Lesson Plan Native American Cultures and the Impact of the Boarding Schools 3, 4, 5 Click to download this four-lesson unit.
Spotlight on: Primary Source Davy Crockett on the removal of the Cherokees, 1834 Government and Civics 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ In this letter, written in December 1834, Davy Crockett complains about President Andrew Jackson’s forced removal of the Cherokees from their homes to Oklahoma. Crockett opposed that policy and feared Vice President Martin Van Buren...
Spotlight on: Primary Source Olaudah Equiano, 1789 Economics, World History 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ Within ten years of the first North American settlements, Europeans began transporting captured Africans to the colonies as enslaved laborers. Imagine the thoughts and fears of an eleven-year-old boy who was kidnapped from his village...
Spotlight on: Primary Source Secotan, an Algonquian village, ca. 1585 Art 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ In the 1570s and 1580s, John White served as an artist and mapmaker to several expeditions around the Carolinas. White made numerous watercolor sketches depicting the Algonquian people and stunning American landscapes. This engraving...
Lesson Plan Our New Country Needs New Money: Colonial Money Simulation Economics K, 1, 2, 3 There certainly can’t be a greater Grievance to a Traveler, from one Colony to another than the different values their Paper Money bears. —an English visitor, ca.1742 Introduction Students use different kinds of paper money to...
Lesson Plan The First Thanksgiving Celebration K, 1, 2, 3, 4 Learning Objectives Students will use literature to gain insight into the lives of the Wampanoag people and their participation in the first Thanksgiving celebration. Students will present information on different aspects of the...
Lesson Plan Dashes and Dots: A Product of the Nineteenth Century Economics, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Overview Students will examine primary sources including letters, a patent, photos, and diagrams to identify and describe the technological invention and development of the telegraph that evolved during the nineteenth century....
Lesson Plan Differing Views of Pilgrims and American Indians in Seventeenth-Century New England Economics, Government and Civics 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Background Wampanoags Much of what is known about early Wampanoag history comes from archaeological evidence, the Wampanoag oral tradition (much of which has been lost), and documents created by seventeenth-century English colonists....
Lesson Plan Banking Basics Economics 1, 2, 3, 4 Introduction Many elementary school students are unaware of how banks make money and what causes them to fail. This lesson will provide students with a basic understanding of those two issues, linking them to the Great Depression and...
Lesson Plan The Conquest of Mexico: Past and Present Views World History 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ Introduction The conquest of Tenochtitlan by Hernán Cortez in 1519 is one of the most well-known examples of encounters between Europeans and Americans prior to 1600. Some primary sources that document the event still exist, though...