TeachersFirst's Resources Related to the Revolutionary War

Take your students back in time to the late 1700s, as the 13 colonies began their quest for freedom from British rule. These resources share information and tools to engage your students as they learn how the colonies came together to form the United States of America. Resources are shared for all grade levels and include classroom use ideas.

Are you looking for more resources? Explore this list for additional resources related to the American Revolution. 

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Evaluating Art as Historical Evidence - Stanford History Education Group

Grades
9 to 12
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Studying art to understand history provides a means for understanding the past through visual representations. Stanford History Education Group shares this list of lessons and assessments...more
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Studying art to understand history provides a means for understanding the past through visual representations. Stanford History Education Group shares this list of lessons and assessments that use art to teach about a wide range of world and United States history topics. After creating a free account, select any of the provided links to access downloadable lesson materials and activities. The lessons include teacher and student materials; assessments include a printable assessment, rubric, and links to necessary primary documents.

tag(s): american revolution (79), art history (79), artists (74), assessment (126), china (61), civil rights (182), civil war (127), comics and cartoons (48), declaration of independence (14), egypt (45), france (37), japan (55), mayans (10), mexico (29), native americans (85), nazis (8), thanksgiving (24), womens suffrage (36)

In the Classroom

Bookmark and save this list for use throughout the year with many different history lessons. Include these art activities to provide context and visual perspective to important events. Use a curation tool such as Padlet, reviewed here, to create an ongoing resource for students to use for review and as a guide for understanding history through a wider lens. For example, when using Padlet, choose the timeline feature and add a piece of art onto the timeline. Upload videos, text, and additional images to create an interactive timeline that tells a story through art. As a final project, ask students to share their learning using Sway, reviewed here, to write a reflective piece on the use of art throughout any period in time. Have students include student work, images, links, maps, and more in Sway projects.
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Unsung Hero Projects - Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes

Grades
4 to 12
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The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes celebrates the untold stories of heroes worldwide and throughout history by sharing student-created project-based learning activities. First,...more
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The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes celebrates the untold stories of heroes worldwide and throughout history by sharing student-created project-based learning activities. First, browse through the shared projects page to find stories about lesser-known heroes of civil rights, wars, or STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math). Then, open any project to learn about the featured unsung hero and the storytellers that created the project. In addition to the completed projects, this site shares a project-based learning tool that provides a ten-step tutorial for creating and sharing student projects.

tag(s): american revolution (79), civil rights (182), civil war (127), heroes (20), Project Based Learning (14), STEM (239), vietnam (32), world war 1 (66), world war 2 (140)

In the Classroom

Share this site with students to learn more about the "everyday" people involved with historical events. Consider starting a project-based learning activity for your students. Learn more about project-based learning at the TeachersFirst Special Topics Page devoted to project-based learning, found here. Help students organize resources found in their research using Wakelet, reviewed here. Create Wakelet collections for each project that includes links to articles, videos, and other relevant information to be used in their project. As students prepare to complete their projects, share a storyboard creation tool such as Storyboard Generator, reviewed here, to help plan videos, podcasts, websites, or plays.

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Hamilton Education Program Online - Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Grades
6 to 12
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Hamilton Education Program Online uses digital resources for educators to guide students through research using primary resources to create a performance piece such as a poem or song....more
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Hamilton Education Program Online uses digital resources for educators to guide students through research using primary resources to create a performance piece such as a poem or song. Included is a video welcome from Lin-Manuel Miranda, highlights of past student performances, video clips featuring scenes from the play, and a selection of primary documents that correlate to classroom activities.

tag(s): american revolution (79), poetry (184), songs (44), washington (23)

In the Classroom

Include this resource with your remote learning resources for teaching social studies. Engage students in learning about the founding of the United States through the music and words of Hamilton. Include activities available through this site along with your selected videos, documents, websites, and more to create a complete online lesson using ActivelyLearn, reviewed here. Have students use Canva Edu, reviewed here, to create posters for the play using information learned from the primary sources included with this site. Extend learning even further by challenging students to write a play about the American Revolution using ActiveTextbook, reviewed here, to create an interactive experience with videos, images, and more. For students who prefer drama and music presentations, ask them to share their learning with podcasts using Buzzsprout, reviewed here. Have students create podcasts telling the story as if they were a participant in the revolution and share their stories from different points of view.
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Teaching History with Hamilton - Department of History, Stonehill College

