Curated OER
The Secret to Freedom Teacher’s Guide
Students read the story "The Secret to Freedom" and participate in active reading to personalize what they have read. In this reading lesson, students follow several writing activities and discuss their work . Students integrate...
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Am I Really Free?
Fourth graders write about slavery and freedom. In this freed slaves instructional activity, 4th graders read historical information about free blacks during slavery and explore books, objects and slave narratives to learn...
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Abolishing Slavery
Students explain the goals and methods of the abolitionist movement.
They identify key leaders in the movement. This lesson has adaptations for elementary through high school. Links are provided for resource readings.
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Immigration to America
Students examine reasons for immigration to the United States in the 19th century. They role play as immigrants asked to write accounts of their immigrant experiences.
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Stand Up And Sing
Students examine pieces of sheet music and identify context, purpose, and perspective with regard to the political, social, and economic conditions existing at that time. They create a cover illustrating a topic of the Progressive Era.
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Kensington Mansion: Plantation, Sharecroppers, Tenants
Eleventh graders investigate the significance of the Kensington Mansion. In this South Carolina history lesson, 11th graders take field trips to the mansion and research primary and secondary sources about plantations, sharecropping, and...
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History Through Picture Books and Photographs
First graders become familiar with historical figures central to the Underground Railroad and anti-slavery.
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Twain: Tom Sawyer—Mythic Adventurer
Students take a closer look at archetypes. In this characterization lesson, students examine the setting and the characters of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer as they read and analyze the novel. Students consider how Twain mythically...
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Whose Buffalo?
Seventh graders examine how the Plains Indians vied with white commercial buffalo hunters for the millions of Great Plains buffalo. They create an illustrated broadside supporting the interests of either the Indians or the commercial...
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Miners of the Prairie: The Days of Shaft Mining in Northern Illinois
Students explore the life and times of a coal miner in Illinois through the analysis of primary source documents and images.
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Analyzing Photographs: From Theory to Practice
Students analyze photographic images and use cameras to document their own life. In this analyzing photography lesson plan, students apply formal analysis techniques to images, then create a documentary of photographic images with...
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The Apotheosis ofGeorge Washington
High schoolers examine the image of George Washington. In this Washington presidency lesson, students use the provided analysis handout to analyze the character of Washington conveyed in several pieces of art and speeches. High schoolers...
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Grappling with Trade-Offs
High schoolers are divided into groups representing different departments of the United States government. They identify the goals and needs of their department. They present their information to the class and answers comprehension...
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Held Accountable
Young scholars examine and draw conclusions from an excerpt from a slave narrative. They analyze excerpts from two recently discovered slave narratives.
They draw connections among the narrative excerpts and historical texts by...
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Michigan History of Philanthropy
Middle schoolers investigate how philanthropy began in Michigan. In this philanthropy lesson, students read Michigan History of Philanthropy and read a timeline of several events. Middle schoolers create a picture with a sentence about a...
Stanford University
The 1898 North Carolina Election
Pupils discuss why the Democrats defeated the Fusion ticket in the 1898 North Carolina election. In this content area reading instructional activity, learners explore three primary documents and answer guiding questions that help them...
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Badges of Pride
Fifth graders investigate jobs and how people identify with their job. In this labor lesson plan, 5th graders create a book from illustrations of various jobs. Students read an article about labor and answer questions about the...
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A Colony is Born : Lesson 4 - What Went Wrong?
Fifth graders compare and contrast two early colonies and make a T chart. They list examples of worked well and what did not, and significant historical events. They use higher order thinking skills by deducing how different scenarios...
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Simulated Underground Railroad Experience
Fourth graders travel through a mock Underground Railroad.
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Simulated Underground Railroad Experience - Part B
Third graders travel throughout many stations learning about the Underground Railroad.
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Sportswriting
Students complete a variety of activities (using the Washington Post Newspaper) that reinforce concepts involved in sports writing.
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Progression of Political Movements
High schoolers examine the various political parties throughout history. In groups, they are given documents identifying the platforms of the parties in the 1868 election. To end the lesson, they share their information with the class...
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The True Cost of Coffee
Students examine the economic, health, and environmental risks of a one-crop economy in the developing world. They explain how or why it can be challenging for people of one culture to understand the lifestyle of a different society.
National First Ladies' Library
Impeachment!
Young scholars investigate the impeachment proceedings against Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and William Clinton. In small groups they conduct Internet research on one of the three Presidents, and present a "brief" on the case,...