In this lesson, students will analyze poetry and art from the Harlem Renaissance. Students will discuss major themes of the Harlem Renaissance. Then, students will write their own poems reflecting these themes through the website StoryJumper.
In this learning activity, students will use their "senses" to see, smell, and feel what it would have been like to live on a prairie long ago.
In this video from PBSLearningMedia, John Green teaches students about the Progressive Presidents. The presidents most associated with the Progressive Era are Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft, and Woodrow Wilson. During the times these guys held office, trusts were busted, national parks were founded, social programs were enacted, and tariffs were lowered. It wasn't all positive though, as their collective tenure also saw Latin America invaded A LOT, a split in the Republican party that resulted in a Bull Moose, all kinds of other international intervention, and the end of the Progressive Era saw the United States involved in World War.
Join host John Green to learn about nation-building and nationalism in Latin America. Sometimes, the nations of Latin America get compared to the nations of Europe and are found wanting. However, this comparison doesn't quite work as the rise of democratic, economically powerful nations in Europe came about under a very different set of circumstances than the way nations arose in Latin America. Naturally, the regions are very different. But why? John will explore ideas, including whether or not a lack of international war could have impeded Latin America's growth. On the surface, this may not sound plausible, but tune in to this episode of Crash Course to hear a lively discussion on the topic.
In this reading passage, students learn about the Vietnam Conflict. In 1975, North Vietnamese troops rolled into Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, ending decades of conflict.
A vocabulary activity and question set are included with the reading passage.
In this reading passage, students learn about the Boston Tea Party. In the early 1700s, the British government made a special deal with the East India Company, an English organization doing trade in the East Indies. They granted the East India Company a monopoly on tea by agreeing that no other company was allowed to sell tea in Britain or its colonies. This was a great deal for the East India Company since it meant that the company could charge whatever it wanted for its products. It already costs a lot to get a crate of tea from India to England, and government taxes made the cost of tea even higher.
This lesson looks at the natural resources that drew businesses to Alabama. Students will explore the adapted 1820 letter from Mason and Dexter in Cahaba, Alabama to Richards and Simmons in Cumberland, Rhode Island. Students will explain ideas within this historical text based on specific information presented in this primary source.
This lesson can be used as a stand-alone or can follow A Natural Attraction: The Natural Resources of Alabama During the Early Nineteenth Century.
This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.
In this video from PBSLearningMedia, students will be led on a historical adventure. After jumping through the portal into this world, the kids go on an adventure to learn more about Moundville, one of the largest Native American towns ever built.
The stock market crashed on October 29, 1929, a day that would come to be known as "Black Tuesday." The crash punctured a speculative bubble that had been building throughout the 1920s, throwing one-and-a-half million Americans out of work. In three years, that number would triple. In response to the lower wheat prices, more wheat was planted.
Learning Objective:
Students will understand how the agricultural response to the Great Depression fueled the already dire ecological situation in the Great Plains, leading to the Dust Bowl.
About the Author:
Eden McCauslin is a Social Studies and English teacher in Chicago Public Schools. Eden previously taught in the District of Columbia Public Schools
Students will each research a different aspect of a specific tribe of Native Americans and combine their ideas to create a work of art/design.
Students will work in groups to brainstorm, research, and plan a mural to represent the culture of a specific tribe of Native Americans.
This activity was created as a result of the Arts COS Resource Development Summit.
The lesson will focus on ordering common events by times, days, months, steps, or events. Students will work collaboratively in groups to organize five child-focused events, steps, or times. These titles, events, steps, days, and times will be cut apart so that students need to organize them into a logical sequence. Groups will rotate through the five events to practice daily schedules, holidays, school schedules, weekly events, and procedural texts. Groups may take a picture of completed events as a digital copy or the teacher may check each group for formative assessment.
This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development Summit.
In this interactive game from iCivics, students play a member of Congress from the state of their choice. They pick an issue that's important to them and their constituents and take it all the way through the law-making process. If they're successful, they'll have a bill they can print and show off! This game can be played during a lesson on the law-making process for reinforcement or after as an assessment.
You will need to create a free account in order to access some of the content on this site.
In this video from PBSLearningMedia, students learn about Native American boarding schools and complete an interesting activity. This video is part of Activity Starters, which is an animated video series. In each episode, an animated character introduces a concept and an activity.
John Green teaches you the history of Islam, including the revelation of the Qu'ran to Muhammad, the five pillars of Islam, how the Islamic empire got its start, the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and more. Learn about hadiths, Abu Bakr, and whether the Ummah has anything to do with Uma Thurman (spoiler alert: it doesn't). Also, learn a little about the split between Sunni and Shia Muslims, and how to tell if this year's Ramadan is going to be difficult for your Muslim friends. Let's try to keep the flame wars out of this reasoned discussion.
Students will annotate and analyze a secondary source about the industrialization, urbanization and cultural changes to Birmingham and Sylacauga, Alabama. Students will discuss in groups how the Avondale textile mills affected urban growth and the lives of mill employees. Groups will work together to summarize excerpts of the Encyclopedia of Alabama Avondale Mills article.