Grades
2 to 12
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Teaching History with Hamilton is a resource for lessons and educational materials based on the musical, Hamilton. Use the dropdown boxes at the top of the page to find support ...more
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Teaching History with Hamilton is a resource for lessons and educational materials based on the musical, Hamilton. Use the dropdown boxes at the top of the page to find support for educators, teens, a kids club, and more. Choose the teachers' portion to find information divided by the age categories of grades K-5, 6-9, 9-12, and college. In addition, this section also includes podcasts, special education tools, Spanish resources, and professional development opportunities. Listen to the original Broadway cast recordings, play games, or read about Hamilton as a teen. The Kids Corner includes coloring pages, crossword puzzles, learning games, and more. Don't forget to check out the other links to find image galleries and much more.

tag(s): 1700s (36), american revolution (79), constitution (85), jefferson (18), washington (23)

In the Classroom

Take advantage of the immensely popular musical, Hamilton, to engage students as they learn about early American History. Include activities found on this site, along with your other resources, on a bookmarking tool such as Symbaloo, reviewed here, for younger students try Padlet, reviewed here. Ask students to share their learning by creating infographics using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here. Examples might include an infographic of Hamilton's life, comparisons between Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson, and Hamilton's influence on creating the two-party system in the United States. Extend learning by providing students options for sharing their perspectives on early American History. Have students who love drama and music use the play as inspiration to write and produce their own short play. Ask another group of students to create an interactive timeline of events using one of the timeline creation tools located here. For students who enjoy computer programming and games, encourage them to use Scratch, reviewed here, to design a game using information from their research and learning activities.
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The 1619 Project Curriculum - Pulitzer Center

Grades
5 to 12
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The 1619 Project Curriculum includes a comprehensive set of teaching materials to bring the 1619 Project into your classroom. The 1619 Project began with a special issue of the New...more
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The 1619 Project Curriculum includes a comprehensive set of teaching materials to bring the 1619 Project into your classroom. The 1619 Project began with a special issue of the New York Times suggesting that United States history begins with the arrival of the first enslaved African Americans in 1619. The curriculum includes lessons for all grades, including a Reading Guide with warm-up questions, discussion ideas, and extension questions correlated to Common Core Standards. Other materials on this site include a lesson plan based on the kids' section of the 1619 Project and an Index of Terms and Historical Events. Additionally, this site offers lesson plans contributed by other educators, and activities to extend student engagement.

tag(s): 1600s (19), american revolution (79), civil war (127), colonial america (95), slavery (66)

In the Classroom

Take advantage of the wide variety of materials included in this curriculum as part of any lessons on slavery, civil war, and early American history. As you introduce the 1619 Project to your students, ask them to work with a partner or in groups to highlight and identify important information. Many of the student materials are available as PDF documents, have students work in groups to highlight important information or information that needs additional clarification. If you work with older students, use a digital annotation tool like Hypothesis, reviewed here, to add and share notes for discussion. As students become familiar with the content found in the 1619 Project, ask them to demonstrate their understanding of the materials through their choice of multi-media tools. Suggestions include asking students to create a newsletter with the arrival date of the first enslaved African-Americans using Smore, reviewed here, or use Preceden, reviewed here, to build and customize a timeline of events featured in the article. Use the information found on the site to extend learning further and help students make real-life connections to the material by asking students to use the information learned to direct and act out different events in history. Consider asking different groups to create a series on ongoing podcasts using Anchor, reviewed here, to tell the story of American history beginning in 1619 and share their podcasts using school social media accounts.
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Race to Ratify - iCivics

