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National Endowment for the Humanities

James Madison: Madison Was There

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
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...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Galileo: Revealing the Universe

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
To gain an understanding of the significance of Galileo Galilei's revolutionary ideas, class members watch the short video "Stargazing Before Galileo," and conduct a close reading of Galileo's Sidereal Messsenger. They then...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

The Argument of the Declaration of Independence

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
When in the course of a course on historic American events, it becomes necessary for learners to examine, with decent respect, the Declaration of Independence, it becomes evident that there are six separate and equal parts of that...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Poems that Tell a Story: Narrative and Persona in the Poetry of Robert Frost

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Dig in deeper with Robert Frost's, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." Learners will read and discuss poems by Robert Frost and learn the meaning of terms such as narrative and personal. They journal, collaborate, and present poetry...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Navigating Modernism with J. Alfred Prufrock

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Learners explore the role of the individual in the modern world by closely reading and analyzing T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock."
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Vengeful Verbs in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
It's time for pupils to read, examine, and contemplate literature to explore the difference between vivid and generic verbs. Pupils distinguish between the two types of verbs as they read the ghost scene from Shakespeare's Hamlet. They...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Lu Shih — The Couplets of T’ang

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Writing poetry in ancient China was the modern equivalent of sending a greeting card. Scholars learn about the ancient Chinese poetic form called the lu shih. They read about the context of poetry during the T'ang Dynasty and complete a...
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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...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Lesson 3: Britain, Napoleon, and the American Embargo, 1803–1808

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
While the French were once the allies of Americans, the Napoleonic Wars saw the United States almost drawn into a war with its one-time friend. Wars in Europe threatened to draw in the early republic. A primary source-based activity...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Lesson 1: The United States Confronts Great Britain, 1793–1796

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
After the Revolutionary War, the success of the United States was far from guaranteed. Foreign powers coveted the new land, and Great Britain challenged American sovereignty. Learners consider the challenges facing the new nation using...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Revolution '67, Lesson 2: What Happened in July 1967? How Do We Know?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Even in a world in which dozens of participants and curious onlookers record every controversial event, the basic facts of what happened are often in dispute. Revolution '67, Lesson 2 explores 1967 Newark, New Jersey using an examination...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Revolution '67, Lesson 1: Protest: Why and How

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
To some people, protesting is as American as apple pie, but the factors that lead to protests can be as confusing to veteran activists as to today's youth. Revolution '67 explores the riots in Newark, New Jersey as a case study. ...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Lost Hero: Was John Hanson Actually the First President?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The first president of the United States was ... John Hanson? Scholars investigate the notion that the initial leader of the nation was not George Washington. Using research, articles, and open discussion, individuals create a quest for...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Kate Chopin's The Awakening: Searching for Women and Identity in Chopin's "The Awakening"

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The final lesson of a three-part series on Kate Chopin's The Awakening has scholars investigate life as a woman in late nineteenth-century America. They research the role of women in society through the eyes of the characters in the...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Kate Chopin's The Awakening: Local Color in the Late 19th Century

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Kate Chopin's The Awakening introduces readers not only to the lush Louisiana setting of Grand isle but also to the nuances of Creole culture. the second lesson in a three-part series examines how Chopin's use of literary realism and...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

The "To Do List" of the Continental Congress

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
What is on your to-do list today? The second lesson of a three-part series on Lost Heroes of America investigates the laundry list of items in front of the second Continental Congress. Scholars research, analyze, and present information...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Life Before the Civil War

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
American life before the Civil War was very different from American life today. To show this difference in a full spectrum, learners compare two communities that illustrate the differences between Northern and Southern life. Throughout...
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Chief Executives Compared: The Federalist Papers

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Delve into the responsibilities of the president by looking at President Hamilton's opinion of the presidential office in his own words. The second in a three-part series, the resource also offers an interesting compare-and-contrast...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

The New Order for "Greater East Asia"

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Sometimes the New Order becomes synonymous with its implications for European countries, but what about its consequences for East Asia? The final instructional activity in a four-part series teaches scholars about World War II. High...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Victory and the New Order in Europe

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A New Order in Europe calls for a new lesson plan! This third plan in a series of four sequential lessons encourages high schoolers to read primary sources about the development of the New Order and follow up their knowledge with a...
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National Endowment for the Humanities

How to Win a World War

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
High schoolers are have begun to learn  the art of diplomacy with each other, but do they understand how diplomacy works at a global level?  The second in a series of four lessons, guides scholars in evaluating primary sources....
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National Endowment for the Humanities

How "Grand" and "Allied" Was the Grand Alliance?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Learn more about the Grand Alliance with a scaffolded lesson plan that includes four activities. Class members use primary sources to complete a map exercise, understand the goals and objectives of each individual nation, and participate...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

James Madison: Raising an Army—Balancing the States and the Federal Government

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
To war! To war! Every nation in the history of the world has had to deal with warfare on some level. Scholars go through a series of activities and discussions surrounding the development of the Constitution to help them better...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Lesson 2 James Madison: The Second National Bank—Powers Not Specified in the Constitution

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How much power is too much power for the federal government? Scholars use primary documents and constitutional research in groups to analyze the creation of the Second National Bank under James Madison. This is the second lesson of a...