In this lesson, students interrogate their own assumptions about Abraham Lincoln in …
In this lesson, students interrogate their own assumptions about Abraham Lincoln in order to arrive at a deeper understanding of who Lincoln was. They investigate primary source documents in order to analyze the elements of Lincoln's life that have become legend and those that have been forgotten by history.
The following lesson is designed to help students explore the emergence of …
The following lesson is designed to help students explore the emergence of the American Indian Movement (c.1968 and beyond) in the context of the push for self-determination by native people, and within the broader movement for Civil Rights in American Society.
This resource would be appropriate for high school students, during a study of the Civil Rights Movement. It provides primary source materials for students to analyze using the APPARTS process.
This aligns to WI AIS Enduring Understanding #9 "American Indians and U.S. Citizenship".
This assessment from the Stanford History Education Group gauges whether students can …
This assessment from the Stanford History Education Group gauges whether students can source and contextualize a document. Students must first examine an interview excerpt on a race riot in Nashville during the Civil Rights Movement, then determine which facts can help them evaluate the interview's reliability. Strong students will be able to explain how the the gap in time between the riot and the interview (Fact 2) and that Cleaver was not present for the riot (Fact 3) make the account less reliable.
The BlackPast has an interactive African American history timeline that can be …
The BlackPast has an interactive African American history timeline that can be used to contextualize the history being studied. BlackPast has an extensive database to search within. The website is in encyclopedia format and has both written and primary visual sources available. A narrative written by professional historians accompanies each source.By clicking the "African-American History" link at the top of the page you can see a drop down menu with multiple types of primary sources, timeline, documents and speeches, and links to other museums and records.
This lesson introduces students to the complexity of history by focusing on …
This lesson introduces students to the complexity of history by focusing on the diverse activities of Black women in the nineteenth century. Historians have traditionally ignored free black women during this period, and furthermore oversimplified the lives of slave women. Using a variety of sources and documents, students will learn that many Black women, whether born slaves, free, or freed in later life, resisted the system that oppressed them, earned degrees, and became politically active before, during, and after the Civil War. Students will learn how to read and interpret various primary and secondary sources and how to use them to draw conclusions about the issues that the authors faced during the nineteenth century. Students will read historical narratives imaginatively and in their proper context. Students will view evidence of historical perspectives and draw upon visual and literary sources while studying the lives of nineteenth-century black feminists, the issues they faced, and their methods for solving them.
Throughout history, U.S. presidents have carved out their relationships with the press. …
Throughout history, U.S. presidents have carved out their relationships with the press. In this lesson, students will hear from author and historian Harold Holzer as he discusses how several presidents, from George Washington to Donald Trump, navigated their interactions with the media and implemented strategies to communicate with the press, some of which are still used today.
The Problem: When evidence is attractively presented, convincingly stated, or aligns with …
The Problem: When evidence is attractively presented, convincingly stated, or aligns with our beliefs, it can be tempting to accept it without stopping to ask whether the evidence comes from a trustworthy source or directly supports the claims being made. When evidence takes the form of statistics or infographics, it can be particularly tempting to accept it without fully evaluating it. This lesson gives students a chance to practice evaluating evidence based on its reliability and relevance. Students work in groups to evaluate several examples of online evidence and engage in class discussions about the strength of the evidence.
Note: Civic Online Reasoning is motivated by three driving questions: Who's behind the information, What's the evidence and What do other sources say? This lesson is an introduction to one of the main concepts. Registration is required and free.
The Problem: Claims and evidence flow rapidly online. We aid in the …
The Problem: Claims and evidence flow rapidly online. We aid in the spread of misinformation if we don’t ensure that a claim or evidence is accurate before we share it. Luckily, the internet also allows us to check claims and evidence by consulting other sources. Although verification takes time, it helps to ensure that the information we read, use, and share is trustworthy.
This short lesson will introduce students to the importance of checking what other sources say through a relatively straightforward example. Students practice evaluating a claim made on social media by clicking on the provided link to see if the argument in that source matches the claim in the post.
Note: Civic Online Reasoning is motivated by three driving questions: Who's behind the information, What's the evidence and What do other sources say? This lesson is an introduction to one of the main concepts. Registration is required and free.