Grades
5 to 12
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Can you be a ratification #influencer? That is the goal of this game where players land back in time to the year 1787 and fight to ratify the newly proposed ...more
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Can you be a ratification #influencer? That is the goal of this game where players land back in time to the year 1787 and fight to ratify the newly proposed Constitution using the social media of the time - pamphlets. Select from two different game modes - historical and free play. Talk with friends and dissenters as you travel across the 13 states to hear different opinions and attempt to influence others to your point of view. Earn tokens along the way to use in interviews and pamphlets. Although login and registration are available on the site, they aren't necessary to play the game. The educator login gives access to the extension pack that provides additional context and materials for using the game in classrooms.

tag(s): 1700s (36), american revolution (79), branches of government (59), colonial america (95), constitution (85), game based learning (167)

In the Classroom

Demonstrate the basic concepts of the challenge on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then allow students to play on their own on the whiteboard or classroom computers, keeping a log of their actions and results. Enhance learning by having students share interactions from the game in comic form using ToonyTool, reviewed here. Ask students to use ToonyTool to create a conversation with the game's character trying to persuade an anti-Federalist or another opponent on the virtues of the Constitution. Use the game as inspiration for students to extend their learning by creating their own history game using Scratch, reviewed here. For ideas and inspiration, use the search feature in Scratch to find examples of history games created by other users.

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Essential Questions in Teaching American History - Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History & John McNamara

Grades
7 to 12
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This document contains 163 essential questions for guiding instruction in American History. Question topics range from broad concepts like "Do political parties serve the public interest...more
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This document contains 163 essential questions for guiding instruction in American History. Question topics range from broad concepts like "Do political parties serve the public interest and further the cause of democracy?" to more focused topics such as " Was the Great Depression inevitable?" Be sure to check out the related site content included on the page to find other information available on the Gilder Lehrman Institute website.

tag(s): 1800s (65), 1900s (59), american revolution (79), civil rights (182), civil war (127), cold war (27), constitution (85), elections (77), great depression (27), russia (33), terrorism (41), world war 1 (66), world war 2 (140)

In the Classroom

Although it appears simple, this document is an excellent resource to bookmark for anyone who teaches American History. Print and save this document to focus on essential questions as you plan your lessons. Consider using an online platform like Actively Learn , reviewed here, to find and share quality lessons and learning activities with your students as they relate to these essential questions. To enhance learning and classroom technology, ask students to respond to questions found on this list by creating a website using Jimdo, reviewed here, and include their response along with supporting material including documents, videos, and more. Ask individual students or groups to modify technology use by creating a timeline of events using Timeline JS, reviewed here, to visualize and document events based on the essential questions. For example, if answering "Was the Great Depression inevitable?" ask students to build a timeline including important causes including World War 1, bank failures, the Dust Bowl, and more to demonstrate the many causes of the Great Depression.
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Be Washington - George Washington's Mount Vernon

Grades
6 to 12
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How would you deal with the challenges faced by George Washington? Try your hand either as a single player or join a multi-player game. Another option allows you to host ...more
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How would you deal with the challenges faced by George Washington? Try your hand either as a single player or join a multi-player game. Another option allows you to host a multiplayer game. Choose from four scenarios to begin play. Play starts with a video reenactment of the crisis faced and a short explanation of the situation. Players face options to interact with advisors offering different opinions then provide a rating of agreement with their conclusion. After making your choice, find out how George Washington responded. This site also includes lesson plans for some of the scenarios with more being added. Find the lesson plans by selecting the question mark on the home screen before starting the game.

tag(s): american revolution (79), presidents (116), washington (23), white house (15)

In the Classroom

Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce your unit on the American Revolution. Follow the instructions to create a multiplayer game for your classroom using small groups. Instead of written reports, extend student learning by asking students to research the different points of view provided by advisors within the game. Then modify learning by having them create a website either individually or in small groups using Carrd, reviewed here, to share information backing up their final decision within the game including links to research sites and their supporting writing activities. As a class project, use student research to modify learning and create an interactive book using Book Creator, reviewed here. Have students enhance their learning by using Be Washington as a model to create podcasts using Anchor, reviewed here, to reenact the challenges faced by George Washington.

