown Challenge: Tangrams
In this tangram worksheet, students find the area of each tangram shape. Afterwards, they name each piece and find the area of combined figures. This one-page worksheet contains approximately 25 problems.
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Space Shuttle
One slide details the features of Space Shuttle Discovery in graphic form. Another shows a faulty hydrogen fuel sensor. The final slide is a picture of the explosion of Space Shuttle Challenger and the ill-fated crew. If you wanted to...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan on School Integration in Boston And Nantucket
Students use primary sources and timelines to begin a study of school integration; students watch "Nantucket Rock of Changes," and compare the case of Eunice Ross with the story of the Little Rock Nine.
Curated OER
Same Sex Marriage Legislation
Students explore the Vermont legislation that allowed for same sex marriages. The implications for civil rights are investigated to encourage students to state opinions.
Facing History and Ourselves
Emmett Till: Examining the Choices People Made
The choices made by Roy Bryant and J.W. Millam, the men who murdered Emmett Till in 1955, are usually the ones people ponder when they examine the case. But other individuals made choices that contributed to the event and its subsequent...
Curated OER
Reconstruction
Learners investigate the historical period of the Reconstruction and the events that surrounded the abolitionist movement. Students use guided questions to conduct research. Then they complete a venn diagram in order to compare two...
Curated OER
Learning the Hard Way
Students explore instances of segregated education around the world, supporting and refuting the idea through debate and persuasive essay.
Curated OER
Abraham Lincoln: Our Man for All Seasons
Students analyze perceptions of slavery during the Civil War era. In this Abraham Lincoln instructional activity, students research Internet and print sources regarding Lincoln's view of slavery. Students also compare pro- and...
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What is Suffrage? Understanding the Right to Vote
Students discover one of the restrictions forced on women of the early 1900s. In this civil rights lesson, students investigate suffrage and why women were not allowed to vote in the early twentieth century. Students create a mock...
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Analyzing and Understanding the Effects of Segregation
Eleventh graders understand the effects of segregation and analyze the effects of Supreme Court decisions. They trace the interpretations of the 14th amendment. They utilize a work of art to explore the topic of segregation.
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Perseverance
Learners examine how the failure of Reconstruction led to the systematic passage of Jim Crow laws in states across the South and the negative impact these laws had on the growth and development of the US.
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The Government and Natural Rights
High schoolers are introduced to some basic ideas the Framers used in creating the kind of government they thought would best protect the natural rights of each individual and promote the good of all. At the conclusion of the lesson,...
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Figurative Language
Students put poetic interpretations back together to explain the poem. Starting with cliches, students learn what various phrases mean. They analyze words, phrases and levels of meaning.
Curated OER
History Matters: Separate but Equal: The Plessy v. Ferguson Case
Read the judgment of Supreme Court justice, Henry Billings Brown, who wrote for the majority in the Plessy v Ferguson decision that codified the idea of "separate but equal" in the American justice system until it was overturned by Brown...
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Separate but Equal: The Law of the Land
A brief description of the Supreme Court decision, Plessy v Ferguson, in 1896, that solidified the separate but equal rule. Included is the title page of the Supreme Court text of the decision.
A&E Television
History.com: Black History Milestones
A detailed account of the history of African Americans is presented in this article. Divided by main topics or periods of time, the coming of slavery to America is the first focus. Followed by plantation life and escapes to freedom and...
Other
In Pursuit of Freedom & Equality: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
Teachers and students can find a comprehensive summary of the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case. Learn about the myths and find out the truth. The activities offered are especially meaningful. Students can perform a...
US National Archives
Docsteach: From Dred Scott to Civil Rights Act of 1875: Eighteen Years of Change
In 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Dred Scott decision that African-Americans were not citizens of the United States. Yet within 18 years, Black Americans would not only have citizenship, but would be guaranteed the right to...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Separate but Equal
[Free Registration/Login Required] Using a thorough Glossary of Terms, students discuss the idea of being separate but equal.