When slavery ended, what did the government do to help African American during Reconstruction? An interesting instructional activity uses primary sources such as newspaper articles to help scholars analyze Reconstruction policies and how...

The era after the Civil War saw a flourishing of African Americans exercising their rights. Using graphic organizers and Internet research, pupils consider the legacy of Benjamin Sterling Turner, who sat in Congress. Afterward, they...

Eleventh graders research different documents pertaining to the reconstruction era. They present their findings to the class in structured presentations and unstructured discussions. Students compare and contrast their findings about...

Students identify, summarize and present facts about cultural, educational and political inequalities of Reconstruction, explain hidden codes of slave spirituals and their importance in slaves' communication, and create poetry based on...

Lynchings, race riots, and Jim Crow laws were just a few examples of antagonism that African Americans faced after Emancipation. Class groups investigate these and other events, and prepare a presentation to inform the class about...

Learners examine problems faced by the states of the Confederacy following the Civil war. They predict how Lincoln wanted to handle the problem of reconstruction by listening to his words. They describe conditions in the South...

Students use documents and other resources to evaluate the success or failure of the Reconstruction for giving rights to African Americans. The documents are primary resources with questions included for students to complete.

Learners describe the period of Reconstruction. Then students describe the concept of sharecropping. They complete a vocabulary prediction confirmation activity for the vocabulary words from the passage.

Fourth graders critically analyze the social, economic, and political impact of the Federalization of the South. They develop a PowerPoint presentation relative to the Post Civil War South.

Students examine the differences between the North and South during the pre-Civil War era. In this Civil War era lesson plan, students spent 7 days looking at things that were different between the Union and Confederate state before the...

Students explore and analyze the position of freedmen in the post Civil War period as well as the impact of Andrew Johnson's presidency on Reconstruction. In addition, they evaluate the laws and amendments that were put in place during...

Imagine having no control over your life and then suddenly having to provide for yourself. Such was the challenge faced by many American slaves after emancipation. Class members are asked to consider these challenges are they examine...

Students study Presidential Reconstruction during the Civil War years. They examine the role of the Executive Branch of government, especially in wartime. They investigate the complex issues of how Congress took on the role of...

Students reconstruct the skeleton of the fossil Scaphognathus crassirostis. For this fossil lesson plan, students discuss the Kingdoms of life, geologic history and the history of the skeletons of species. Students are given 20 minutes...

High schoolers go on an imaginary fossil hunt. They follow a script read by the teacher, students "find" (remove from envelope) paper "fossils" of some unknown creature. They attempt to reconstruct fossil pieces into an animal.

How far in the past do the roots of Jim Crow and segregation extend? Young historians closely consider this question using detailed PowerPoint slides as a basis for discussion rather than lecture, culminating in an activity where class...

Learners examine the time after the Civil War known as Reconstruction. In groups, they role play a Senate Subcommittee Hearing on Reconstruction in which some members are senators and others are witnesses. They share their ideas on how...

How did Ku Klux Klan develop and flourish in the US? How did the government respond to acts of terrorism conducted by the KKK following the Civil War? How does the government respond to acts of terrorism today? This resource...

Eleventh graders analyze a chart comparing U.S. census data from 1850, 1880, 1900, and 1920. They read a handout summarizing immigration legislation from 1882-1996 and create a graph charting how open / closed U.S. immigration is over time.

It is a-maze-ing how lost one can get. Teams reconstruct a simple maze and solve it. Participants create an algorithm that a robot would follow in order to solve the maze as well. The activity includes an extension directing pupils to...

Students study the role of volunteering during the Civil War, the Reconstruction, and today. In this volunteerism lesson, students work with a partner to read biographies of volunteers while looking for their Core Democratic Values. They...

Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this abolition lesson, students watch "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and discuss the philanthropic acts they witnessed in the film. Students also complete an activity that requires them to determine...

Students study U.S. History. In this Virginia focused lesson, students study how the period of Reconstruction after the Civil War affected various people in that area. They will listen to lectures and work independently to find gather...