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Project Look Sharp - Project Look Sharp, Ithaca College

Grades
K to 12
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Project Look Sharp promotes media literacy education and critical thinking skills through the offering of curriculum kits for classrooms in grades K-12; to find the kits click the Free...more
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Project Look Sharp promotes media literacy education and critical thinking skills through the offering of curriculum kits for classrooms in grades K-12; to find the kits click the Free Classroom Materials button. The free kits include teacher guides, handouts, assessments, and correlating digital media. Browse through all available kits, or filter by grade level or Common Core Standard. Each kit is available for download in its entirety or download individual lessons as desired; registration is required. Lesson contents cover a variety of topics including Global Warming, Presidential Campaigns, and Social Justice. Be sure to look through other sections of the site including professional development information and links to handouts from Project Look Sharp's presentations.

tag(s): american revolution (79), climate change (82), critical thinking (105), environment (230), martin luther king (41), media literacy (93), middle east (43), nutrition (131), OER (43), presidents (116), russia (33), social media (47)

In the Classroom

Become acquainted with these free curriculum kits and lessons to integrate media literacy within content already taught in the classroom. As you teach lessons found on the site, incorporate technology to enhance learning and build student understanding by using Word Ahead, reviewed here, or WordSift, reviewed here, to introduce and develop vocabulary as a prereading strategy or older students can use either as they are reading. Incorporate images with annotations to help students understand "big picture" ideas using Image Annotator, reviewed here. For younger students create a Image Annotator as a class to add text, video, and more to images. Ask older students to create their own Image Annotator sharing information learned throughout your lessons. Be sure to share all of your images on your class website for students to view at any time. To transform classroom technology use and as a culminating activity, use a digital book creation tool like Book Creator, reviewed here, as an alternative assessment to quizzes or tests. Include student-created writing, Annotated images, and add videos with student commentary within each book. Be sure to provide students with your rubric to use as a guide before turning in digital books. Find many ideas for implementing rubrics for assessment along with examples and online tools at TeachersFirst Rubrics to the Rescue, reviewed here. Whether students work individually or in groups, be sure to share your new digital library related to your lesson topic with students to review and revisit at any time!
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Mr. Moore's Classroom - Matt Moore

Grades
9 to 12
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Mr. Moore's Classroom shares resources used in his social studies courses which include AP US History, Debate, and World History. Each content area includes a course syllabus, learning...more
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Mr. Moore's Classroom shares resources used in his social studies courses which include AP US History, Debate, and World History. Each content area includes a course syllabus, learning calendars, and information by unit. Some sections include more information and activities than others. Choose the Presentations link to find links to videos, Prezi presentations, and interactive games and simulations. If your district blocks YouTube, then the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): 1700s (36), 1800s (65), 1900s (59), 20th century (50), advanced placement (24), american revolution (79), aztecs (9), civil rights (182), civil war (127), debate (38), industrial revolution (20), industrialization (11), speech (67), world war 1 (66), world war 2 (140)

In the Classroom

Bookmark and save Mr. Moore's Classroom as a supplement to your current social studies teaching materials. Find new ideas for Debate Team. Take advantage of the free materials and planning information offered on this site. Share this site with colleagues.

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TomRichey.net - Tom Richey

Grades
6 to 12
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Over the years Tom Richey has taught several different history courses. His site shares many of his teaching materials. Choose the Courses drop-down box to go directly to different...more
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Over the years Tom Richey has taught several different history courses. His site shares many of his teaching materials. Choose the Courses drop-down box to go directly to different courses including AP History, AP European History, Modern World History, and more. Each course includes assignment information, primary sources, videos, and all information needed to set up a curriculum. Click on the PowerPoint selection to find a large variety of PowerPoint presentations for free download. Other links lead to review guides, video lectures, and flashcards. Be sure to check out this site when you have lots of time to explore the many resources included! If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.
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tag(s): advanced placement (24), american revolution (79), colonial america (95), europe (73), greece (26), israel (14), medieval (29), native americans (85), primary sources (106), renaissance (32), romans (33)

