Curated OER
Perspectives on Civil Rights
Middle schoolers examine speeches of the Civil Rights Era. In this American history lesson, students listen to speeches delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy. Middle schoolers respond to guiding questions as they...
Mr. E. Science
Manned Spaced Exploration: From Start to Gemini
Seven percent of Americans believe the moon landing was staged. The presentation covers manned space exploration from the beginning of the space race through the Gemini missions. The lesson is the 23rd in a set of 26.
Curated OER
Digital Dreams
Students write a speech. In this dreams lesson, students define the word dreams and list their own dreams. Students read and discuss Langston Hughes work, read and discuss excerpts from speeches by JFK and Martin Luther King,...
Curated OER
White House Havoc
The president of the United States must be able to keep a cool head in moments of crisis to lead his or nation out of the darkness. A history instructional activity encourages learners to study the ways various presidents have handled...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
America in Space: German Voices from Huntsville, Alabama
Project Paperclip, the Redstone Arsenal, and the Huntsville Space Center are all featured in a resource that investigates the contributions of Dr. Werner von Brawn and other German scientists to the US space program....
Curated OER
Syncopated Duet
Students work in pairs to compose a duet (with percussion instruments) that contains syncopated rhythm sequences. Each student will research a piece of music that they feel uses syncopation and will give a persuasive speech to the class.
Curated OER
JFK Analysis
Students examine a recent study of the JFK assassination. They review evidence provided by retired atmospheric chemist, Ken Rahn, and ballistics specialist and statistician, Larry Sturdivan, and determine whether or not they believe a...
Curated OER
Milestones in the Space Program
Students brainstorm names of astronauts from NASA space missions. They are explained that the Cold War was not actually a war but pervasive tension that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union for several decades...
Curated OER
At What Price the Truth?
High schoolers read President Kennedy's speech to the nation on October 22, 1962. Using the text, they identify the deception by the Soviets. In groups, they create a comip strip showing what they believe might have happened had there...
Curated OER
Historians Interpret Sources
Students read excerpts from the historian Conover Hunt writing about John F. Kennedy and from primary source documents using the handout: Historical Sources and Historians. Students discuss and identify source types, evaluate sources,...
Curated OER
How Do Artists Effectively Relate Historic Events?
Students explore African American migration. In this black culture and history lesson, students use a map to identify northern and southern states in which African Americans lived in the 1900s. Students observe and describe objects and...
John F. Kennedy Center
Writing a Myth
Tap into the imaginative minds of young learners with a creative writing activity. After reading the myth Giants and Mosquitoes, this student guide supports young writers as they brainstorm and develop their very own creation myths....
Curated OER
Investigating the Cuban Perspective
Students examine different perspectives on the events during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Using the internet, they research the Cuban perspective on the issue and discover the need for empathy in a situation like this. They use primary...
Curated OER
Civil Rights Leaders
Tenth graders investigate three American leaders from the Civil Rights Movement while they examine the early 1960's and the topic of racial equality. They listen to music from the era, read speeches, and look at images of Martin Luther...
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: Settling the Northern Colonies
Experience the birth of the United States with this series of maps. Detailing settlements in New England, New Netherland, and New Sweden, this presentation would be a good companion to your lecture on early American History. It is...
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: The Duel for North America
Making its way through 18th century America, this presentation details the British and French territories through colorful and clearly labeled maps. Additionally, the maps chart the changes in said territory during and after the French...
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: The Confederation and the Constitution
Four maps cover the tumultuous period during and after the American Revolution. Especially interesting is the first map, which details the land cessions to the United States after 1782. Think about incorporating these pictures into your...
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: The Rise of a Mass Democracy
Focusing on the 1828 election of Andrew Jackson, the removal of Southern Native American tribes (Trail of Tears), and the Texas Revolution, these three slides are full of good information for your lecture. Though brief, the maps featured...
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: The Second War for Independence and the Upsurge of Nationalism
Use this series of bright, informative maps to illustrate important events of America's infancy. Detailing the Missouri Compromise, the Battle of New Orleans, and the Presidential Election of 1812, this presentation would be a good...
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: Manifest Destiny and its Legacy
Frame your lecture about Manifest Destiny around these maps, which portray the extended boundaries of various American territories in the 19th century. Campaigns of the Mexican War, and a map of the Spanish Missions on the West Coast are...
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: The South and the Slavery Controversy
The unseemly world of American slavery is on display in these slides, which include informational images about slavery in the South. From maps about cotton production to graphs about slave-owning families, these images will make a...
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: Renewing the Sectional Struggle
A panorama of the mid-19th century in America, this series of images present several issues that were prevalent before the Civil War. Territorial and social conflicts were heated during this time, and one map in particular shows a...
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: Drifting Toward Disunion
A series of maps take viewers through the Antebellum period in American history. Focusing on the elections of Buchanan and Lincoln, as well as the Southern opposition to secession, the slideshow would make a good companion to a lecture...
Curated OER
The Brief American Pageant: The Furnace of the Civil War
The eyes of an American History teacher (or Civil War buff) will open wide with this series of maps, which detail the campaigns and battles of the Civil War. Meant to supplement chapter 21 of The American Pageant, this presentation would...