The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Being American taught by Tim Bailey (2009 Gilder Lehrman National History Teacher of the Year, Gilder Lehrman Director of Curriculum Development and Instructional Design)

Grade Levels: Elementary School (grades 3–5)

• American Symbols
• The Boston Massacre
• The Declaration of Independence
• The Constitution
• America in Song

Hands-on History: Dressing Up, Eating, and Building the Cold War taught by Mary Huffman (2015 Gilder Lehrman National History Teacher of the Year)

Grade Levels: Elementary School (grades 3–5)

• Cold War Candy Simulation
• Cold War Cookie Cake Mapping Simulation
• Building the Berlin Wall with Legos, Play Dough, and Pillows
• Korean War Scavenger Hunt

Facing Crisis Head On: Roberto Clemente, Kent State, and the Women’s Army Corps taught by Joe Welch (2018 Gilder Lehrman National History Teacher of the Year)

Grade Levels: Middle School (grades 6–8)

• Arriba! Arriba! The Legend of Roberto Clemente
• Kent State and the Amplification of Protest: 13 Seconds, 13 Casualties, and the Amplification of Protest Music
• Philadelphia: Discrimination in the Shadows
• Skirted Soldiers: The Women’s Army Corps
• The Children of the Japanese Internment Camps

Facing Crisis Head On: 1960 Rome Olympics, Mahalia Jackson, and Women as WWII Spies taught by Lois MacMillan (2006 Gilder Lehrman Oregon History Teacher of the Year)

Grade Levels: Middle School (grades 6–8)

• 1960 Rome Olympics: Citius, Altius, Fortius
• Mahalia Jackson: We Shall Overcome, The Soundtrack for the Civil Rights Struggle
• The Best Years of Our Lives: The Shock of Peace
• Top Secret: Women as World War II Spies
• The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March

Defining Liberty taught by Nathan McAlister (2010 Gilder Lehrman National History Teacher of the Year)

Grade Levels: High School (grades 9–12)

• Questions of Settlement and Liberty
• That’s My Interpretation
• What Is in a Haircut
• It’s in Your Hands!
• Protest, Shopping, and Liberty

The Paradox of Liberty taught by Keisha Rembert (2019 Gilder Lehrman Illinois History Teacher of the Year)

Grade Levels: High School (grades 9–12)

• Freedom, America’s Ironic Ideal
• Freedom, All or Nothing
• Freedom, Liberation, or Assimilation
• Liberty, in Whose Hands
• Liberty Matters

American History through Film: Civil War and Cinema taught by Gena Oppenheim (teacher at Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn, NY, and Hamilton Education Program Senior Education Fellow)

Grade Levels: Middle and High School (grades 6–12)

This course examined award-winning films like Glory, Little Women, and Lincoln to learn how films affect the way we look at American history.

American History through Song: Revolution to Depression taught by Jim Knable (published author of prose, drama, and song; humanities teacher; Gilder Lehrman Staff Writer)

Grade Levels: Middle and High School (grades 6–12)

This course examined how popular songs intersected with and evolved through history from the American Revolution through the Great Depression, focusing on known and repurposed melodies, lyric writing and rewriting, and political intent as the medium of song documented and even shaped American history.

AP United States History taught by Sara Ziemnik (2017 Gilder Lehrman National History Teacher of the Year)

Grade Levels: High School (grades 9–12)

This course introduced students to each of the nine time periods covered by the College Board’s AP United States History Curriculum. Students used the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s APUSH Study Guide and primary source documents to discuss major historical topics. Additionally, this course focused on strategies for reading and writing skills essential for success in the APUSH course or test.

History of Voting Rights Struggle taught by Alysha Butler (2019 Gilder Lehrman National History Teacher of the Year)

Grade Levels: High School (grades 9–12)

This course examined the struggle for voting rights from Reconstruction to the present day, mostly focused on the African American–led protests of the 1950s and 1960s through the lens of the film Selma, employing Harvard University’s Hutchins Center Selma Online curriculum, which is led by Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

The United States, 1492–1865 taught by Kevin Cline (2016 Gilder Lehrman National History Teacher of the Year) and Professor Steven Mintz (University of Texas, Austin)

Grade Levels: High School (grades 9–12)

Originally developed by Professor Steven Mintz, this survey-style course immersed students in American history to 1865. Live sessions brought the material to life and helped students develop the study skills and critical thinking acumen required for college-level instruction.

History Camp: History Outdoors taught by Mary Huffman (2015 Gilder Lehrman National History Teacher of the Year)

Grade Levels: Upper Elementary School (grades 3–5)

Students went on an adventure and discovered the hidden history of their home town. They found that the street signs, monuments, parks, and buildings that surround them each have their own story to tell.

History Camp: History Outdoors taught by Mary Huffman (2015 Gilder Lehrman National History Teacher of the Year)

Grade Levels: Upper Elementary School (grades 3–5)

In the vaults of the Gilder Lehrman Collection there are more than 70,000 items, and each one has a story to tell. Students examined a series of documents based on various historical themes and discovered the riches hidden within.

AP US Government and Politics: Foundational Documents taught by Kevin Cline (2016 National History Teacher of the Year)

Grade Levels: High School (grades 9–12)

The AP US Government and Politics test requires strong knowledge of nine documents considered to be foundational to American government. This course focused on in-depth study and discussion of those nine documents. Each class will focused on one or two documents and examined their background, their message, and the impact each has had on American history and government. 

APUSH: The Remix taught by Corey Winchester (2020 Illinois History Teacher of the Year)

Grade Levels: High School (grades 9–12)

This course was a combination of self-paced videos and live sessions using lectures from the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 APUSH to provide content lectures. Live sessions will offered students the opportunity to ask the master teacher questions based on the content covered that week

Immigration and the American Story taught by Jermain Corbin 

Grade Levels: Middle and high school students (6th–12th grade)

The United States is a nation of immigrants, and immigration has always been part of the American experience. Students watched six 30-minute lecture videos by Professor Vincent Cannato, University of Massachusetts Boston, at their own pace and joined live sessions with a master teacher to delve deeper into the content.

History Camp: Life in Colonial Times taught by Stacie Christenson (2020 Idaho History Teacher of the Year)

Grade Levels: Upper elementary students (3rd–5th grade)

Students explored what life was like for people in the colonial era. The master teacher discussed topics including the differences between the thirteen colonies, colonial fashion, food, recreation, and different day-to-day experiences of the eighteenth century.

The Global Cold War taught by Daniel Jocz (2018 California History Teacher of the Year)

Grade Levels: Middle and high school students (6th–12th grade)

Students will dive deeper into Cold War topics they may be familiar with, and approach them through an international lens to discuss the significance of each event to the study of history and contemporary events.

History in the Making taught by Mandel Holland and Gena Oppenheim 

Grade Levels: Middle and high school students (6th–12th grade)

The past year has been challenging in unprecedented ways. Future generations will want to know how we managed everyday life and how we endured as a community. In this course, students explored other historic moments, and how communities recorded their experiences. With teachers and a curator and they added their own reflections about the past year to the Gilder Lehrman Collection.