For social studies teachers, the challenge is to teach about war by going beyond causes and results and the major battles and highlights historians claim as important. Excerpts from literature and primary source materials and discussion questions are presented to help secondary students study the personal side of World War I. (RM)

This lesson plan collection focuses on attitudes and opinions held by Native Americans and European Americans about the United States. The lesson plans are arranged in four sections: (1) "Ancestral Lands" (Debating for Land; Making Treaties and Weaving Wampum; Pipestone Quarry and Westward Expansion: Whose Rock Is It Anyway); (2)…

Presents background information and learning activities about Camp Hoover, the presidential retreat built by President Hoover and later renamed Camp David. Includes three readings, three maps, two photographs, two drawings, and four student activities. (CFR)

This tenth grade lesson plan asks student teams to research and analyze the history, the challenges, and the future of contemporary nations and share their discoveries in a poster presentation at a technology pavilion. The lesson plan states that each team, as a participating nation, is required to include three themes in their countries' pavilion…

Designed for use in a one-semester course in U.S. history or literature at the intermediate or secondary level, this collection of the Civil War letters of Lewis Bissell, a Union soldier, is divided into two major parts. Part I (chapters 1 though 5) covers the period of time Bissell spent guarding Washington, District of Columbia. Each chapter…

This eighth grade lesson plan asks students to research and analyze primary source documents about early factory labor (mill workers during the period between 1840-1860) showing their hours of labor, ages of laborers, reasons for working, and working conditions. The lesson plan asks students to read a historical novel about the time,…

Presents a three-activity lesson plan based on Weir Farm, home of Impressionist painter J. Alden Weir and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Includes three student readings, three maps, and a tabular chart. Outlines step-by-step instructional procedures and a list of books for further reading. (CFR)

Presents a high school unit about the U.S. Industrial Revolution featuring the Boott Cotton Mills of Lowell, Massachusetts. Includes student objectives, step-by-step instructional procedures, and discussion questions. Provides two maps, five illustrations, one photograph, and three student readings. (ACM)

This handbook was designed to help students learn the cultural contexts in which human rights are variously defined. It provides a comparative study of five nations, selected for their geographic and cultural scope, as a unique way to study human rights. Chapter 1 sets the stage for the study by presenting activities for establishing class…

In this interdisciplinary grade 6 world history and language arts unit, students examine the fall of Rome (Italy). Working in teams to research the causes of Rome's demise, participants develop a theory explaining why Rome fell. The student guide provides detailed instructions on how to complete the activity, a list of resources, and includes…

This teaching resource presents multiple perspectives of U.S. history by introducing the voices of peoples who may feel disconnected from the American Dream. Secondary level students are encouraged to understand how the vision of history is shaped according to who is looking and who is being seen. Organized in seven chapters, the document opens…

Presents a secondary school lesson on the building of the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the Vietnam War. Helps students link history and geographical skills through cooperative group learning. Includes maps, diagrams, and three student readings. (CFR)

In this grade 6 interdisciplinary language arts and social studies unit, students are required to assume the role of a team and describe their country's participation in trade along the Silk Road. Countries represented in the unit include Egypt, Italy, Iraq, India, Israel, and China. The team is asked to create a display showing artifacts, journal…

Describes a cooperative-learning program jointly developed by computer education and world history teachers in which secondary students create mock newspapers. Asserts that the project fulfilled cross-disciplinary objectives and encouraged critical thinking skills. Includes examples from the student-created newspapers. (CFR)