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And justice for all: The Trail of Tears, Mexican deportation, and Japanese internment

Many textbooks mention the Trail of Tears, but fail to mention that this early displacement of an ethnic minority is only the one of many legally-sanctioned forced relocations. This lesson will address the displacement of American Indians through the Trail of Tears, the forced deportation of Mexican Americans during the Great Depression, and the internment of Japanese American citizens during WWII.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Patricia Camp.

Canning for country and community

In this lesson plan, students will use primary source documents to evaluate the technological challenges of food preservation in the 30s and 40s, compare food preservation in the first half of the twentieth century with today, and consider the political role of food in the community.

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

By Melissa Thibault.

Differences across the curriculum: Part 1

Part of a set of lessons offering an integrated approach to exploring diversity with eighth graders, this lesson serves as a pre-reading activity for the drama version of "The Diary of Anne Frank." Students will learn how diversity creates bias which leads to conflict, where students confront their bias and practice tolerance.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Lynn Carter.

Effects of civic action

In this lesson, secondary students will analyze primary source materials to investigate how 4-H clubs made an impact on the home front in completing projects that supported the war effort during World War II. This lesson should be taught at the end of a World War II unit.

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

By Pauline S. Johnson.

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.

Life on a North Carolina military base in wartime

Students will use primary sources from a World War II military base in North Carolina to make inferences about life on that base. This lesson was created through a partnership with the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center.

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

By Laina Stapleton.

Live-at-Home in North Carolina

In this lesson students will examine pictures and documents relating to the Live at Home program started in North Carolina by Governor O. Max Gardner to help North Carolina farmers refocus on food crops rather than cash crops during the Depression. These photographs, from the Green 'N' Growing collection at the North Carolina State University, will help students draw conclusions about the culture of North Carolina in the early 1930s and understand how they overcame the hardships of the Depression.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Loretta Wilson.

Stories from the Holocaust

This lesson is designed to supplement a study of World War II. Students will read first hand accounts of individuals who escaped Nazi persecution and eventually settled in Asheville, North Carolina. This lesson may be used as an 8th grade Social Studies or English project(It could also be used as an integrated project), 10th grade English, or 11th grade US History. This lesson uses the NCEcho portal to access the material.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–10 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Billie Clemens.

World War I and the changing face of gender roles

In this lesson, students analyze oral histories in order to learn more about Progressivism and the impact of World War I and World War II on the role of women in the United States.

Format: lesson plan (grade 11–12 Social Studies)

By Lee Adcock.

World War II at home: Victory Gardens

Students will learn about home front activities during World War II. Using primary source documents and photographs, students will discover how children their own age participated by growing Victory Gardens. They will design their own gardens and propaganda posters.

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

By Linda Mazzei.

Resources on the web

Giving voice to history

In this ARTSEDGE lesson, students explore a somber period in American history. During World War II the U.S. government ordered more than 120,000 Japanese Americans to detainment camps. Drawing upon research and analyzing a variety of sources, including... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ArtsEdge

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

Was the United States ready for Pearl Harbor?

In this Xpeditions lesson, students explore the United States' level of preparedness for the attack and think about what the U.S. could have done to be better prepared. Activities in this lesson engage students in whole class discussion, online research,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 11 Social Studies)

Provided by: Xpeditions