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American Journeys

More than 18,000 pages of eyewitness accounts of North American exploration from rare books, original manuscripts, images, and classic travel narratives. (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: Wisconsin Historical Society

Balancing three branches at once: Our system of checks and balances

This page contains four EDSITEment lessons in which students use primary source documents to investigate how the three branches of the American government can check each other. By the end of these lessons, not only will students be able to name the three... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Circle of Stories

Film, photography, artwork and music are combined to honor and explore Native American storytelling. (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: PBS

Declare the causes: The Declaration of Independence

In this lesson plan, students will see the development of the Declaration as both an historical process and a writing process through the use of role play and creative writing. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to: describe and... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Fighting injustice by studying lessons of the past

Using an online Venn Diagram tool, students study the experience of European Jews during the Holocaust, and then compare their experience to those of the Cherokees during the Trail of Tears and the Japanese–Americans during World War II. Students write... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

The First Amendment: What's fair in a free country?

Balancing rights and responsibilities is difficult, even for the Supreme Court. This lesson demonstrates to students that freedom of speech is an ongoing process. After completing the lessons in this unit from the National Endowment for the Humanities... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Historical fiction: Using literature to learn about the Civil War

In this lesson, the teacher reads aloud a section of Connie Porter's Meet Addy, a book from The American Girls Collection® that tells the story of a young girl who escapes from slavery during... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

I do solemnly swear: Presidential inaugurations

Presidential inaugurations have been solemn ceremonies and uninhibited celebrations. They are carefully scripted and they are unpredictable. They reflect tradition and they reflect the moment. This unit from EDSITEment, consisting of five lesson plans,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment

I hear the locomotives: The impact of the Transcontinental Railroad

In this lesson, found on the EDSITEment website, students analyze archival material in order to make connections between the arrival of the railroads and many of the changes that occurred subsequently in the United States and its territories. They learn... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Jamestown changes

In this lesson, students will study census data showing the names and occupations of early settlers of the English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, to discern how life changed in the Jamestown settlement in the first few years after it was founded. The... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Landmark: The United States Capitol Building

This is set of three lesson plans exploring what makes the U.S. Capitol symbolically important. Presented with a variety of archival documents, students can answer that question for themselves. Working in small groups, the students will uncover and share... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Learning about research and writing using the American Revolution

This lesson combines historical research and acrostic poetry. After listing all they know about the American Revolution, students work in groups to answer the questions they have about this historical period. Then, after reading If... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

The legacy of Pearl Harbor

This lesson, from the National Geographic Xpeditions web site, introduces students to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and asks them to consider the reasons why Japan might have wanted to expand its territory in the early 1940s. They'll also consider... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: Xpeditions

Lewis and Clark: Why Explore the Vast Unknown?

In this Xpeditions lesson about the Lewis and Clark expedition, students will interpret a map of the West as it was known at the time, learn what President Thomas Jefferson asked Meriwether Lewis to accomplish, and explain why the expedition was important... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: Xpeditions

National Museum of the American Indian

This website uses Flash technology to present online multimedia exhibitions about the history and culture of American Indians. An excellent online educational resource about codetalkers during WWI and WWII is also available. (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: Smithsonian Institution

The New Americans

This site provides information on five immigrant groups in the United States, including their histories, cultures, and current situations. Eleven lesson plans related to immigration can be accessed in the educator's section of the site. (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: Independent Television Service

One if by land, and two if by sea!

In this Xpeditions lesson, students explore Lexington and Concord, the Old North Church, or the historical poem “Paul Revere's Ride?” Students use historical and current maps of the Boston area to trace Paul Revere's route and learn about the... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: Xpeditions

The Preamble to the Constitution: How do you make a more perfect union?

This page contains five EDSITEment lessons in which students will become familiar with the Preamble to the Constitution. They will study fundamental values and principles, as well as investigate the purposes of the U.S. Constitution, as expressed in the... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Searching for gold: A collaborative inquiry project

After the teacher demonstrates to students how to navigate online resources and gives a brief lesson on research skills, students study the Gold Rush using a collaborative inquiry strategy. In several self–selected small groups, students research... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Submarines: The journey of K-19

In this Xpeditions lesson, student explore ill-fated first mission of K-19, the Soviet Union's first nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarine. Activities in this lesson engage students in development of map-reading skills, creation of an art project,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: Xpeditions