McEasy Lessons

Teach the Great Depression and some macroeconomics in 5-6 (90-minute) class periods. Bundle includes a stock market simulator, lecture notes with note catcher, creative writing activity, and a group research project.

A video worksheet for the PBS video: "The Dictator's Playbook: Mussolini". This video will make your WWII unit feel VERY TIMELY! (Video not included).

A 2-Page Video worksheet for the PBS video from NOVA: D-Day 360. Excellent video that covers D-Day from a logistical and scientific viewpoint. Enjoy a day in class!

This is a video worksheet for the PBS American Experience Episode "Victory in the Pacific". The video (obviously, not included) is a perfect way to teach the entire Pacific war in 90-minutes. Show the kids a video - and get some grading done!

This is a worksheet that compliments the "In the Age of AI" documentary from PBS Frontline. The video is free to stream online (But you should really throw PBS a few bucks...for all they do for us!). Great lesson plan for when you are sick and just need to send something to the sub to keep the kiddos engaged. Get well soon! :-)

A 90-minute lecture on the Kennedy years starting with the 1960 election through the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis. (I usually show the movie "Thirteen Days" after this lecture.) Includes fill-in-the-blank notes.

Includes - Cold War Begins Lecture, U-2 Sky Wars Reading, Document Activity for McCarthyism, Korean War Lecture, and 2 Movie Guides (Bridge of Spies and Good Night Good Luck)! This is 2-3 WEEKS of materials - if you only show one movie! This will keep you sane until you reach SPRING BREAK!

This movie worksheet compliments the film: "The Experimenter: The Stanley Milgram Story". This movie works great in IB Psychology for Sociocultural Psychology. Great Sub Day Lesson plan!

Movie Guide for the Bryan Cranston HBO Film - ALL THE WAY! This movie is EXCELLENT for teaching the Civil Rights Movement, LBJ, and even how a bill becomes law. Contains disclaimer about the strong language in the film to CYA. (While I personally have used this movie in class...I strongly suggest that you watch the film before using it...and have tenure.) Enjoy!

This PowerPoint guided Industrialization Unit is meant to be spread over 5-7 days of instructional Blocks (Activities in Parenthesis): Day 1 – Introduction Lecture (Assign Industrialization Chapter from text) Day 2 – Jim Crow Lecture short – (Working Conditions Activity) Day 3 – Gilded Age, Labor Unions (Few Wealthy People), (Issues of Labor and Capitol), (Assign Urbanization Chapter from Text) Day 4 – Immigration, nativism (Immigration Game) Day 5 – Urbanization and Populism (Cities Video) I ta

A simple worksheet to compliment the 2003 movie "The Fog of War - Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara". This is an excellent movie to go with your Vietnam War unit - or the cold war - or to end a yearlong U.S. History course.

One 90-minute block Jigsaw Activity. Students look up answers online and then work in groups to teach each other key figures and events of the Civil Rights Movement. Ends with higher-level thinking questions for groups or class discussions.

2 Page Worksheet for the 2005 George Clooney Movie "Good Night and Good Luck". Great film for Cold War U.S. History Units! Covers McCarthyism. Hand out the worksheet - press play - and get some grading done!

This is a 100% sure-fire winner! The Stock Market Game simulates the American Stock Market from 1928-1932. I use this game at the end of my 1920s unit and after the crash declare "Welcome to the Great Depression!!" This game gives students firsthand experience with the business cycle and can be used to teach other economic concepts later in the Great Depression. Takes 90-minutes and my students often declare it to be the most fun day of the year! The PowerPoint will walk you through the

This is a HEAVILY scaffolded version of the classic 1988 AP Atomic Bomb DBQ. It walks students through evaluating evidence and mapping out an essay. This is great for a non-AP class to introduce them to how to complete a DBQ.

2-3 day unit on Source Analysis. #1 - Fully editable PowerPoint lecture with guided notes. Outlines why Source Analysis is important and the terminology for discussing sources. #2 - Shot Heard Around the World activity - students analyze primary and secondary sources to try and determine who fired first in the American Revolution. I start every US History course with these lessons. Enjoy!

This 1920s Mini Unit contains 4 items: #1: A PowerPoint lecture that describes the Political, Intellectual, Economic, and Social aspects of the 1920s. #2: Scaffolded notes to accompany the lecture. #3: A writing activity where students use slang terms from the 1920s. #4: A movie worksheet for the classic film "Inherit the Wind". (The film is about the scopes monkey trial) ...for when you are sick...or just sick of working! #1-3 typically take me about 3 90-minute blocks to complete. A less ver

Activity where students write a fictional story based upon photographs from the Great Depression. Includes rubric for easy grading. 33 photos to inspire student writing. PowerPoint and Word files are easily edited to customize the lesson for your students. This lesson usually fills one 90-minute block.

Movie Worksheet for the Kevin Costner film "Thirteen Days". Hit pause a few times and this movie will take you three 90-minute class periods to complete. The perfect week-before-spring-break film!! And it's GOOD! I also have a "Kennedy Years" lecture that sets up the film perfectly! Enjoy!

Lecture notes on the cold war starting with the Potsdam Conference. Includes instructions for an in-class game simulating McCarthyism. Also includes scaffolded fill-in-the-blank note catcher.