In the Classroom

Tom Richey has put together an excellent resource for any secondary level history teacher. Take advantage of the many free materials to supplement your current curriculum. Share a link to videos and review information on your class web page for student use at home or view together on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Be sure to share with students as they prepare for AP exams.
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Highlighting Our History: American Revolution Read-alouds PLUS for the Common Core - TeachersFirst

Grades
K to 6
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This "Read-alouds PLUS" article will show you how you can infuse social studies content, specifically the Revolutionary Period, using the power of daily read-alouds. Practice Common...more
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This "Read-alouds PLUS" article will show you how you can infuse social studies content, specifically the Revolutionary Period, using the power of daily read-alouds. Practice Common Core Standards for the English Language Arts while helping your students understand our history and heritage. If you fear that social studies has taken a back seat to tested content, be sure to share this collection with your students. The article includes book suggestions as well as discussion questions and writing activities connected to CCSS Standards. Don't miss our other articles on implementing Common Core in elementary. Some of the book selections may not be ones that your students can read on their own, but they will work well as read-alouds in your social students curriculum.

tag(s): american revolution (79), book lists (143), commoncore (79), writing prompts (56)

In the Classroom

Mark this article in your Favorites and take the book suggestions with you to the school library (or search for interlibrary loans). Consider using this as part of a "Then and Now" or "Past and Present" focus in kindergarten or first grade, or with middle elementary students as part of a unit related to the Revolutionary War. Take a look at the suggestions for connecting the read-alouds to CCSS-aligned writing prompts or for short, focused research projects to include as follow-up.

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Totally History - totallyhistory.com

Grades
4 to 12
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Totally History offers a brief overview on many historical events and topics. Choose from categories including art history, U.S. history, world history, famous history, and the history...more
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Totally History offers a brief overview on many historical events and topics. Choose from categories including art history, U.S. history, world history, famous history, and the history of technology. Within each topic, find facts and a several paragraph overview of the content.
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tag(s): american revolution (79), art history (79), civil war (127), presidents (116), religions (69), vietnam (32), world war 1 (66), world war 2 (140)

In the Classroom

Totally History offers a starting point to find basic facts and information on many topics. Use material from the site to introduce any topic such as presidents or events in World or American History. Share with students to use as a resource for classroom projects and reports. Have students create timelines using Timeline JS, reviewed here. Timeline JS also offers the option to upload and add photos, videos, audio, Tweets, and Google Maps making it interactive. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a president or any person or event in history.

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CurriConnects Book List - Colonial America and the Revolution - TeachersFirst

Grades
1 to 12
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All history can seem "ancient" unless you connect to it personally. Understand the American colonies and American Revolution by choosing a book to help you connect with the times. This...more
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All history can seem "ancient" unless you connect to it personally. Understand the American colonies and American Revolution by choosing a book to help you connect with the times. This list includes fiction and nonfiction books about life in the American colonies and during the American Revolution as well as books about leaders and major locations of this historic period. CurriConnects thematic book lists include ISBN numbers for ordering or searching, interest grade levels, ESL levels and Lexiles'''''''® to match student independent reading levels to challenge, not frustrate. For more on text complexity and Lexiles''''''®, see this information from the Lexile Framework. Don't miss other CurriConnects themes being added regularly. If your library does not have the books, try interlibrary loan!

tag(s): american revolution (79), book lists (143), colonial america (95), independent reading (81)

In the Classroom

Make history more real during your unit on Colonial America and/or the Revolution. Have students choose a book from this list and present their impressions from it in the form of a blog post from the times. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Tumblr, reviewed here. Collect the links to all the student posts on your class web page for students to browse and gather a "human" experience of history.

