Browse lesson plans

1869: A report on schools in North Carolina

In this lesson, students look at a report on the status of education in North Carolina in 1869 and discuss the reasons given then for why the Governor and Legislature should support educating North Carolina's children. They are provided an opportunity to compare and contrast the 1869 document against their own ideas about the civic duty to attend school through age sixteen and its relative value to the state and the country.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Victoria Schaefer.

African American college students: Classroom activity

In this lesson plan, students will read a primary source document about African American college students in 1906 and answer a series of questions as they assume the role of a young African American woman in the early 20th century.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 Social Studies)

By Jamie Lathan.

Brown versus Board of Education: Rhetoric and realities

In this lesson, students will listen to three oral histories that shed light on political and personal reactions toward the 1954 Supreme Court ruling Brown versus Board of Education. Includes a teacher's guide as well as the oral history audio excerpts and transcripts.

Format: lesson plan (multiple pages)

Lumbee learning

In Teaching about North Carolina American Indians, page 2.4

Introduction Education for the Lumbee Tribe has always been important. After Reconstruction ended and the state of North Carolina began its journey to educate its people, no provisions were made for American Indians. Segregated schools provided education...

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 and 8 English Language Arts and Second Languages)

By Gazelia Carter.

Race in her lifetime

In this lesson, students will use oral histories to trace the life of Rebecca Clark, an African American who was born in rural Orange County just before the Depression and witnessed the changes in civil rights over the years.

Format: lesson plan (multiple pages)

Reading questions: Learning in colonial Carolina

This set of questions was designed to accompany an article about education in colonial North Carolina.

Format: /lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

Understanding Charlotte Hawkins Brown's rules for school

In this lesson plan, students read a primary source document that lists rules for proper school behavior, written by Charlotte Hawkins Brown, a teacher who dedicated her life to improving the educational opportunities of African Americans in North Carolina in the early 20th century. Students analyze the rules in the context of the racial politics of the era and in the context of progressive education.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–10 Social Studies)

By Jamie Lathan.

Understanding work in colonial Carolina

This lesson plan explores two forms of labor in colonial Carolina — indentured servitude and apprenticeships. Students learn about these forms of labor by reading and analyzing primary and secondary sources.

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

By Pauline S. Johnson.

Resources on the web

North Carolina Geographic Alliance on EdNet

A community for teachers interested in sharing resources and information about teaching geography in North Carolina. (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: National Geographic EdNet