The president of the United States serves as the chief executive and commander of the armed forces, all defined in Article II of the Constitution as the executive branch. Join a group of middle schoolers on a tour of Washington, D.C. as they learn about the Constitution and what it means to be "We the People." The "We the People" videos are produced in collaboration with the U.S. Capitol Historical Society.
Material Type: Lesson
This inquiry by Joshua Parker, North Thurston Public Schools, is based on the C3 Framework's inquiry arc. The inquiry takes students through a consideration of what the duties of citizenship are. Students consider current controversies about behavior during the national anthem, historical reasons behind revolutionary and loyalist perspectives during the revolutionary era, and by applying learning to answer how loyalty and opposition play a part in actions of engaged citizens.
Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Unit of Study
This 3-room video tour of the U.S. Capitol, featuring the Crypt, Rotunda, and National Statuary Hall.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson
These lessons are part of the Reform to Equal Rights K-12 Disability History Curriculum from Emerging America, part of the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Consortium. An introductory lesson calls students to use words about disability with respect. Lesson 1 generates questions about the war, using the Question Formulation Technique. Lesson 2 discusses the scale and historical context of the Union's capacity to care for injured soldiers. Students predict how disability might impact veterans and the nation. Lesson 3 analyzes a story of care for a disabled veteran. Pairs or groups analyze one of seven stories and share key points for discussion. In lesson 4, students analyze ten institutions that served veterans. In the unit assessment, students explain how the war changed ideas about government. In lesson 5, students examine experiences of disabled veterans today through video interviews from the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. Students may research veterans' needs and organize a project to support them. Grades 6-12 - Intro Lesson: Introduction to Disability History Grades 8-10 - Lesson 1: A Nation Shocked by War Grades 8-10 - Lesson 2: Care for Wounded and Disabled Soldiers Grades 8-10 - Lesson 3: Stories of Men and Women Who Served Grades 8-10 - Lesson 4: Agents of Care Grades 8-10 - Lesson 5: Veterans Today Reform to Equal Rights uses 250+ primary sources. Most are in the public domain. Many others come from public online collections. For the rest, Emerging America secured permission so that teachers can use all these sources in creative ways. https://www.emergingamerica.org/disability-history-curriculum
Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Module, Unit of Study
The Cultivating Washington curriculum is intended to be a go-to resource for Washington state middle school educators seeking student-centered instructional materials that make learning about the history of the Pacific Northwest more relevant and meaningful for students.In addition, it is a resource for agricultural education teachers, parents, and community members interested in helping students discover the history and development of agriculture in the state of Washington.
Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Module, Teaching/Learning Strategy, Unit of Study
This inquiry by Cynthia Yurosko, Evergreen Public Schools, is based on the C3 Framework inquiry arc. The inquiry provides students with the opportunity to analyze, through the evaluation of words, how conflicts between the U.S. government and Native American tribes arose. Students will be asked to investigate federal reports, speeches, and news reports to discern U.S. leaders’ perspectives and compare these biases to the words of Native American leaders Chief Red Eagle and Chief Tecumseh.
Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Unit of Study
This inquiry by Amy Johnson, Longview Public Schools, is based on the C3 Framework inquiry arc. Students will look at multiple points of view on an assigned Intolerable Act. After researching primary sources, student will create a newspaper using BEST evidence from their sources that answers the question, "Why would this event the colonists to revolt?"
Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy
These educational videos provide an invaluable resource on Ancient Nubia for Middle and High School Ancient World History and Geography teachers and students. The video content aligns with Geography, Economics, Civics, and Historical Thinking Social Studies standards across the nation. Key concepts and inquiry skills from each content area weave seamlessly throughout the videos and associated lesson plans. This unit overview document links to developed resources on the Archeology in the Community site.
Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Unit of Study
This unit is focused on the examination of a single topic, in this case, the Native Americans of the inland Northwest and conflict that arose when other non-native people started to settle in the northwest, and to specifically address the native populations that lived in the inland northwest. The materials were created to be one coherent arc of instruction focused on one topic. The module was designed to include teaching notes that signal the kind of planning and thinking such instruction requires: close reading with complex text, and specific instructional strategies or protocols are described that support students’ reading and writing with evidence are described in enough detail to make it very clear what is required of students and how to support students in doing this rigorous work. Materials include summative assessment of content and process, central texts, key resources, and protocols that support and facilitate student learning.
