Foreign Policy Research Institute
Understanding China: The Prospects for Democracy in China
This document provides useful information for a unit on democracy in China. While it does not include detailed activities, it does have a list of democratic principles, and important facts about China that facilitate understanding of its...
National Endowment for the Humanities
James Madison: Madison Was There
Madison was there! Scholars go on a journey to discover the person behind the founding father label as they explore James Madison's role in the formation of the United States government. The culmination is a writing assignment and...
Curated OER
Heart Mountain Relocation Center
Students examine several primary source documents related to the Japanese internment camp at Heart Mountain, Wyoming. They write an essay about Heart Mountain and explore the concept of restitution to Japanese-Americans.
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Defining Democracy and Freedom
This is a simple but effective introduction to democracy. It requires the class to generate working definitions of key terms (provided) and to determine the degree of democracy in various geographic locations today. After they conduct...
Curated OER
Japanese Festivals and Holidays
Bring the excitement and beauty of Japanese festivals into your classroom. Kids with special needs create calendars that reflect special festivals and holidays common to Japanese culture. They start the project by creating a list of...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Comparing Regimes: Critical Reading of Memoirs and Experiences from Totalitarian Regimes
Can you imagine living in a totalitarian country? Learners will read several primary source memoirs to gain a deeper understanding of what life is like under a controlled government. They'll discuss each piece in pairs, research...
Curated OER
Cartoon and Political Poster Analysis
Students explore the late 1800s as a time of demographic change in the US. They view the role of media during this time in the form of posters and political cartoons. They create a political poster/cartoon that deals with current...
Curated OER
Ann Arbor Growth & Immigration
Third graders describe some of the factors that brought early settlers to Ann Arbor. They read Narrative-A Trip from Utica, New York, to Ingham County, Michigan in 1838. As an added challenge, 3rd graders can use maps to track Silas...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
New Deal Programs in Alabama
New Deal programs are the focus of an activity that prompts middle and high schoolers to consider the end of the Great Depression. Groups examine primary source materials to gain an understanding of how these programs were...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Categories of Cold War Histiography
While the objective is to provide an overview of the Cold War in preparation for further study, this resource addresses the topic at a rather advanced level, and might need its own introductory lesson. The handouts include terms such as...
Curated OER
Jazz in America
Students explore different instruments and what role they play in Jazz. They also each person's role in a democratic society.
Curated OER
Cultural and Social Transformation since 1865
Students research the evolution of cultural and social issues in areas of Westward Expansion, Immigration, and Civil Rights. They practice writing clear details with supporting evidence and examples and evaluate ways of improving drafts...
Curated OER
Create a Research Book
Students use the internet to research the production of manuscripts and books. Using this information, they create a research book full of tips to research effectively. They share their new book with the class after organizing the material.
Curated OER
Using Primary Sources: Letters from the Presidents
Students find out about the minds and thoughts of presidents through reading their actual letters. They explore the personal lives of presidents. They answer questions about a primary source. They write essays.
Foreign Policy Research Institute
The People's Republic of China
This resource provides a nice framework for young scholars to explore the perceived shift in China's policymaking from the idealogical to the practical. While this lesson includes some dated materials (2006 is the most...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
What is Islam and What are the Root Causes of Muslim Anger with the West?
A video and magazine article provide the foundation for learning about Islam and why some Muslims are angry with Western society. In groups, young scholars identify the causes of hostility and prepare a presentation that explains them....
Curated OER
Medical Research and Your Future
High schoolers are asked to investigate current and sometimes controversial medical research in order to address what medical breakthroughs potentially exist in their futures. They create small posters on sheets detailing their support...
Curated OER
American Pop Icons
Young scholars analyze art and decide if the images are an attempt to celebrate or criticize American Popular Culture of the fifties and sixties and discuss how successful "Pop Art" mirrored society. Students also discuss the difference...
Curated OER
Immigrant Photo Analysis
Students examine photographs taken of immigrants during late 1800s and early 1990s in America, and identify factors involved in immigration through examination of primary documents that include statistics, trends, graphs, photographs,...
Curated OER
Meiji Modernization
Students analyze the significance of imperialism on the country of Japan. In groups, they use the internet to introduce themselves to the various Meiji leaders and their plans for the country of Japan. They describe the effects of...
Curated OER
Social Studies: Devastating Diseases
Students are able to critically read literature addressing historical data and answer relevant questions. They are able to formulate an opinion and support it using all knowledge documented and learned in this and previous lessons.
Curated OER
Oregon City: A Convergence of Endings
Pupils describe the activities that occurred in the Willamette Valley before the establishment of the Oregon Trail and agricultural settlement and explain the impact that American settlement had on the landscape and native groups who...
Curated OER
Reagan and Bush: The Conservative Years
Students investigate the conservative agenda of the Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush. They conduct Internet research, evaluate an edition of the Wall Street Journal, and write and publish a special-edition newspaper...
Curated OER
Rites of Passage
Students, through video and Internet activities, are exposed to rites of passage in two modern day West African cultures, the Fulani and the Dogon, and how slavery served as a rite of passage for many West African people in the past.