This activity results from the ALEX Resource Gap Project.
This podcast is a collection of personal stories told from soldiers and family members of Japanese Americans (Nisei) who volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. The podcast describes the experiences of some Japanese Americans and the consequences of World War II.
This is a video from Khan Academy about Classical Greece and its cultural contributions. This video can be used to introduce a lesson on the cultural contributions of Classical Greece. The video is 10 minutes and 9 seconds in length.
In this video from PBSLearningMedia, students have fun learning about money with Blackbeard the Pirate, who learns the hard way that resources are limited.
John Green teaches you about World War II, aka The Great Patriotic War, aka The Big One. So how did this war happen? And what does it mean? We've all learned the facts about World War II many times over, thanks to repeated classroom coverage, the History channel, and your grandfather (or maybe great-grandfather) showing you that Nazi bayonet he used to keep in his sock drawer and telling you a bunch of age-inappropriate stories about his harrowing war experiences. So, why did the Axis powers think forceful expansion was a good idea? (they were hungry). So why did this thing shake out in favor of the Allies? Hint: it has to do with the fact that it was a world war. Germany and Japan made some pretty serious strategic errors, such as invading Russia and attacking the United States, and those errors meant that pretty much the whole world was against them. So, find out how this worldwide alliance came together to stop the Axis expansion. All this, plus Canada finally gets the respectful treatment it deserves.
**Sensitive: This resource contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether this resource is suitable for their class.
This learning activity should be used during a lesson on the climate and geography of India and the effects this had on the development of the region. The students will watch an informative and interactive video from Edpuzzle on the climate and geography of India. The video will pause at various times to allow students to answer comprehension questions about the video's content. After watching the video, the class will participate in a whole class discussion on how the rivers, deserts, monsoons, and mountains had an impact on the development of India.
This activity was created as a result of the ALEX Resource Development Summit.
This learning activity contains photographs of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Sir Winston Churchill during World War II. There is also a set of discussion questions to use with the photographs.
In this video from PBSLearningMedia, students learn Presidents Day is an opportunity for the country to acknowledge the leaders of its government. See how it evolved from a birthday party for George Washington to observance for all of the Presidents.
Remember that guy from 300? What was his name? ARG!!! It turns out our brains make and recall memories in different ways. In this episode of Crash Course Psychology, Hank talks about the way we do it and what damaging that process can do to us.
This learning activity introduces students to the Judicial Branch of the Government. After the activity, students will be able to recognize the basic principles established in the Judicial Branch of Government. In closing, students will design a poster with a minimum of 3 facts about the Judicial Branch of Government.
This activity results from the ALEX Resource Development Summit.
This is an activity guide using the children's book: Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers by Karen B. Winnick. The book is about a little girl who sent President Abraham Lincoln a letter asking him to grow a beard. He did--and was the first President of the United States to wear a beard. Students identify President Abraham Lincoln by his beard and top hat. After reading the story, students make their own top hat.
This article from Khan Academy provides an overview of the Bill of Rights. The first ten amendments to the US Constitution guarantee citizens' essential freedoms and rights. Students can read this article and answer the questions at the end as an assessment. The article can be read in a whole group setting or individually. The article can be assigned through Google Classroom.
In this video, students learn about Andrew Jackson. Believe it or not, the Battle of Orleans was not the time Drew Brees and the Saints finally won their Super Bowl. It was an actual battle, with an actual general at the helm--Andrew Jackson. He was a military hero and more. He threw very few interceptions to boot.
Students take part in a simulated election in which they roleplay poll workers at a polling site and vote in a simulated election. Students become familiar with polling site procedures and the mechanics of voting in their state. When the election simulation coincides with a general election or a state election, it provides for a more authentic experience. A supervisor should be in the vicinity of the voting booths you have created (or provided for), to assist students who may have questions about the voting process and mechanisms. A teacher can use their own classroom or a different room (i.e. Library, Media Room, Cafeteria, etc.) to complete any part or all of this lesson.
Machu Picchu is a citadel perched 7,874 feet above sea level in the Peruvian Andes mountains. Although its purpose is debated by historians to this day, it is speculated that its role aided the Incas in astronomy and agriculture. This video will describe key aspects of the pre-Columbian Incan culture, including religious rituals and the designed irrigation system associated with Machu Picchu.
In this learning activity, students explore political parties and how well they represent individuals. Students look closely at how politicians address international issues, issues important to them, and issues they support. Students compare political parties and construct an argument about which party best represents them. Additional resources are available under the Download PDF or DOC button.
This classroom resource from Epic! is a book that describes basic rules for what to do and what not to do to be safe at home. This book can be used to teach students rules that exist in the classroom as well as at home and in the community. The book includes home safety rules, a glossary, additional websites, and a quiz that can be assigned to students.
Note: You will need to create a free account to access this resource.
This clip highlights the Ford Model T and explains how the invention of the assembly line has made it the first car affordable to the masses. It also illustrates how the assembly line improved manufacturing processes and led to job specialization within factories.