Material Type: Unit of Study
As part of Washington's Kip Tokuda Memorial Civil Liberties Public Education Program, which strives to educate the public regarding the history and the lessons of the World War II exclusion, removal, and detention of persons of Japanese ancestry, KSPS Public Television and Eastern Washington educators Starla Fey, Leslie Heffernan, and Morgen Larsen have produced Injustice at Home: the Japanese American experience of the World War II Era. This educational resource--five educational videos and an inquiry-based unit of study--will help students understand Executive Order 9066 and the resulting internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, the failure of political leadership to protect constitutional rights, the military experience of Japanese-Americans during WWII, and examples of discrimination and racial prejudice the Japanese-American community faced before, during and after WWII. In addition, students will analyze the short and long term emotional effects on those who are incarcerated, identify the challenges that people living outside of the exclusion zone faced, examine how some Japanese Americans showed their loyalty during the period of incarceration, and learn about brave individuals who stood up for Japanese Americans during this time.
Material Type: Lesson, Unit of Study
This is an ADA compliant downloadable version of the American Government online textbook at U.S. History.org by The Independence Hall Association.
Material Type: Reading
The Washington State Women's Commission is commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. These two videos are intended for educational purposes and to spark discussion about the importance of voting - "A Seat at the Table; Women's Sacred Right to Vote" and "The Untold Stories of Black Women in the Suffrage Movement"
Material Type: Primary Source
The nation’s founders believed Congress to be the fundamental institution of the federal government, since it is the body that most closely represents the people. The framers of the United States Constitution began by creating Congress. Then they established the other two branches of government—the executive branch and the judicial branches.The Constitution gives each branch distinct powers, but it makes sure that the three are in competition. Each branch has its own ways to check and balance the powers of the other two. The separation and balance of powers has contributed to the government’s enduring vitality, providing order and stability while allowing flexibility for adaptation and change.
Material Type: Reading
In this activity students will analyze the Declaration of Intention for Albert Einstein and identify how the document demonstrates content contained within Article I, sections 8-10 of the Constitution in action. This activity is designed to prepare students for the Constitution-in-Action Lab at the National Archives in Washington, DC. It is a part of a package of activities associated with the lab experience.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
Freedom for some meant slavery for others. The cruel irony of this nation’s founding and its “Temple of Liberty”—the U.S. Capitol—is that both were made possible by the enslavement of African Americans. The labor of enslaved and free blacks helped build the Capitol. An enslaved African American man helped to cast the Statue of Freedom, which was placed atop the Dome during the Civil War. Since the end of the Civil War, African Americans have struggled to move out of the shadows and into the Temple of Liberty as full participants. This the online version of a traveling exhibit by the U.S. Capitol Historical Society that depicts the journey of African Americans from slavery to freedom and political representation in the U.S. Capitol. The exhibit opened February 2006 in Baltimore, Maryland at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture.
Material Type: Interactive
Of the three branches of our government, many believe that the most important is the one directly elected by "We the People": the legislative branch, represented by the two houses of the U.S. Congress at the Capitol building. Join a group of middle schoolers on a tour of Washington, D.C. as they learn about the Constitution and what it means to be "We the People." The "We the People" videos are produced in collaboration with the U.S. Capitol Historical Society.
Material Type: Lesson
In this activity students will analyze the Senate Journal of the First Congress and identify how the document demonstrates content contained within Article II of the Constitution in action. This activity is designed to prepare students for the Constitution-in-Action Lab at the National Archives in Washington, DC. It is a part of a package of activities associated with the lab experience.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Primary Source
Welcome to the White House 360 Virtual Tour! This immersive experience will bring you inside the halls of the White House and provide access to all the public rooms on the Ground and State Floors. It will also allow you to examine the rooms and objects even closer than you would in person. This feature was made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Primary Source
Ever since John and Abigail Adams moved into the President's House in 1800, hundreds of individuals have worked behind the scenes to help the White House fulfill its roles as a home, office, and museum. White House staff serve the many needs of the first family in a variety of occupations. They prepare family meals, serve elaborate State Dinners, maintain the grounds, and much more. There is no such thing as a "typical" day in the White House. Explore the dedication and skills of the residence staff, their cohesion as a community, their special relationship with the first family, and their experiences as witnesses to the nation's history.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan
The Change & Impact module, from the Supporting Readiness through Vital Civic Empowerment (SRVCE) curriculum, focuses on the role young people can play in making a difference in their own communities. Students hone civic engagement skills as they develop a plan of action for a community-based challenge they care about. The 15 lessons include video, student-facing slides, a teacher toolkit and handouts. Resources are aligned with the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards, National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) Core Principles of Media Literacy Education, and Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Social and Emotional Learning Competencies. SRVCE blends inquiry-based civic learning, media literacy education, and exploration of public service careers to prepare students to be active citizens and thrive in the workforce. All SRVCE materials are free. These materials are intended solely for educational purposes. Educators may modify the materials to suit the specific needs of their students. This may include adapting the materials for various settings and purposes, provided that such changes are made within the scope of the specific educational use. .
Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Module, Teaching/Learning Strategy, Unit of Study
