U.S. Civil War, States Rights, and Slavery

A recent article in the Washington Post titled "Texas Officials: Schools should teach that slavery was 'side issue to Civil......

George Washington's Legacy - Not What People Think

2016 has been an acrimonious year election-wise in the United States and I've noticed a trend in this particular election......

Spanish American War Timeline Using Primary Sources

Our newest lesson covers the "splendid little war" known as the Spanish American War. Although brief, this war is essential......

"Uncle Wiggle Wings - The Candy Bomber " Berlin Airlift & Communism Story

This lighthearted, heartwarming true story tells of American Air Force pilot Gail Halvorsen who flew supplies over Germany......

American Imperialism: World Leader or Bully?

This downloadable worksheet combines several layers of Bloom's Taxonomy, including comprehension, analysis, and critical......

Turning Paper Boxes into Picket Signs - Strikes & Labor Lesson Plan

In this creative cooperative learning activity, students create picket signs from old paper boxes that tell the story of......

Last Japanese Soldier to Surrender in World War II

One of my favorite stories from history is that of Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese intelligence officer in World War II who was......

World War II Keynote Presentation

Although I use my school/work computer for most lessons in the classroom, sometimes I want to create a more visually dynamic......

Gilded Age Robber Barons

One topic from US History that has a particular resonance to today is the Gilded Age. The disparity between rich and poor......

Stetson Kennedy Vs. the KKK

I read the great book Freakonomics a few years ago and found that a lot of it would be great to use in the classroom. One......

Civil War Wanted Poster & Plaque

My classes are currently starting the Civil War and some students have had a difficult time seeing two "different Americas"......

Animated Battle of Antietam Map

The Civil War Preservation trust has a lot of incredible resources for helping teachers cover the Civil War. This includes iPad,......

American History Vocabulary Football League

One of the most important parts of teaching history is helping students to learn vocabulary. However, many of my students......

Essential Knowledge of the Civil War

Many of my high school students have limited English proficiency and lack the background knowledge that comes with attending......

World War II Service Plaques for Navajo Code Talkers, Tuskegee Airmen, Rosie the Riveter, & Nisei Soldiers

This downloadable creative, fun activity for World and American History classes has students reading short, one page stories......

100 Warm Ups from US History

One of the best classroom management strategies I have found is to have a warm up activity ready for students immediately......

Video on the American Revolution

This was the 2nd video Students of History produced and features 3 more high school students explaining essential state and Common Core Standards in American History. This episode focuses on the American Revolution - why it happened, key events, and the results. Again, it was written and narrated entirely by students - in a way the "flipped classroom" model, but in a more fully developed way.

Enjoy!