Curated OER
Pioneer America: Legendary Westerners - Can One Person Really Make a Difference?
Fourth graders research famous Americans from the Westward Movement and complete an interview. For this Westward Movement lesson, 4th graders work in pairs to research someone who was important during this time period. They prepare and...
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The Cuban Missile Crisis
Students reflect on the events that lead up to the Cuban Missile Crisis in the early 1960s. In this history lesson plan, students explore the conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union revolving around missiles in Cuba,...
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It's Not Just a Man's World
Students demonstrate competence in the general skills and strategies of the reading process. They summarize information learned from their assigned text. They identify ways in which the actions of particular individuals influence their...
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Assignment Discovery Lesson Plan World War II
High schoolers examine primary and secondary documents about life on the homefront during World War II. In this World War II lesson, students research the conditions of daily life in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany...
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Baby Boom and the Culture of the 1950's
Students study the ripple effect of the baby boom generation on history and on their lives today. They discover how the rules and conformity of the 1950's set the stage for the rebellious, anti-establishment sixties. They study the...
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What Did It Cost 100 Years Ago?
Students compare prices of good across the century in order to introduce the topic of inflation. They undertand the concepts of inflation and Consumer Price Index (CPI), use online calculators to figure the approximate cost of goods...
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Maya Lin - Artist, Architect, Environmentalist
Sixth graders explore the life of Maya Lin and analyze the impact of her architectural philosophy on her work. They trace the history of the Vietnam Memorial from its conception by Maya Lin, to the present day. A time line is created of...
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The Motivation for Movement
Young scholars explore the geographic theme of movement. In this migration lesson, students discuss push-pull factors that motivate immigrants and interpret illegal immigration data. Young scholars also discuss the difficulties that...
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The Postbellum Period and Freemen
Students become familiar with the ways slaves reacted to educating themselves. In this postbellum and freeman instructional activity, students complete readings from chapters in the book Up From Slavery. Students write about the...
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Hello, I Am Deborah Sampson
Fifth graders research a historical figure from the Revolutionary War, dress as that person, and present information on that person. In this Revolutionary War lesson plan, 5th graders are videotaped as they present to the class.
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Imperialism
Students explore the concept of Imperialism. In this foreign policy lesson, students examine the policies of the US and other countries through time. Students then create a political cartoon of their own and create a timeline that...
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Paying With Their Health
Students consider the plight of immigrant workers. In this undocumented immigrant lesson, students compare the worker of the Industrialization era to the undocumented immigrant workers of today. Students read and discuss literature about...
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Law School vs. School Laws
Students discuss the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding sexual orientation and restage the debate leading up to the recent decision in Rumsfeld v. FAIR. They write essays evaluating the merits of the decision.
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Anti-Slavery and Reform-Related Sources
Fifth graders use primary sources to explore events witnessed by ordinary people. In this primary documents lesson, 5th graders answer critical thinking questions based on their documents. Students recognize the difference between...
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Tibetan Monk Sand Paintings
Students complete an art project. In this sand paintings lesson, students learn about the history of mandalas and then create a sand painting of their own. Extensions include writing a story or poem about their sand painting, study of...
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Who Did That?
Students use current newspapers and news magazines and find the names of women making news today. They continue and extend their search at home. Students select one of those woman newsmakers, research her life using print and/or online...
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People of the West
Sixth graders research and identify key facts about men and women of the Westward Movement. They assess the events and reasons that motivated people to move west, hardships they faced and their contributions to the nation. Each student...
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National Security - Japanese Internment
Tenth graders investigate the balance between national security and individual rights using the Japanese American internment camps during World War II as the setting. The instructional activity incorporates photographs from the Manzanar...
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Lewis and Clark: Meeting the Indians of the Northwest
Eighth graders examine the relationships forged with Native Americans by Lewis and Clark. In this Westward Expansion lesson, 8th graders research digital and print sources to study details regarding the Native American tribes that Lewis...
Stanford University
King Philip's War
King Philip's War was the crescendo of a violent period between the Pequot and English colonists. Using documents from English settlers, including a contemporary report on the conflict, learners explore the little-known period. They then...
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World War II: Causes and Consequences
Tenth graders examine Hitler's occupation of Europe and the Allies' efforts to fight it. In this World War II lesson, 10th graders examine how World War II changed American society, especially for women. Students analyze a print ad...
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Looking for Heroes
Pupils explain the importance of the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March and the long term impact in the US of non violent civic participation.
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Progressive Newspapers
Students create a newspaper on local, state and national issues in the muckracking style of progessive era journalism. They research the style by reading articles from the time period on women's sufrage, child labor laws and political...
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Amazing Americans
First graders research amazing Americans during the first 100 years of American history. After a lecture/demo, 1st graders use a worksheet imbedded in this plan to write 2-4 sentences about 4 of the Americans presented in class.