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History Labs - A Guided Approach to Historical Inquiry in the K-12 Classroom - UMBC Center for History Education

Grades
5 to 12
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The Center for History Education offers this resource to teach a variety of topics in American History via an inquiry approach. Use the Resources Timeline to search by Eras (from ...more
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The Center for History Education offers this resource to teach a variety of topics in American History via an inquiry approach. Use the Resources Timeline to search by Eras (from beginnings to 1620 through 1968 to today); sample topics include Native Americans, Colonization, Civil Rights, Slavery, the American Revolution, and many more. All labs include central questions, source materials, and step by step explanations to implement the lab. The approach is well suited to social studies literacy standards of Common Core, as students explore and evaluate sources (informational texts) and eventually "Develop, present, defend, and refine their evidence-based answers." Choose from History Labs or Lesson Plans to find resources then scroll through the dates to view available materials. Use links to print materials in PDF format. Although the site title indicates materials for all levels of students, most resources are geared toward middle and high school grades. Some of the videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): african american (105), american revolution (79), civil rights (182), civil war (127), colonial america (95), colonization (19), great depression (27), iran (8), jefferson (18), kennedy (19), native americans (85), roosevelt (11), slavery (66), washington (23), womens suffrage (36), world war 2 (140)

In the Classroom

Bookmark and save this site for use with any American History topic as a complete lesson or to offer another angle on current lessons. Enhance learning by having students create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Venngage reviewed here. Before beginning a unit, have students brainstorm or collect ideas on a collaborative bulletin board like Scrumblr, reviewed here (quick start- no membership required!).
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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Revolutionary War Animated Maps - American Battlefield Trust

Grades
6 to 12
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Find animated online tours of notable battles and strategies and the outcomes of each battle from Prelude to War through The Battle of Yorktown. Choose from dates and...more
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Find animated online tours of notable battles and strategies and the outcomes of each battle from Prelude to War through The Battle of Yorktown. Choose from dates and battles included on the list at the bottom of the page to begin each animation. View instructions for each animation. Some require pushing play for each slide while others play to the end with one click of play. The animated online tours now reside on YouTube. If your district blocka YouTube, they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): 1700s (36), american revolution (79), map skills (56), maps (207)

In the Classroom

Illustrate Revolutionary War battles on an interactive whiteboard or projector during a lecture or class discussion. This site might also be useful as a link students can explore from home as part of a homework assignment or enrichment activity. Have students research this site and other information about their "battle" and create a multimedia project. How about enhancing learning with a "talking map" indicating where a battle took place with audio recordings? Use a tool such as Zeemaps, reviewed here, to create a map of local landforms (with audio stories and pictures included)! Extend learning for your group of talented future animators by challenging them to envision similar animations for battles that are not already included, and use Animatron, reviewed here, to create and share them with you and their peers.

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U. S. History Images - Karen J. Hatzigeorgiou

Grades
7 to 12
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U.S. History Images is a large site of Public Domain images beginning with Native Americans up to the Civil War. Choose from categories offered to locate images within the different...more
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U.S. History Images is a large site of Public Domain images beginning with Native Americans up to the Civil War. Choose from categories offered to locate images within the different choices. For specific searches, use the search bar or site map to locate content. Be sure to view the Terms of Use for understanding of proper use of images.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): 1800s (65), american revolution (79), civil war (127), colonial america (95), colonization (19), emancipation proclamation (8), images (252), industrial revolution (20), industrialization (11), lincoln (56), native americans (85), pioneers (8), states (120), transportation (32), washington (23)

In the Classroom

Bookmark and save this site to share during classroom lessons on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Share with students as a place to explore and to "get the picture" of early events in American History. As an alternative a traditional report and to enhance learning, create a newspaper using a site such as Printing Press, reviewed here, to report on Civil War events. This site is a wonderful source for students to find raw materials for multimedia projects in general. Be sure to provide a mini lesson on how to cite their image sources!