The Problem: Wikipedia contains a vast supply of information and is the …
The Problem: Wikipedia contains a vast supply of information and is the 5th most trafficked website in the world. Still, many teachers advise students against using it. If students learn to use Wikipedia wisely, it can be a powerful resource for lateral reading, verifying claims, and a starting point for research.
This lesson introduces students to Wikipedia’s standard of verifiability, which requires article authors to provide reliable citations to support claims they make. By following these citations, students can verify the claims in Wikipedia and locate a variety of reliable resources. Students practice verifying claims on Wikipedia by following its citations.
Note: Civic Online Reasoning is motivated by three driving questions: Who's behind the information, What's the evidence and What do other sources say? This lesson is an introduction to one of the main concepts. Registration is required and free.
The Problem: Online videos are easy to create and distribute. Evidence presented …
The Problem: Online videos are easy to create and distribute. Evidence presented via video is becoming an increasingly popular way to support claims online. However, videos can be especially challenging to evaluate effectively. Too often, we are convinced by what we see (or think we see) and do not carefully consider how the video could misrepresent its subject.
This short lesson helps students practice analyzing video evidence. Students complete a task that asks them to evaluate a video that makes a claim and supports it with selectively edited video evidence. They then read and discuss an article about the video. Then they watch an unedited version of the video to practice skills for analyzing video evidence.
Note: Civic Online Reasoning is motivated by three driving questions: Who's behind the information, What's the evidence and What do other sources say? This lesson is an introduction to one of the main concepts. Registration is required and free.
"Teach students about civic participation and the role it has played in …
"Teach students about civic participation and the role it has played in our judicial history with this two-part lesson comprising historic cases, a classroom mock trial, and a research project. Objective: Your students will analyze the impact of historic cases and the role of civic participation in these cases. Students will also demonstrate their understanding of the basic elements of a trial through a mock trial proceeding. Time: Two class periods Materials: Student Worksheets #1 and #2, access to online resources, paper, pencil or pen"
Click! In the 1970s that word signaled the moment when a woman …
Click! In the 1970s that word signaled the moment when a woman awakened to the powerful ideas of contemporary feminism. Today “click” usually refers to a computer keystroke that connects women (and men) to powerful ideas on the Internet. Click! aims to bridge the gap between those two clicks by offering an exhibit that highlights the achievements of women from the 1940s to the present. This exhibit explores the power and complexity of gender consciousness in modern American life. Students will be able to explore, research, and analyze various topics such as women in politics, the Civil Rights Movement, the Feminist Movement, Body and Health, and Workplace and Family. Educators will have the ability to retrieve lesson plans on various topics such as free lesson plans to give teachers content materials and activities that will allow them to integrate the history of the modern women’s movement into their curriculum and help students engage with important historical questions about the struggles that have made the United States more equal and democratic. Each lesson plan focuses on a historical topic that engages with the concerns of students: politics and social movements; body and health; and workplace and family. These topics are investigated through the histories of individual women, their organizations, and their struggles for greater rights and social justice. Their stories are situated within larger histories to help students connect the modern women’s movement to other changes in post-World War Two America.
Four Presidents called Illinois home – Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Ronald …
Four Presidents called Illinois home – Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama. Each presided over the country at a unique time in U.S. history, and this can be seen in the messages they communicated to the nation in their inaugural addresses. All four were reelected to a second term in office. Analysis of each president’s 1st and 2nd inaugural addresses provides an opportunity to compare and contrast the priorities, goals and intentions he outlined, as well as how the nation may have been changing at that time.
The National Park Service has created a K-12 curriculum that focuses on …
The National Park Service has created a K-12 curriculum that focuses on scaffolded lessons that focus on Martin Luther King’s advocacy, the March on Washington and other leaders of the Civil Rights movement.
Website with different lessons focusing on: 1.Analyze primary and secondary sources representing …
Website with different lessons focusing on: 1.Analyze primary and secondary sources representing conflicting points of view to determine the proper role of government regarding the rights of individuals. 2.Analyze primary and secondary sources representing conflicting points of view to determine the Constitutionality of an issue. 3.Assess the short and long-term consequences of decisions made during the writing of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. 4.Compare the components of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights with the Constitutions of other nations. 5.Evaluate contemporary and personal connections to the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. 6.Compose a reflection and assessment of the significance of Constitution Day and the U.S. Constitution.
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