Vanlightenment

This activity is great for getting your students ready to cover material, engaging them in the subject, and encouraging them to empathize with history! It is designed to do two things at the start of your US History class: Help students practice classroom and group expectations and allow for them to use inductive learning as you introduce them to the colonization of the Americas. It's excellent for classes whose standards begin with Colonial America but do not explicitly cover exploration and i

It's time to bring the American Revolution to life with everyone's bestie, Hamilton! If you're ready to turn your classroom into a Broadway-meets-History mashup, Revolutionary History through Hamilton allows students to analyze key moments of the American Revolution using songs from the hit musical. Instead of another boring lecture on battles and alliances (we think it's fascinating, but they're already drooling in their sleep), your students will be rapping about Lafayette, laughing and King

Use this fun "Legends of the Hidden Temple" inspired Scavenger Hunt to teach your students about the Olmec Civilization! What You'll Get:Slides to show students that explains the activity.A copy of Scavenger Hunt Questions with an answer key - these can be found in the "INSTRUCTIONS" google doc in the file. I know sometimes I skip over instructions and someone reviewed this product saying the questions weren't there. Not her fault at all and I want to make sure anyone purchasing doesn't feel li

My students recently completed a unit on Cultural Geography. I decided to give them control of their learning, so each day we had a mini-lesson on an element that we needed to cover, like religion or customs. Once we learned the big picture, they got to take charge and research that element relating to a culture of their choice. Once they finished researching, they constructed an exhibit for an International Festival that we held for all my classes. It was done gallery-walk style and students go

In this activity, students will engage in a CSI-style investigation to determine who was at fault for the Boston Massacre: the British troops or the Colonists! The resource you'll get is 17 pages and includes an introductory page, basic summary of what occurred at the start of the Boston Massacre, 6 primary source excerpts from people present at the event along with 6 pictures to go along with them as "evidence markers", Paul Revere's "The Bloody Massacre Perpetrated in King Street" engraving, a

Students will learn about the French & Indian War through three sources: Benjamin Franklin's Join or Die CartoonAn excerpt from a letter written by George Washington to his mother after the Battle of MonongahelaA comparison of a pre-war and post-war mapEach source includes 3 questions to help guide students as they analyze the sources and their meanings.

Worksheet activity for your students to help them understand the connections between the Enlightenment and the Declaration of Independence. Includes brief reading about Enlightenment thinkers and what they believed.Students will be given four Enlightenment ideas that Thomas Jefferson integrated into the Declaration of Independence and asked to read the Preamble and determine which passages reflect those ideas. Can be used in either a U.S. History or American Government course.

The intention of this lesson is for it to take place over four 45-minute class sessions, but of course you can use the resource however you like! Students will learn about each of the four major river valley civilizations: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, and China. I've provided a lesson plan with day-by-day Opening, Lesson, Work Session, and Closing that includes all links and documents you'll need to teach for four days with very little prep! As a matter of fact, the only prep you'll need to

When you buy this set of slides, you'll be directed to a folder in Google Drive where there's a Google Document that links my Canva Design Template for the slides. You'll be able to make a copy for yourself, and since you get to keep the link you will also be able to access any changes that I make to them in the future! These slides include the standards as Learning Targets and sub-standards as Success Criteria but of course you can personalize if you're not a fan of that method. There are a few

The ultimate student choice project that they might accidentally enjoy!If you can't stand the thought of reading another "5-paragraph essay about the causes of the Civil War" and your students can't stand the thought of writing one, look no further, because the Playlist Choice Board Project is here to save your sanity and give your students some creative freedom without sacrificing content. In this project, students build their own custom "Playlist" of tasks using a choice board of 36 different

You can use this Pocahontas themed activity in a few different ways - stations, a collaborative effort as you move through slides, etc. but the long and short of what you'll get is something that will help students forge a connection between history and today using a popular film. It's designed to engage students and make them question not only what they think they know about the Pocahontas story, but also the way they obtain the information that they believe. Most if not all of your students

This can be used in several ways. You can use it to supplement your own lesson as a stations activity or simply use it as your lesson! It includes information about Bacon's Rebellion, a timeline, the consequences of the rebellion long-term, and some secondary analysis at the end. It's got everything you need to effectively teach the how and why of Bacon's Rebellion, as well as the direct connection to our world today! What exactly is included?A summary of Bacon's RebellionDescriptions of the ke

This stations activity will definitely be a hit in your classroom! Why? I've got one word for you: Zombies. You'll love it because it includes a timeline that can be used as a mini-lesson and several stations for your students to investigate some of the theories that surround what happened to the mysterious Lost Colony of Roanoke. They'll love it because these actual theories involve alien abductions and zombies! My intention when creating this resource was to provide a short opener to the Ame

My students recently completed a unit on Cultural Geography. I decided to give them control of their learning, so each day we had a mini-lesson on an element that we needed to cover, like religion or customs. Once we learned the big picture, they got to take charge and research that element relating to a culture of their choice. Once they finished researching, they constructed an exhibit for an International Festival that we held for all my classes. It was done gallery-walk style and students go

My students recently completed a unit on Cultural Geography. I decided to give them control of their learning, so each day we had a mini-lesson on an element that we needed to cover, like religion or customs. Once we learned the big picture, they got to take charge and research that element relating to a culture of their choice. Once they finished researching, they constructed an exhibit for an International Festival that we held for all my classes. It was done gallery-walk style and students go

This Historical Account Icebreaker is a great resource that will do two things at once: Introduce your history students to important terminology they'll need to know in class including the thesis statement, key terms, historical figures, primary sources, secondary sources, and timelines.Give your students a way that isn't a "fun fact" to introduce themselves to you and the rest of the class.The activity is low-pressure because they'll work on it by themselves and prepare before they share their

This investigation activity is intended to spark critical thinking and analysis from your students on as simple or complex a level as you want it to! Now obviously you don't have to go with my hokey name of "DeLorean Detectives" if you don't want to but let's be honest. You should. It's a cool name, and I'm going to be making and uploading a series of them for the upcoming school year! Kids (even my high schoolers!) love a good roleplay or investigation. They get invested and excited, which is

My students recently completed a unit on Cultural Geography. I decided to give them control of their learning, so each day we had a mini-lesson on an element that we needed to cover, like religion or customs. Once we learned the big picture, they got to take charge and research that element relating to a culture of their choice. Once they finished researching, they constructed an exhibit for an International Festival that we held for all my classes. It was done gallery-walk style and students go

Make history come alive this Valentine’s Day with this set of 7 unique, history-themed cards! Perfect for history teachers, students, or history enthusiasts, these cards combine clever historical references, beautiful designs, and fun wordplay to celebrate love and learning. With designs inspired by both U.S. and World history, this versatile set is a creative way to bring history into your holiday celebration. Use them as classroom rewards, bulletin board decorations, or thoughtful notes for yo

This Social Studies themed slides pack is perfect for use throughout your entire class period- just use it as a template for your daily slides and save yourself a ton of work! It includes an intro slide with learning target, success criteria, bellringer, and materials; a slide for key concepts (which can be used as an activator); a slide for your lesson; a work session slide with timer; and an exit ticket slide.