Campfire Stories with George Catlin: An Encounter of Two Cultures
In this lesson students will learn about the varying attitudes and definitions of land ownership held by Native and European Americans by studying a variety of primary documents from the nineteenth century. They will learn about how various treaties—the Homestead Act and the Dawes Act—affected both Native and European Americans. Students will discuss these issues in the form of a debate, and will also write journal entries.
A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution
This activity “Becoming aware of the Japanese American Internment Camp Experience” is intended to help students become aware of, and sensitive to, the Japanese American interment camp experience. They will develop a sense of empathy by simulating the situations which Japanese American children faced.
Jazz in America: National Jazz Curriculum
The school offers lessons for teaching about jazz in American history or music class for Grades 5, 8, and 11. Learn about the evolution of jazz, different jazz styles, improvisation, basic musical elements, and how jazz influenced (and was influenced by) American culture. The mission of The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz is to offer public school-based jazz education programs for young people around the world, helping students develop imaginative thinking, creativity, curiosity, a positive s
Photographs of the 369th Infantry and African Americans During World War I
This site features an all-black regiment that rose to fame at a time when the Army, federal workers, and other parts of society were segregated. The 369th Infantry, also known as the Harlem Hellfighters, was among the first regiments to arrive in France in 1917 after the U.S. declared war on Germany. Under the command of mostly white officers, the regiment spent 191 days in combat, longer than any other American unit, and emerged as one of the most highly decorated regiments during the Great War
Letters, Telegrams, and Photographs Illustrating Factors That Affected the Civil War
This site allows students to analyze a variety of documents to identify events, actions, and individuals who contributed to the Civil War's outcome. This lesson correlates to the National History Standards and the National Standards for Civics and Social Sciences. It also has cross-curricular connections with your history, government, and American literature.
Alexander Graham Bell's Patent for the Telephone and Thomas Edison's Patent for the Electric Lamp
This lesson introduces students to significant inventions of the late 19th century and examines the power of Congress to pass laws related to the granting of patents. It correlates to the National History Standards and the National Standards for Civics and Social Sciences. It also has cross-curricular connections with history, government, language arts, and science.
1897 Petition Against the Annexation of Hawaii
This site recounts the struggle for control of Hawaii between native Hawaiians and American business interests in the late 1800s. This 1897 petition and a lobbying effort by native Hawaiians convinced the U.S. Congress not to annex the islands. But months later the U.S.S. Maine exploded in Havana and the Spanish-American War began. The U.S. needed a mid-Pacific fueling station and naval base.
Primary source images, standards correlation, and teaching activities are included in this resource.
Islam, Secularisms and Law across Europe
'The first 3 minutes are missing due to a technical fault.' This lecture will draw on the understandings of Islam and secularism that have been explored in earlier talks to compare recent processes of social and legal adaptation across Europe, with a focus on the contrast between England and France and further comparisons of North American and German legal cases.
Virtual Maths - Numbers, 2D Triangle simulation tool
Diagram and formulas for are and volume of 2D shapes
The Time of the Lincolns
The film Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided and this companion Web site, The Time of the Lincolns, offer insights into topics in American history including women's rights, slavery, abolition, politics and partisanship, the growth of the industrial economy, and the Civil War. You can use part or all of the film, or delve into the rich resources available on this Web site to learn more, either in a classroom or on your own.
School: The Story of American Public Education
This is the companion website for a documentary that chronicles the development of public education in America from the late 1770s to the 21st century. It provides photos, stories of innovators, and more.
Rise and Fall of Jim Crow
That Jim Crow was a tremendously important period in United States history is undisputable. Less obvious is how to properly address the violence, politics, and complexities that mark the era. This site looks at the century of segregation following the Civil War (1863-1954). Jim Crow, a name taken from a popular 19th-century minstrel song, came to personify government-sanctioned racial oppression and segregation in the U.S. This website describes pivotal developments during that time – the Eman
Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey
Social studies teachers will find that the film presents an informative, complex and issue-oriented story that raises controversial questions and provides an exciting way to introduce a number of important concepts in 20th century United States and world history. It offers an opportunity to explore the historical background of current events and issues in the news today; the Middle East crisis, the struggle of developing nations to create stable economies and democratic governments, the legacy o
Liberty! The American Revolution
The Liberty! Teacher’s Guide is designed to fully engage students in the drama and rich educational information presented in the six-part PBS series LIBERTY! THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. The plans are flexible and can be easily adapted.
Kate Chopin: A Re-Awakening
This site revisits the life and work of this 19th-century Louisiana author whose story of a woman's self-realization, The Awakening, shocked the Victorian establishment and devastated her own career.
Jazz, A Film by Ken Burns
This is the companion website to the Ken Burns PBS series that aired in January 2001. Explore cities and clubs where jazz developed; listen to excerpts of bebop, cool jazz and other styles; discover what makes jazz jazz and the theory behind the art form often called the purest expression of American democracy. The site provides biographies of nearly 100 musicians, transcripts of interviews that went into the making of the show, a virtual piano, a study guide and more than a dozen lessons.
Heritage: Civilization and the Jews
This lesson plan deals with the Ancient Near East, early civilization, and early Israelite history. Use maps to explore principal geographic features of the region and to trace migration, and compare the biblical story of the flood with a similar account in the Epic of Gilgamesh. All activities focus on key concepts explored in Heritage. Lesson plans have been designed to allow teachers to select activities appropriate to the grade levels of their classes. Each plan includes teacher's resource p
Circle of Stories
Welcome to the CIRCLE OF STORIES lesson plans. These lessons will allow students to examine the complex and rich oral tradition of Native American storytelling, create their own stories to share, explore indigenous and Native American cultures and the issues which face them today, and research and explore their own cultural heritage by recording their unique family stories and heritage. These lessons are directed toward grades 6 through 12, for use in the following subject areas: language arts,
Hey, Mr. Producer!
It's not that uncommon for secondary school students to study the ups and downs of the stock market, but in this lesson, students will examine the economic roller coaster involved in the production of a Broadway musical. As an introduction to the lesson, students will read a series of online articles to investigate the similarities and differences between nonprofit theater production and Broadway, or commercial, theater production. They will view excerpts from the PBS series BROADWAY: THE AMERIC
American Masters: Alfred Stieglitz
This site presents an essay, timeline, video clips, and interviews examining this photographer, artist, and art impresario. Stieglitz was a powerful force in the arts of the early 20th century and an important interpreter of emerging modern culture. This web site is a companion to first full-length film biography of the photographer, Alfred Stieglitz: The Eloquent Eye.
