Lesson Plan
Curated OER

President Madison's 1812 War Message: Answers Lead to More Questions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers investigate President Madison's case for declaring war against Great Britain. Students assume the roles of newspaper reporters and cite key points in Madison's argument for declaring war, and hypothesize about primary...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

President Madison's 1812 War Message: A Brief Overview

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate President Madison's War Message. Students read the message and discuss any information they may have misunderstood. Students hypothesize about what kinds of documents might help them find answers to their questions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

United States Entry into World War I: Two Diametrically Opposed Views

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze the events leading to U.S. entry into World War I. They read a speech by President Wilson and an opposition speech, list the reasons each gives for American entry into the war, and complete a Venn diagram.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

United States Entry into World War I: A Documentary Chronology

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars complete a unit of lessons on the events that led to U.S. involvement in WWI. They complete a Webquest, conduct research, complete a Venn diagram, read and discuss the reasons for entering the war, and create a slideshow.
PPT
Curated OER

1914-1918: The World at War

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Thorough and engaging, this presentation details the causes and contexts of World War I on all fronts. It covers "the spark" that began it all, as well as the effect of technology on weaponry and the role of women on the home front and...
Lesson Plan
Pulitzer Center

The Crisis in the Ivory Coast

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Through reading a variety of news articles and other informational texts, learners discover the political turmoil and intense ethnic and religious tensions that envelop the Ivory Coast today. Class members research the historical...
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Women's Rights in the American Century

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Today, many young people find it hard to understand why it took over 150 years for women in the United  States to get the right to vote—why there was even a need for the suffrage movement. As they read a series of primary source...
Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Lesson 2: The United States, France, and the Problem of Neutrality, 1796–1801

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
While the French Revolution could be considered inspired by the American Revolution, it created thorny problems for the new United States. Should the United States get involved and be drawn into a European drama? Was the US strong...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

America in Space: German Voices from Huntsville, Alabama

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Project Paperclip, the Redstone Arsenal, and the Huntsville Space Center are all featured in a resource that investigates the contributions of Dr. Werner von Brawn and other German scientists to the US space program....
Lesson Plan
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Museum of Tolerance

The Pursuit of Democracy and Diversity: The Trial of Pro-Social Injustice in Historical Documents and Accounts

For Teachers 8th Standards
Class members investigate The Indian Removal Act of 1830, U.S. Theft of Mexican Territory Timeline, and President Abraham Lincoln’s letter to Horace Greeley, 1862, and then conduct a mock trial of each of these documents to determine...
Worksheet
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Humanities Texas

Primary Source Worksheet: Abraham Lincoln, Draft of the Gettysburg Address

For Students 8th - 11th Standards
Young historians closely examine the words of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address with this primary source analysis worksheet.
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

The Civil War Revisited

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students move beyond the generals and battles approach to the Civil War and explore, instead, the issues, ideals, and outcomes of the great conflict that left a president dead, a region destitute, and a nation in shambles.
Activity
National WWII Museum

Picturing the War in the Pacific Photos, Datelines and Captions

For Students 7th - 12th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

World War II Home Front

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Eleventh graders examine the political demands put on one of four groups living in America during WWII. Each class member is asked to research and write a paper describing the homefront experience for women, Hispanics, African-Americans,...
Lesson Plan
Scholastic

The Rise of Railroads: Illinois

For Teachers 4th Standards
Railways not only cross the US, but they are also intertwined with the history of America. Using a timeline format, individuals explore the connections between major events in American history—such as the Civil War—and the rise of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

War Consumes Europe

For Teachers 7th - 10th
How did the world react to Austria's declaration of war? This activity, guided by the McDougall Littell text, World History, has historians examining the beginnings of WWI through cause and effect analysis. Groups reference the text as...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Migration: An Oral History

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students research the factors which contributed to the great migration and write a well organized research paper using multiple sources. They incorporate quotations into their paper, both direct and paraphrased, in accordance with MLA...
PPT
Curated OER

World War II

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Offering a comprehensive overview of the beginning of World War II, this resource could be a useful addition to a unit on this topic. It could be used as a way to lead a discussion on the war, or as a review tool before a test. Either...
PPT
Curated OER

World War II - The Allied Response

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Your class will benefit from this excellent presentation on World War II, and the Allied Response to Hitler's threat. The PowerPoint is packed with important information about battles, key figures in the war, and has an excellent...
PPT
Curated OER

World War II - The Holocaust

For Teachers 5th - 6th
The Holocaust is the focus of this world history PowerPoint. Viewers are presented with important facts regarding the Holocaust, and the rise of Nazi Germany. They must answer questions such as: "Describe Nazi anti-Semitism in the...
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Blockbusting: Social and Economic Change through Real Estate

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
"Redlining," "Blockbusting," and "White Flight" may not be terms familiar to young historians. Here's a lesson plan that introduces middle schoolers to these terms and the actions associated with them. Class members examine a series of...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Apollo-Soyuz: Space Age Detente

For Teachers 6th - 12th
The Space Race saw the Soviet Union and the US go from competitors to partners. Scholars read a letter regarding the first docking of the US and Soviet space craft. Young historians also complete a written assignment and participate in...
Worksheet
K12 Reader

Character Analysis in the Red Badge of Courage

For Students 8th - 10th Standards
As part of a comprehension exercise, readers analyze the character of Henry Fielding and consider how his romantic view of himself, and of war, changes.
Worksheet
K12 Reader

Two Viewpoints of the Same Event: Lee Surrenders to Grant, 1865

For Students 9th - 11th Standards
How did Union General Ulysses S. Grant view the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in 1865, which effectively ended the United States Civil War? After reading an excerpt from Grant's autobiography, your young historians will...