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America in Class - The National Humanities Center

Grades
5 to 12
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Discover American History lessons correlated to Common Core reading and social studies literacy standards, especially those that require close reading and evidence. The goal of these...more
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Discover American History lessons correlated to Common Core reading and social studies literacy standards, especially those that require close reading and evidence. The goal of these lessons is to use primary resources, background information, and the analytical strategies suggested to meet the Common Core standards. In addition to these outstanding American History lessons, also find free online seminars and secondary sources. The secondary sources, under TeacherServe, include essays on topics in American literature and history.

tag(s): abolition (7), american revolution (79), civil war (127), colonial america (95), colonization (19), democracy (19), native americans (85), primary sources (106), religions (69), slavery (66), women (112)

In the Classroom

Use your interactive whiteboard or projector to help your class learn the background information and read the material through once. Work through the lesson together; then consider assigning groups of four students to go through the readings again, discovering the answers to the essential questions. Have students post the group's answers on a back channel chat program such as YoTeach!, reviewed here, so all groups can see all answers. Where answers differ, have students go back into the reading and cite evidence to support their answer on Today's Meet for all to see.

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Reading Like a Historian - Stanford History Education Group

Grades
6 to 12
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The Reading Like a Historian curriculum engages you in historical inquiry. Each of the 130 lessons revolves around a central historical question. Each lesson features sets of...more
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The Reading Like a Historian curriculum engages you in historical inquiry. Each of the 130 lessons revolves around a central historical question. Each lesson features sets of primary documents modified for groups of students with diverse reading skills and abilities. This curriculum teaches students how to investigate historical questions employing reading strategies such as sourcing, contextualizing, corroborating, and more. Instead of memorizing historical facts, students evaluate the trustworthiness of multiple perspectives on issues from King Philip's War to the Montgomery Bus Boycott (and more). Next, they make historical claims backed by documentary evidence. Choose from the units menu to find lessons divided into 12 units: introduction through the Cold War Culture/Civil Rights. Read a short overview, then choose from the list of included lessons. Most lessons are in PDF format and may include PowerPoint presentations with additional images and/or maps to use with the lesson.

tag(s): american revolution (79), civil rights (182), civil war (127), cold war (27), colonial america (95), colonization (19), emancipation proclamation (8), new deal (5), reading strategies (87), slavery (66), world war 1 (66), world war 2 (140)

In the Classroom

Bookmark and save this site as a resource for American history lessons throughout the year. The final segment of each lesson, the "Central Historical Question," has been noted as the most important part. If you don't have time for the full lesson, incorporate the historical question into your lesson plans as part of your classroom discussion, or journal activities. Perhaps you can use it as an essential question for your unit. Challenge students to create a talking avatar using a photo or other image (legally permitted to be reproduced). The avatars can be used to explain the central historical question. Use a site such as Blabberize, reviewed here.
 This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.

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Docs Teach - The National Archives

Grades
6 to 12
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Explore collections of primary documents from US History enhanced with tools for teaching. This site adds the ability to manipulate primary documents to build informative and challenging...more
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Explore collections of primary documents from US History enhanced with tools for teaching. This site adds the ability to manipulate primary documents to build informative and challenging lessons. While a few of the documents and lessons are available for the casual visitor to the site, you need to register (and it's free!) in order to make full use of the amazing resources here. Once you have registered, you can access all the documents and use the activity builder to create lessons which use primary documents to teach sequencing, mapping, weighing evidence, interpreting data, and seeing the big picture. Please note that you do not HAVE to create anything, you can simply use what is already here. (And they do already have a lot to offer.) You will need to create a project if you want to package an activity that you can use now and again later.

tag(s): american revolution (79), civil war (127), digital storytelling (137), great depression (27), industrial revolution (20), primary sources (106), Teacher Utilities (134), westward expansion (36), world war 1 (66), world war 2 (140)

In the Classroom

If you teach history or social studies, you know what a great emphasis is being placed on the use of primary documents in helping students develop an awareness of the perspectives of those who lived during a particular era. Use this site to develop sophisticated lessons using primary documents on US History with the activity builder. Use the ready-made activities (the majority of which are available once you've registered), on an interactive whiteboard or projector for the whole class or assign groups of students to work independently at a computer workstation or at home. These activities encourage higher order thinking among students rather than simply the memorization of facts.

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