US Department of State
The Marshall Plan: The Vision of a Family of Nations
The European Recovery Act (aka the Marshall Plan) was designed to bring together and develop a spirit of cooperation among European nations after World War II. Class members examine the materials from the Marshall Plan exhibit and assess...
University of Florida
Protecting Our Water Resources
Teach young environmentalists to protect their planet's resources with a set of interactive experiments. Kindergartners and other youngsters learn about watersheds and the water cycle, while older elementary learners focus on fertilizer...
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
Reading Literature - The Ruin
Cross-comparison, the technique of focusing on two different texts with the same themes, motifs, events, etc., is employed in an exercise that asks groups to examine two different translations of “The Ruin,” a poem, written in Old...
National Park Service
A Tale of Two Men
Theodore Roosevelt and the Marquis de Mores were both born in 1858, and both came to the Dakota territory in 1883, but they influenced the developing country of America in different ways. Elementary and middle schoolers apply written and...
A to Z Teacher Stuff
Polar Bear Crossword
Show what you know about polar bears with a 10-question crossword puzzle. Questions pertain to a polar bears' habitat, food source, and more!
Ashbrook Center at Ashland University
Federalist - Antifederalist Debates
Who should have the power—individual states or the federal government? Scholars research the arguments of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists during the formation of the United States Constitution. Online resources, including a vast...
Reading Through History
The Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was an important battle of the American Revolutionary War for all sides. Learners read everything from the point of view of the British, the Americans, and finally, the French. After reading, they answer...
National WWII Museum
Picturing the War in the Pacific Photos, Datelines and Captions
Young historians have the opportunity to see photos from the war in the Pacific and learn more about what each photo represents. Scholars use their knowledge of WWII to match dates and descriptions to real-life photos from the war. The...
Curated OER
Oral Histories
Students determine the importance of primary source history information. They differentiate between primary and secondary source information and conduct an interview with a primary source. They gain a real life perspective about recent...
Curated OER
Cultural Inquiry Lesson 2B: Finding Artifacts and Analysis
Students build on their knowledge of sources, by looking at 2 types of information sources: artifacts or primary sources and analysis or secondary sources. They brainstorm a list of primary and secondary sources connected to one of...
Curated OER
Document Question- The New Deal
Students use primary resources in order to investigate the historical New Deal era. They describe the measures about housing instituted in the legislation. An evaluation of the measures is written by students. The incorporation of the...
Curated OER
Entertainment and Recreation in the Early Twentieth Century and Today
Eleventh graders research entertainment and recreation in the early twentieth century using primary sources and the book From the Hidewood, by Robert Amerson. They compare the rural experience of the time period to the national...
Curated OER
To Kill a Mockingbird: A Historical Perspective
Students research the Great Depression. In this Great Depression lesson plan, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of life in the American south during the depression era as they read Harper Lee's To Kill a...
Curated OER
Understand the Push Pull Theory of Immigration
Students examine the Push Pull Theory of immigration. In this instructional activity on immigration, students explore primary sources to discover several reasons why people migrate. They will then present skits to share this information....
Curated OER
Post-Civil War American History
Fifth graders examine significant events in Post-Civil War America. In this Post-Civil War lesson, 5th graders investigate the important events after the war in 19th century America. They read primary source documents about six topics...
Curated OER
Abolitionists and Proponents of Slavery
Eleventh graders compare and contrast the visions of abolitionists and proponents of slavery. In this slavery lesson, 11th graders read primary documents representing both sides of the slavery issue and use graphic organizers to analyze...
Curated OER
The Great Depression: Eating on a Shoestring
Middle schoolers explore the realities of feeding a family on a very limited budget by comparing the cost of living in the 1930s to the cost of living today. Using primary documents and technology to make the comparison, they identify...
Curated OER
Consequences of Individual Choices
Students simulate a Revolutionary War draft. In this American Revolution lesson, students participate in a classroom activity that requires them to advocate for the Patriots or the Tories. Students examine selected primary sources about...
Curated OER
Geography, Climate, and Community in the Dominican Republic
Students familiarize themselves with the geography and culture of the Dominican Republic. They use primary source materials on the Dominican Republic to explore the question: How does where you live influence how you live? They describe...
Curated OER
A Dream of Classic Perfection
Students look at how Greek classical art and philosophy influenced the French Revolution. In this French Revolution lesson plan, students use primary sources, Neoclassical art, to look at how they show what society was like during this...
Curated OER
Conflict in the Frontier town of Deerfield
Learners use primary sources to investigate, explore and represent varying perspectives on the 1704 Deerfield Raid. They consider the reasons Deerfield was at the center of English, French and Native American conflicts in the early 18th...
Curated OER
Canada's Constitutional Documents
Students analyze one major constitutional document and the events surrounding it. They examine primary sources (historical documents) and draw conclusions from evidence. Students write an essay and may prepare a presentation of their...
Curated OER
Dangers of the West
Eighth graders explore the American West. In this Westward Expansion lesson plan, 8th graders examine primary sources to investigate the dangers travelling to and settling in the American West. Students design brochures that would help...
Curated OER
Sgt. Humiston, Where are You?
Students become familiar with the events of the Civil War. In this identification lesson, students use deductive reasoning to understand how the deceased soldier was identified. Students view primary documents for information about the...