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Children at War
Students conduct Internet research to investigate the use of children in combat throughout the world. Students read personal testimonies and analyze media coverage of children in combat.
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Underground Railroad
Eighth graders explore the Underground Railroad. In this American History lesson, 8th graders create a song about the railroad. Students analyze various symbols used during the Underground Railroad.
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Remembering September 11
Students explore the impact of September 11 on American society through analysis of interviews and class discussions. Students evaluate the historic importance of the Gettysburg Address.
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Philanthropy in Michigan???Civil War Lesson 2: Forming Opinions
Students act out a section of the book Gentle Annie that is depicted in Chapter 4. They discuss the character position taken by each of the characters in the scene. They write a persuasive letter to one of the characters.
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Graveyard Investigation
Fifth graders visit a cemetery and copy the headstones of soldiers killed during the Civil War. They role-play as soldiers aand write letters about their war experiences.
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Follow the Drinking Gourd: Creative Writing
Students conduct Internet research to identify the conflicts and positions of slaves, slaveholders, and members of the Underground Railroad network in the time preceding the Civil War. Students write an essay about their findings written...
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Longfellow Amongst His Contemporaries: the Ship of State Dbq
Young scholars evaluate the ship of state metaphor in relation to the historical events in America from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War. They synthesize ideas presented in ten different primary source documents and compose an...
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Exploring the West Using Fiction
Students explore post Civil War development of the American West. They investigate the conflict among various groups involved in the settlement of the West and select a novel by a western writer and complete questions from the Exploring...
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U.S. History: Lincoln As Commander-In-Chief
Students examine and determine Abraham Lincoln's effectiveness as commander-in-chief during the Civil War. Role-playing as historians, they write essays evaluating Lincoln's performance after conducting Internet research from provided...
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A Better Way
Students increase awareness of organizations that grew out of necessity and increased social consciousness during the Civil War and Reconstruction. They trace the origins of three organizations founded for the common good. They link...
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Living and Working Now and Long Ago
Students visit an online museum and storybook to examine what life was like for African Americans during and after the Civil War.
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Bull Run by Paul Fleischman, a Young Adult Novel
Students read and discuss Bull Run by Paul Fleischman. In groups, they select a character and re-write or act out that character's story and share it with the rest of the class.
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Cause and Effect Relationships in Historical Fiction
Centered around the book Pink and Say, by Patricia Polacco, the lesson presented here should help your class tackle cause and effect. The teacher reads the first few pages aloud and models in a think-aloud style how to identify cause and...
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A New Birth of Freedom: Black Soldiers in the Union Army
Students use primary documents to analyze the events surrounding black soldiers joining the Union Army. For this content area reading lesson, students view multiple primary documents, analyzing and answering questions about them.
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Demonstrating Our Rights
Students view image of Bridgeport Community Protest, discuss event depicted in image, and demonstrate knowledge of protest by organizing and carrying out an actual protest or demonstration.
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Book: The Original United States of America
Students, after reading Chapter One in the book, "The American Colonies' Sense of Who They Were," analyze the actions of the colonists as well as compare the similarities between the protests of the colonists and protests of today. They...
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Breaking Barriers
Students investigate racism in the 20th century by exploring U.S. History. In this Civil Rights lesson, students review the history of slavery, the Civil War and the fight for equality in the mid 1900's. Students complete Civil Rights...
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Samuel's Choice - Social Studies Using Children's Literature
Fifth graders read a book about independence, freedom, and slavery. Students create a story map of the book. They research the causes of the Civil War. Students write a newspaper article from the point of view of an American colonist.
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Powerful Memories, Powerful Words
Students identify and describe the influence slavery had on Mark Twains writing, and then determine the status of race relations and ethnic differences in contemporary life.
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What Is a Primary-Source Document?
Students discover what a primary-source document is, what different types there were back in 1867, and what newer kinds there are today. They play a form of bingo using printed cards that reproduce documents related to Confederation.
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Underground Railroad
Students explore the Underground Railroad. In this U.S. history and technology lesson, students research an assigned topic related to the Underground Railroad, such as "abolitionist," "conductor," or "station houses." Students design a...
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The Battle of Lexington
Students discover the Missouri River and its importance during the Civil War. In this U.S. history lesson, students examine a map of the great Battle of Lexington, and discuss why the Missouri River was a key element to the conflict....
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Examining the African American Family through the Eyes of Women Authors
Students read stories by women authors on the characteristics of the African-American family. Using the internet, they research the history of issues that have affected African-American families from the Civil War to the Civil Rights...
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The Underground Railroad
Students examine slavery and the civil war by creating a research project. In this underground railroad lesson, students create a KWL chart and decide on one of several creative projects they will complete about slavery. Students...