This resource is a nonfiction, Common Core aligned reading passage with textual analysis questions about main idea, characterization, and supporting details.

This lesson plan has students do research on the myths surrounding Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. They will engage in reading, writing, and research activities that will have them learn skills in distinguishing truth from fiction as well as developing a deeper understanding about an important American historical document. Links to suggested sites for students to do their research on the myths are provided in the lesson.

In this Random House for High School Teachers reader's guide, indepth discussion questions guide students through exploration of The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, by Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs. Students will explore both primary source narratives, which provide unparalleled accounts of the dehumanizing effects of slavery.

In this lesson, students discuss the meaning of “A More Perfect Union,” a speech about race made by then-Senator Barack Obama, during the 2008 Democratic primary campaign. Students will also examine and assess how textbooks position groups differently in our national historical narrative — and how this positioning affects our understanding of ourselves.

A USA Today Education informational article on new American citizenship exam questions with included reources/ worksheets for students.

Students will understand the New Deal, its programs, goals, and in particular students will evaluate the success of the New Deal in preserving a market economy.

In this lesson, students read primary and secondary source documents about the Supreme Court case New York Times v. The United States and freedom of the press. Students then answer analysis questions about the case. There is a teacher answer key included in the lesson.

A USA Today Education informational article on Joe Montana's 16 principles for success with included reources/ worksheets for students.

Students will examine the wording of the Tariff of 1828 to discover how the tariff affected the economies of the North and the South. They will look at John C. Calhoun?s Exposition and Protest, Andrew Jackson's Nullification Proclamation and Daniel Webster's 1830 speech.

This page contains background information, teaching strategies, ways to draw connections to other writers, and discussion questions and writing prompts based on Equiano's work and the time period.

In this lesson, students will be determining the central idea of a text about the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. They will also examine how quotes help to develop a central idea. Next, they will be writing an objective summary. Students will then research information from NASA about becoming an astronaut, as well as quotes that support why someone should become an astronaut. Finally, students will plan and write an argumentative essay about why someone should apply to become an astronaut using claims, evidence, and commentary. 

Since the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, Soviet leaders had been claiming that communism and capitalism could never peacefully coexist. Agreements regarding the postwar world were reached at Yalta and Potsdam, but the Soviets wasted no time in violating them. Harry Truman believed that the proper means of responding to an international bully was a credible threat of force.

Students explore the two worlds that made contact when Columbus stepped ashore in the New World in 1492. The goals of this lesson are to gain an understanding of the forces within European society that found expression in the voyage of Christopher Columbus, to examine the cultures of those whom Columbus and his successors encountered in the New World, to analyze the degree to which cultural expectations shaped the encounter experience for Columbus, and to reconstruct the encounter experience for those who saw Columbus sail into their world.

In this lesson, students read primary and secondary source documents about the Supreme Court case Owasso v. Falvo and the 10th amendment. Students then answer analysis questions about the case. There is a teacher answer key included in the lesson.

The Paragraph Shrinking strategy allows each student to take turns reading, pausing, and summarizing the main points of each paragraph. Students provide each other with feedback as a way to monitor comprehension.

This lesson is designed to assist students with improving their use of punctuation to include: commas, semicolons, colons, and exclamation points. The lesson is designed to encourage students to focus on emotions and their connections with given forms of punctuation. By examining emotions, students gain the ability to better understand the different uses of various punctuation marks. The lesson includes multiple student handouts and examples. There are also pertinent extension activities attached.

Combining the study of history and literature, the goal of these activities is to guide students in a self-directed exploration of how Cather's novel interprets and represents the values of fortitude, hard work, and faithfulness that we associate with pioneer life.

In this resource, students will learn how to organize their information into a research plan, using a checklist and guidelines.

In this lesson, students read primary and secondary source documents about the Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson about equal protection and the 14th amendment. Students then answer an advanced placement style document based question. There is a teacher answer key at the end of the lesson.