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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Whose Manifest Destiny? Westward Expansion

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Your land is my land! Young historians investigate the concept of Manifest Destiny used by the United States government to justify western expansion. Jigsaw groups read primary source documents to gain an understanding of the movement...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Curated OER

Introduction to Abigail Adams

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
Remember this lady! Abigail Adams, the wife of John Adams, the second President of the United States, and the mother of the sixth president, John Quincy Adams, was much more than a wife and mother. This prolific letter writer is the...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Benjamin Franklin: Master Diplomat for One Last Time

For Teachers 9th - 12th
At 81, Benjamin Franklin was the oldest delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention, where he exercised significant influence in shaping key elements of how the United States operates. The class examines his role, using “The Scene at...
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Lesson Plan
2
2
Curated OER

Tracing Our Own Family Pilgrimages

For Teachers K - 4th
The Pilgrims may have arrived in North America by way of the Mayflower, but chances are, your class members' ancestors came to the United States in another way. Guide them through an exploration of their own heritage, countries of...
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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

We Have a Story to Tell: Native Peoples of the Chesapeake Region

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How did colonial settlement and the establishment of the United States affect Native Americans in the Chesapeake region? Your young historians will analyze contemporary and historical maps, read informational texts, and work in groups to...
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Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Annexation of Hawaii

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Once an independent nation, Hawaii became part of the United States only after a business-sponsored coup of its queen. After examining newspapers from the 1890s, learners consider whether native Hawaiians wished to become Americans at...
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Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Winner-Take-All: The Two-Party System

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Two's company, three's a crowd. High school historians learn about the Electoral College, a two-party, winner-take-all voting system in the United States. The instructional activity explains the pros and cons of the two-party system,...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Teaching Tolerance

Slavery as a Form of Racialized Social Control

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An engaging lesson delves into the effects of slavery on society. Young historians read text excerpts, complete handouts, and participate in group discussion to understand how slavery was a means to control society and establish a racial...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Teaching Tolerance

Jim Crow as a Form of Racialized Social Control

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Just because slavery was illegal doesn't mean it went away ... Jim Crow Laws took its place. An eye-opening lesson focuses on how Jim Crow Laws were used as a form of racial social control against African Americans in the United States....
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Lesson Plan
C-SPAN

Landmark Supreme Court Case: Roe v Wade

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
Perhaps no issue is as controversial than abortion in the American landscape. Go beyond the rhetoric by examining the Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in the United States. A guided note-taking activity unpacks the arguments...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Manifest Destiny: U.S. Territorial Expansion

For Teachers 8th
A close examination of John Gast's painting "American Progress" launches a study of the concept of Manifest Destiny used to justify United States' policy of westward expansion. Young historians read statements from persons with different...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Of Mice and Men in the Great Depression: Background and Setting

For Teachers 9th Standards
What were living conditions like in the United States during The Great Depression, and how do those conditions compare with today? That's the question young scholars consider as they prepare to read John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

They Were Born Where?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students assess where the presidents of the United States were born and analyze the role of geography in determining the outcome of presidential elections. They create graphs visualizing the birth and home states of the presidents along...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Bingo

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students answer Civil War questions. For this Civil War United States history lesson, students copy Civil War vocabulary and phrases onto squares on a Bingo card. Students cover a Bingo square in response to each question asked by the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Colonial Maps

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students discover the history of America by identifying the traditional colonies.  In this U.S. history lesson plan, students examine a world map and identify where the voyagers left from Europe to arrive at the United States.  Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The "Yellow" Peril

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discuss what happened on the west coast of the United States in 1942 from the perspective of either Japanese and Japanese Americans or their non-Asisan neighbors. They watch a video, where they are aware of both sides of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American History Review

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students review American History. In this American History lesson, students create a timeline that lists major events in American history. Students write a speech about their favorite American and create a diorama to model a scene or era...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

South Korean Women at the Turn of the Century, with a Focus on the Modernity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners consider the role of women in South Korea. In this global studies instructional activity, students examine articles and interviews regarding women and educational achievement. Learners discuss women's issues in South Korea and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

North and South - Impact of the Abolitionist Movement

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars examine history of slavery in United States, discuss abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass who worked to end slavery, listen to excerpts from Douglass' autobiography, and visit interactive Underground Railroad web site.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Oral History of World War II

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students research how citizens from the United States respond to the onset, duration and aftermath of World War II. They view clips from the movie "Swing Shift" and discuss the roles of civilians, minorities and military personnel. They...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Fabric of America

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the theme of independence in American history by participating in a class-wide paper quilt project. Each student creates three quilt squares representing the past, present and future of independence in the United States.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We The People

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students consider the main concepts of the Preamble of the United States Constitution They research different issues explored in the Constitution which have both historic and modern connections.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Political Parties

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students engage in a instructional activity that is about the development of political parties in the United States government. They conduct research using a variety of resources. They use some key focus questions to guide the activities...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Presidential Places

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate American presidential landmarks throughout the continental United States. They research and analyze American presidential landmarks to determine their value to American history and how they have been preserved over...

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