Curated OER
Thomas Edison, electricity and America
Students will examine Edison's application of electricity and the concept of the American Consumer Culture and what thay means. Students will evaluate how these ideas and concepts led to change.
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Presidential Controversies: Then and Today
Students explore presidential controversies. In this political cartoons lesson, students locate political cartoons that reflect presidential controversies. Students then respond to analytical questions pertaining to the cartoons they...
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Orangeburg Massacre
Students study the Orangeburg Massacre. In this social studies instructional activity, students discuss the Civil Rights Movement and the protest movements that took place. Students examine the events that led up to the Orangeburg...
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George Washington: The Living Symbol
Learners discuss George Washington's life and how he became a symbol of this nation. They categorize various images of Washington into the various roles he plays.
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Federal Court Systems and Court Cases
Ninth graders investigate the basis for the Common Law Tradition. They examine the organization of the Federal Court System and students identify the various sources of the American Law.
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Social Studies: The Lewis and Clark Trail Today
Students locate present-day towns along the Lewis and Clark Trail and compare them to towns in 1800, 1900, and 2,000. Working in groups, they conduct Intenet research to locate the wons along the trail and research their history and...
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Separate is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education
Students analyze photographs that feature segregation. For this human rights lesson, students examine photographs of a segregated movie theater, a Ku Klux Klan gathering, a segregated business sign, and an illustration from "Harper's...
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Bootleg Bytes
Students conduct background research to explore the positions of different groups involved in the digital piracy debate, then participate in a fishbowl discussion that seeks to find a consensus on the issue.
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Drums of War
Students research the political climate prior to major American wars of the past, then reflect on the current call for power to confront Iraq. They create posters using newspaper articles and headlines to highlight the major opinions of...
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Fight For Your Rights
Students explore issues related to tenants' rights in New York City, or in the area in which they live. They then create informational pamphlets designed to inform tenants of their rights.
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A Dictionary of Democracy
Middle schoolers create dictionary of terms for citizens of a democracy, using events and biographies from both their state's history and U.S. history.
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My Brother Sam is Dead: A study of the Revolutionary War
Fifth graders complete an analysis of the Revolutionary War through literature. After "My Brother Sam Is Dead," students create a time capsule containing items that would be relevant during the Revolutionary War. They identify key...
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Terrorist, Freedom Fighter, or Something in Between?
Students identify that history can characterize actions differently from how they were perceived when initially undertaken. Then they identify that terrorist groups exist within a political, cultural, and historical context, and students...
National First Ladies' Library
How a Bill Becomes a Law
High schoolers engage in the democratic process and to learn how a bill become a law. Then they write a bill they would like as law in their classroom. Students also form committees that will review the list of bills to determine if they...
National First Ladies' Library
Where's Amelia?
Learners examine the life and accomplishments of Amelia Earhart and her status as a role model for women. After researching Earhart, they select another person they think is courageous and write a dialog between the two heroes as if they...
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Does Free Speech Exist in School?
Students examine their own First Amendment rights as students. They read and discuss a news article, discuss the Supreme Court case Frederick v. Morse, take an online quiz and conduct Internet research, and create a brochure outlining...
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Benjamin Franklin- Philanthropist
Learners research and read a profile of Benjamin Franklin. In this philanthropic lesson, students research the projects of Benjamin Franklin and determine which were philanthropic, which were governmental and which were business...
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The Declaration of Independence: From Rough Draft to Proclamation
Students discover the purpose of the Declaration of Independence. In this colonial America lesson plan, students compare the original draft by Thomas Jefferson to the final draft of the Declaration of Independence.
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Slavery In America During the Civil War
Students continue their examination of the Civil War. In groups, they use the internet and print sources to research the life of a slave. For each slave researched, they copy quotes and other information from primary and secondary...
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The Constitution: Drafting a More Perfect Union
Learners analyze the U.S. Constitution. In this U.S. History lesson, students explore the purpose of the Constitution, as well as who was involved in its creation.
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Surviving the Depression- 1930-1939 Lesson 1: Life During the Depression- Picture
Students examine and analyze primary source documents and pictures from the Great Depression Era. They consider ways in which the suffering of the Era could have been alleviated.
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EX-SLAVE NARRATIVES
Students read narratives of ex-slaves and then in groups write and act in their plays.
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Bringing the Past to the Present
Second graders work in pairs and read a primary source artifact. They create a PowerPoint slide that will be part of a "museum" presentation for the rest of their class. Students select artifacts from a group of digitalized artifacts...
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Social Studies: How Did Native Americans Live?
Fifth graders examine Edward Curtis' photographs and Robert Griffing's paintings to analyze Native American culture. They present research information on specific tribes, using the photos and paintings to uncover information about the...