Browse lesson plans

Confederate currency: An inflation simulation

Using primary sources from the Documenting the American South collection, students will engage in a brief simulation of inflation during the Civil War while learning about issues faced on the home front in North Carolina.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Lewis Nelson.

The Craft Revival and economic change

In this lesson plan, originally published on the Craft Revival website, students will interpret photographs and artifacts as representations of western North Carolina’s economy at the turn of the century. They will also analyze historical census data and produce a visual web that will represent the changing nature of the economy of western North Carolina.

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

By Patrick Velde.

Feed a fighter

In this lesson students will examine “Additional Helps for the 4-H Mobilization for Victory Program,” a Cooperative Extension Work document from the Green 'N' Growing collection at Special Collections Research Center at North Carolina State University Libraries. The document will help students understand the efforts civilians underwent to support military efforts in World War II.

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

By Lisa Stamey.

The Great Depression: Impact over time

In this lesson students listen to oral history excerpts from Stan Hyatt from Madison County and evaluate how the Great Depression affected one North Carolina family over time.

Format: lesson plan (multiple pages)

Resources on the web

C-SPAN Classroom Resources

Lesson plans include video clips, discussion questions, and booknotes for selected units. Some plans, such as the Checks and Balances lesson plan, contain a Fun Fact, Capitol Question (with link to the answer), Learn More, and Review Quiz, in addition to... (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: C-SPAN

Child labor: Giving voice to the industrial revolution through monologues

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students gather information using selected websites and explore issues related to child labor, particularly as it occurred in England and the United States during the Industrial Revolution. Students then use this information... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Life and Debt in Haiti

This unit from the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Duke University focuses on a key aspect of conflict and poverty in poor countries -- the diminishing domestic agriculture sector -- and examines some of the international actors in its decline.... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Social Studies)

Provided by: Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Spices in your favorite foods

Studying spices is a tasty way for students to learn about natural resources, trade, and our use of international products. In this lesson students will discover the importance of spices in history and will focus on the significance of spices in the foods... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: Xpeditions

Trekking to Timbuktu—student version

In the eight lessons of this EDSITEment curriculum unit, students will learn about the geography of Mali and the cultures and economies along the Niger River, find out about the three kingdoms that evolved in ancient and medieval West Africa, discover how... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment