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Interactive maps and charts about a variety of aspects of the United States, including the electoral college, etc.

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Interactive maps and charts about a variety of aspects of the United States, including Westward Expansion, US presidencies, etc.

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Week-long Constitutional Workshop for Educators - Sandra Day O'Connor Institute

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This unique opportunity for 6th-12th grade educators will deepen your understanding of the U.S. Constitution and its historical context.

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Federal Judicial Center Summer Institute

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Federal Judicial Center Summer Institute

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Join us in Washington, DC for this unique teachers' professional development using great federal trials as a lens to explore the judiciary, rule of law, and US Constitution throughout American history. During Summer 2024, we will explore US v. the Amistad, US v. Guiteau, and the Rosenbergs trial.

When: June 24-28, 2024

Where: Washington, DC (travel and lodging costs included)

Email catherine.hawke@americanbar.org for any questions.

Application Deadline: March 1, 2024

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Federal Judicial Center Summer Teachers Institute - ABA Teacher's Portal

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Join us in Washington, DC for this unique teachers' professional development using great federal trials as a lens to explore the judiciary, rule of law, and US Constitution throughout American history. During Summer 2024, we will explore US v. the Amistad, US v. Guiteau, and the Rosenbergs trial.

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Lesson plans and materials to teach students to be wise consumers of information.

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Free lessons and assessments that help you teach students to evaluate online information that affects them, their communities, and the world.

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Incorporate map and chart analysis into your content.

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Examine different aspects of the same place.

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Unequal Scenes portrays scenes of inequality around the world from a drone.

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Use these satellite images to encourage students to examine changes over time. 

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This activity allows students to physically create maps and charts in order to visualize statistics.

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Sentence frames provide support for students acquiring English as a new language as well as improving content-specific vocabulary use.

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English Language Learner Support: Direction Sentence Frames

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Select one question from each level to analyze a map, chart, or graph.

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Use a Categorilla to analyze demography and other geographical content.

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High school US History Great Depression unit plan

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Students learn about significant people using a speed dating format.

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Students identify important people for a topic and place them next to each other for a dinner party, based on specific criteria. Encourages higher order thinking skills.

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Use an escape room to gamify a review activity.

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Student teams compete to answer the questions accurately. This is an engaging cultures activity for geography.

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Students practice claim --> evidence --> reasoning using an argument tower. Effective activity to use after DBQ analysis.

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Students match a vocabulary word, image, and definition. Great activity to reinforce vocab.

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Progressive Era Women and Minorities Magic Card Sort Template.docx

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Students create a story board or comic strip that summarizes a topic. Provide students with content-specific vocab to incorporate into the story board.

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Students create a cause-effect chart to summarize an event or era.

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Brief, nonpartisan videos that cover a variety of topics. Includes discussion guides.

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Explore the history behind the headlines

Retro Report is a documentary news organization dedicated to examining stories after their headlines fade; it is non-partisan, independent and nonprofit.

633 Third Avenue, 16th Floor * New York, NY 10017

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Free Videos & Teaching Resources | Retro Report

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Explore the history behind the headlines Retro Report is a documentary news organization dedicated to examining stories after their headlines fade; it is non-partisan, independent and nonprofit. 633 Third Avenue, 16th Floor * New York, NY 10017

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Free lesson plans for psych teachers.

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APA is offering complimentary unit lesson plans to high school psychology teachers to support teachers adapting to school changes due to the coronavirus pandemic. Lesson plans are three- to seven-day units that include a procedural timeline, a content outline, suggested resources and activities and references.

These materials were produced by Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS), which represents the needs of psychology teachers at the high school level.

Looking for an activity you need tomorrow?

Problem-Based Unit Plans

A problem-focused unit is one that takes a common problem facing society and uses it as a way to teach psychological content.

Teaching Modules

The unit lesson plans above cover main content areas within the introductory psychology course. These lesson plans cover topics that may accompany the main content areas of a course. "Psychoanalysis and Psychodynamic Psychology" and "Psychology of Sexual Orientation" were both created in a modular format, to be used throughout the course.

Feedback Encouraged

The APA Committee of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools is working to update and revise all TOPSS unit lesson plans on an on-going basis to ensure that all content is up-to-date. We invite all TOPSS members and other interested individuals to submit feedback and suggestions on all TOPSS units. Feedback can be emailed or mailed to:

Office of Precollege and Undergraduate Education
APA Education Directorate
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002

Please specify which unit you are referring to when you submit feedback.

Teaching Resources

TOPSS offers a collection of APA resources for teachers of introductory psychology, including curriculum and classroom tools.

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Free Unit Lesson Plans For High School Teachers of Psychology

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APA is offering complimentary unit lesson plans to high school psychology teachers to support teachers adapting to school changes due to the coronavirus pandemic. Lesson plans are three- to seven-day units that include a procedural timeline, a content outline, suggested resources and activities and references.

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Create a free account to access economics-related lesson plans and resources.

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Elevate your students' educational experience and ease your schedule with our world-class webinars and in-person programs.

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Elevate your students' educational experience and ease your schedule with our world-class webinars and in-person programs. - Hosted by top professors and expert instructors - Customizable topics and time slots - Energizing, entertaining, and educational - No cost to you Find our curated lesson plans featuring pre-built presentations, articles, videos, activities and more all designed to work with state and national standards in economics & social studies education.

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Free, open resource curriculum for World History & AP World History courses.

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Nonpartisan perspectives for a variety of issues, including some relevant to government.

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ProCon.org - Pros and Cons of 100+ Topics

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Explore both sides of debated issues. Presented in a non-partisan format with supporting background information, statistics, and resources.

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Brief videos and lesson plans that summarize the geopolitics of regions of the world.

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World101 from the Council on Foreign Relations

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Explore the trends and stories that shape the world's six major regions.

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Suggestions on how to use each OSEU in the classroom.

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Search thousands of lesson plans and resources from a consortium of nonprofit organizations.

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CIVICS RENEWAL NETWORK - A Republic, If We Can Teach It

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Provides inquiry questions, primary and secondary sources, and analysis.

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Home - Special Collections - Teaching with Primary Sources - Inquiry Kits

Teaching with Primary Sources

Inquiry kits are the perfect start for elementary, middle, and high school student research projects. Each theme-based kit features thinking questions, primary and secondary sources, and tools to analyze historical materials from the Library of Congress. Elementary students explore a variety of social studies themes, while middle and high schools choose from a broad collection of U.S. Government, U.S. History, and World History topics.

Teacher Resources for Inquiry Kits

Select a collection to find related topics as well as primary and secondary sources to develop a classroom research project.

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Thinkport.org | Special Collections | Teaching with Primary Sources

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Home - Special Collections - Teaching with Primary Sources - Inquiry Kits Teaching with Primary Sources Inquiry kits are the perfect start for elementary, middle, and high school student research projects. Each theme-based kit features thinking questions, primary and secondary sources, and tools to analyze historical materials from the Library of Congress.

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Suggestions on how to use each OSEU in the classroom.

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Suggestions on how to use each OSEU in the classroom.

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Suggestions on how to use each OSEU in the classroom.

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Suggestions on how to use each OSEU in the classroom.

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Suggestions on how to use each OSEU in the classroom.

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Suggestions on how to use each OSEU in the classroom.

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Lesson plans featuring primary sources from the Library of Congress.

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Search results from Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress, Available Online, Lesson Plan

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Provides inquiry questions, primary and secondary sources, and analysis.

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Home - Special Collections - Teaching with Primary Sources - Inquiry Kits

Teaching with Primary Sources

Inquiry kits are the perfect start for elementary, middle, and high school student research projects. Each theme-based kit features thinking questions, primary and secondary sources, and tools to analyze historical materials from the Library of Congress. Elementary students explore a variety of social studies themes, while middle and high schools choose from a broad collection of U.S. Government, U.S. History, and World History topics.

Teacher Resources for Inquiry Kits

Select a collection to find related topics as well as primary and secondary sources to develop a classroom research project.

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Thinkport.org | Special Collections | Teaching with Primary Sources

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Home - Special Collections - Teaching with Primary Sources - Inquiry Kits Teaching with Primary Sources Inquiry kits are the perfect start for elementary, middle, and high school student research projects. Each theme-based kit features thinking questions, primary and secondary sources, and tools to analyze historical materials from the Library of Congress.

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Provides inquiry questions, primary and secondary sources, and analysis.

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Home - Special Collections - Teaching with Primary Sources - Inquiry Kits

Teaching with Primary Sources

Inquiry kits are the perfect start for elementary, middle, and high school student research projects. Each theme-based kit features thinking questions, primary and secondary sources, and tools to analyze historical materials from the Library of Congress. Elementary students explore a variety of social studies themes, while middle and high schools choose from a broad collection of U.S. Government, U.S. History, and World History topics.

Teacher Resources for Inquiry Kits

Select a collection to find related topics as well as primary and secondary sources to develop a classroom research project.

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Thinkport.org | Special Collections | Teaching with Primary Sources

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Home - Special Collections - Teaching with Primary Sources - Inquiry Kits Teaching with Primary Sources Inquiry kits are the perfect start for elementary, middle, and high school student research projects. Each theme-based kit features thinking questions, primary and secondary sources, and tools to analyze historical materials from the Library of Congress.

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Student activities based on census data.

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Help high school students discover real-life statistics that can provide additional perspectives on topics like migration, modern families, and poverty. Look through the activities below to explore all the sociology options. Corresponding teachers' guides are available for each activity.

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Worksheets and activities for sociology lesson plans, for kindergarten through high school. Resources based on census data, to increase statistical literacy.

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Library of Congress primary sources and a teacher guide.

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The resources in this primary source set are intended for classroom use. If your use will be beyond a single classroom, please review the copyright and fair use guidelines.

Teacher's Guide

To help your students analyze these primary sources, get a graphic organizer and guides: Analysis Tool and Guides

Baseball has been part of the culture of the United States since the earliest days of the nation, and the ways in which the game has changed through the centuries provide opportunities to explore changes in U.S. society.

Background

Baseball came to American shores as an immigrant, a variant of the many bat-and-ball games common in England, and it expanded and adapted as the new nation did. It was heavily concentrated in the northeastern U.S. in the early decades of the 19th century, but the upheavals of the Civil War led to its spread, as young soldiers from other regions learned the game from their comrades and brought it back home with them at war's end.

The new technologies and communications tools that facilitated the nation's expansion did the same for baseball. New developments in printing made it possible to publish advertising cards with images of baseball teams and players, as well as baseball-themed sheet music with vivid covers. The rise of inexpensive illustrated newspapers provided readers with daily updates on teams around the league, while the telegraph and the telephone carried the results of games across the country at lightning speed. By the time cities began springing up on the west coast of the continent, their residents could keep up with their favorite teams back east almost as well as Bostonians or Baltimoreans could.

As the U.S. became a more urban and industrial nation in the late 19th century, baseball saw a surge in popularity. While it had been known as a "gentleman's game" several decades before, now it pulled in men and women of the working world who claimed the game as their own. In factory towns and cities across the country, workers found leisure in a sport that was likely much less physically demanding than their own jobs. By 1900, baseball had become a popular sport for young people in cities, played in improvised neighborhood fields called sandlots. During an era of public debate over urbanization, baseball was sometimes presented as a cure to what were seen as the ills of urban life.

The expansion of U.S. influence worldwide during the late 19th century and 20th century was accompanied by the international expansion of baseball. The U.S. government used baseball to promote goodwill abroad, both in foreign countries and in newly-acquired U.S. territories, and military authorities ensured that troops overseas had ample facilities and opportunities to play ball.

At home, Depression-era government camps for migrant farm workers had regular baseball games, and during World War II, residents of internment camps for Japanese Americans organized dozens of baseball teams, playing their games behind barbed wire, under the eye of armed guards.

Even as baseball expanded its reach geographically, the major professional leagues excluded or marginalized many players based on racial or gender identity. African American players were excluded from the major professional leagues in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, instead playing in all-African American leagues or on independent professional teams. After the World War II, Jackie Robinson and other African American players integrated the major leagues, enduring hecklers and death threats to do so. Native American players participated in the major leagues, but were often subject to insults and racial slurs, and were portrayed in stereotypical ways in team promotions and news coverage.

A number of Hispanic players born outside of the U.S. played in the major leagues in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly Cuban-born players, who encountered fewer obstacles than other Hispanic players did. Armando Marsans became the first Cuban-born player to play for the major leagues on July 4, 1911.

Women have played baseball for more than a century, on college teams, in amateur leagues, and on independent semi-pro and professional teams, even though they continue to be excluded from the U.S. major leagues. In the early 20th century, a number of barnstorming professional teams made up mostly of women, often called "bloomer girl" teams, traveled the country playing local all-male teams. During and shortly after World War II, when many male baseball players were in the military, major-league executives launched a multi-city women's professional league that lasted for almost a decade, providing women in baseball with the highest level of visibility that they have experienced to date.

Baseball continues to change in our own times, and continues to provide valuable opportunities to explore the ways in which a popular sport can both reflect and advance changes in larger society.

Suggestions for Teachers

Invite students to select an illustration or photograph to analyze, and ask them to respond to the following prompts:

Why did you select this particular image?

If the photographer or illustrator came to your class, what questions would you ask?

Write a caption for your image

Assign or allow students to choose a depiction of a baseball game, identifying or describing the following:

Who is playing the game?

Who is the audience for the game?

What is the setting?

What equipment do the players have?

How was this depiction made?

Create a timeline: Ask students to select a number of items, research the items, and identify significant events and social changes that took place at the time each item was created. As a follow-up question, ask students to identify a social change that is currently taking place in the United States and describe ways in which they see baseball either reflecting or contributing to that change.

Additional Resources

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Baseball Across a Changing Nation | Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress | Library of Congress

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The resources in this primary source set are intended for classroom use. If your use will be beyond a single classroom, please review the copyright and fair use guidelines.

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Three day, summer workshops in Washington, DC, designed to provide teachers with strategies for utilizing primary documents in the classroom. Workshops are free, but participants finance their own transportation as well as room and board.

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Come join us at the Library of Congress for a Teaching with Primary Sources workshop.

2023 Teaching with Primary Sources Summer Onsite Workshops

Join us onsite at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. for a free three-day professional development workshop, where you'll learn and practice strategies for using primary sources with K-12 students. Three sessions will be offered in the summer of 2023:

We are no longer accepting applications for these workshops.

In each session, Library of Congress education specialists will model a variety of hands-on, inquiry-based teaching strategies for using primary sources to engage students, build critical thinking skills, construct knowledge, and launch original research. Activities will feature some of the millions of historical artifacts from the Library's collections - photographs, prints, manuscripts, maps, multimedia, and more - which are digitized and freely available online.

Before the workshop, participants will be invited to to join an orientation webinar to prepare for their time at the Library. Once onsite, participants will both engage in activities and reflect on how the strategies apply to their students, subject areas, and classrooms or school libraries. Participants will also draw on the Library's collections to draft a primary source activity that they can implement with their students during the school year. Finally, participants will be invited to a follow up webinar to share their experiences implementing the activity with students.

Tuition and materials for the workshops are offered at no cost to participants. However, please note that participants are responsible for all other costs, such as transportation, meals, and lodging. Attendees will receive a certificate of participation upon successful completion of the workshop.

If you have questions regarding these workshops or other professional development events at the Library of Congress, please contact teachinglcsummer@loc.gov and we'll answer as soon as we are able.

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Onsite Workshops | Professional Development | Teachers | Programs | Library of Congress

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Come join us at the Library of Congress for a Teaching with Primary Sources workshop.

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This fellowship program provides history and government education regarding the US Constitution.

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The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation was established by Congress in 1986 for the purpose of improving teaching about the United States Constitution in secondary schools.

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Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Summer Professional Development

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Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Summer Professional Development

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Apply to attend a variety of summer pd with a stipend available to offset costs of travel, room, and board.

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2023 Summer Professional Development | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

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2023 Summer Professional Development | |

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Brief videos that cover several topics within psychology. Includes discussion guides.

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Explore the history behind the headlines

Retro Report is a documentary news organization dedicated to examining stories after their headlines fade; it is non-partisan, independent and nonprofit.

633 Third Avenue, 16th Floor * New York, NY 10017

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Free Videos & Teaching Resources | Retro Report

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Explore the history behind the headlines Retro Report is a documentary news organization dedicated to examining stories after their headlines fade; it is non-partisan, independent and nonprofit. 633 Third Avenue, 16th Floor * New York, NY 10017

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Brief, nonpartisan videos with discussion questions highlighting major topics within social studies.

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Retro Report is a documentary news organization dedicated to examining stories after their headlines fade; it is non-partisan, independent and nonprofit.

633 Third Avenue, 16th Floor * New York, NY 10017

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Free Videos & Teaching Resources | Retro Report

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Retro Report is a documentary news organization dedicated to examining stories after their headlines fade; it is non-partisan, independent and nonprofit. 633 Third Avenue, 16th Floor * New York, NY 10017

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Brief, nonpartisan videos with discussion questions highlighting major topics within social studies.

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Retro Report is a documentary news organization dedicated to examining stories after their headlines fade; it is non-partisan, independent and nonprofit.

633 Third Avenue, 16th Floor * New York, NY 10017

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Free Videos & Teaching Resources | Retro Report

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Retro Report is a documentary news organization dedicated to examining stories after their headlines fade; it is non-partisan, independent and nonprofit. 633 Third Avenue, 16th Floor * New York, NY 10017

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Free online PD and lesson plans on Judaism and the Holocaust. Presenters are also available for virtual presentations with classes.

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Lesson Plan: The Barriers to Reentering Society after Prison

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Lesson Plan: The Barriers to Reentering Society after Prison

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Lesson plan including video clips and activities. Other lessons are also available on the site.

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This lesson is part of PBS NewsHour's Searching for Justice series on criminal justice reform. For a Google doc version of this lesson, click here.

Introduction

After decades behind bars, older men and women in the U.S. continue to face challenges upon reentering society. In this lesson, students will learn about "invisible barriers" including public policies that make life difficult for formerly incarcerated individuals reintegrating into society. They will analyze key concepts in the field of criminal justice and gain a deeper understanding of how public policy affects individuals long after they did their time.

Subjects

Social studies, civics, U.S. history, criminal justice, health, economics

Grades

9-12, easily adapted for grades 6-8

Materials

Pen and paper

Printer

Internet connection

Objectives

Students will analyze the barriers formerly incarcerated face in reentering society after prison.

Students will determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source.

Warm-up activity

Students will develop their own definitions of key concepts that will help them better understand barriers to reentering society after time in prison or jail. This activity is inspired by New Visions for Public Schools ' curriculum.

1. Divide the class into groups of three or four. Have each group write down the following concepts on small pieces of paper.

incarcerated: imprisoned or confined

holistic solution: a whole community approach to addressing, reducing and removing barriers

invisible barriers: a rule, law or policy that makes it difficult or impossible for something to happen or be achieved

returning citizen: an individual who is returning home after being in prison

plea deal: the negotiation of an agreement between the prosecution and the defense whereby the defendant pleads guilty to a lesser offense or to one or some of multiple offenses usually in exchange for more lenient sentencing recommendations, a specific sentence or dismissal of other charges.

collateral consequences: the loss of rights and opportunities that come along with conviction of a crime other than imprisonment, including disqualifications that affect job prospects, housing, government benefits, citizenship, student loans and more

Each student should take a vocabulary card from the center of the table.

2. Students will have 15 seconds to write down words (terms, people, places, etc.) that they connect with the word on their card.

3. After 15 seconds, everyone will pass the card to their right.

4. Repeat this process until each student has written on each card.

5. After all cards have been completed, bring the class back together.

6. Debrief: As a class, begin a conversation about each word to ensure that students have an accurate definition. Ask groups what they believe a particular word means; then build off of other groups' ideas and create a student-sourced definition that ensures students understand the term.

Main activity

Watch the PBS NewsHour segment, "The barriers to reentering society after prison" and prepare class to engage in a Socratic seminar.

If your class has never engaged in a Socratic seminar, explain the process to participants. This resource can help guide the conversation.

Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DczkgbD7JkQ Transcript: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-barriers-to-reentering-society-after-prison

Students will do the Socratic seminar with student-generated questions and the focus question: Why do formerly incarcerated people face barriers after reentering society after prison?

Socratic seminar discussion debrief: The teacher can generate questions that are designed to help students reflect on the content of the seminar dialogue. The teacher can also use the lesson questions to address the points that were not addressed in the Socratic seminar.

Discussion questions:

1. How does the U.S. currently integrate formerly incarcerated people into society?

2. What are the "invisible barriers" discussed in this piece? Which of these barriers are put in place by lawmakers, government agencies or some type of other institution?

3. Which "collateral consequence" described by Jay Jordan did you find the most surprising? The most difficult? (collateral = additional but secondary)

4. What public policy suggestion do you have that could potentially solve a problem discussed in the piece? (public policy = set of laws, plans, actions, behaviors that govern a society)

Extension activity

Have students analyze the following quote by Angela Davis, political activist and professor, using the 5-step analysis strategy described in this post from the Rutgers Writing Center. You may also want to read a biography of Davis here.

"Prisons do not disappear social problems, they disappear human beings. Homelessness, unemployment, drug addiction, mental illness, and illiteracy are only a few of the problems that disappear from public view when the human beings contending with them are relegated to cages." - Angela Davis, June 19, 2020

Alexa Encarnacion is an Afro-Latina public school teacher in her nineteenth year of teaching. She holds a New York State Certification in social studies (7-12) and a Master of Arts in social studies education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and has completed Bilingual License Extension courses from Hunter College. Alexa graduated with a B.A. in politics from Mount Holyoke College.

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Lesson plan: The barriers to reentering society after prison - PBS NewsHour Classroom

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This lesson is part of PBS NewsHour's Searching for Justice series on criminal justice reform. For a Google doc version of this lesson, click here. After decades behind bars, older men and women in the U.S. continue to face challenges upon reentering society.

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Suggestions on how to use each OSEU in the classroom.

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Brief (20 minute) and engaging podcasts about civics and government. Click on Education to access lesson plans and graphic organizers (aka listening guides).

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What's the difference between the House and the Senate? How do landmark Supreme Court decisions affect our lives? What does the 2nd Amendment really say? Civics 101 is the podcast about how our democracy works...or is supposed to work, anyway. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts (it's free!)
Check out our latest episode:

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Civics 101 is a podcast about the basics of our government and how our democracy works from New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR).

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This online interactive offers trivia as well as simulations to understand how Congress functions.

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CitizIN

CitizIN is an interactive game that explores themes in American history from the early 1800s to the 21 st century with an emphasis on primary sources from Indiana. The emphasis on sources from a specific state demonstrates how individual states fit into the nation's story and the commonalities of our history. Each of the six eras covered include a brief content video, mini game, and analysis of primary sources to build critical thinking skills. The mini games allow students to take on the role of citizen, soldier, reporter, business owner, and elected official.

Engaging Congress

Engaging Congress is an interactive game that uses primary sources to lead students in an exploration of the basic principles of representative government and the challenges they face today. There are five separate thematic modules covering federalism and states' rights, the federal budget, influencing the political process, separation of powers, and voting rights. Engaging Congress builds students critical thinking skills while improving their knowledge about how the American system works and its relevance to their lives as citizens and residents.

Freedom Summer 1964

Freedom Summer 1964 is a free digital learning tool that explores key events surrounding the early years of the Civil Rights Movement, the 1964 Mississippi voter registration drive, and the eventual passage of both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

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Developed for students as well as the general public, these interactive learning activities are designed to give you a fresh perspective on how the United States Congress works, your role in the process, and peoples' perceptions about Congress. To open the modules, click the graphic.

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Students watch videos and interact with content to analyze Freedom Summer. Available as an app or play within browser.

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Freedom Summer: Interactives: Resources: Center on Representative Government: Indiana University

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Students analyze primary sources to develop critical thinking skills as well as media literacy. If a free account is created, student activities are completed online; otherwise, students can answer questions on a separate sheet of paper without an account.

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Journalism in Action allows you to learn about ten key moments in US history through a journalist's lens. In this interactive website designed for middle and high school students, you will analyze primary sources such as newspaper articles, videos, and photography to determine what happened and how such culture-shifting events affected civic life.

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Search thousands of lesson plans and resources from a consortium of nonprofit organizations.

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CIVICS RENEWAL NETWORK - A Republic, If We Can Teach It

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Search thousands of lesson plans and resources from a consortium of nonprofit organizations.

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CIVICS RENEWAL NETWORK - A Republic, If We Can Teach It

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A variety of lesson plans and teaching materials that focus on the role of working people, women, and people of color within history.

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The Zinn Education Project is my compass in a sea of corporate textbooks, packaged common core curriculum and standardized testing. My entire curriculum is based on lessons that can be found on the Zinn Education Project.

High School Social Studies Teacher, Portland, Ore.

Your support is needed to help more students learn people's history. 100% of Zinn Education Project funding comes from individuals like you. Donate today.

By Ursula Wolfe-Rocca

From voter ID laws to voter-roll purges, gerrymandering to poll closures to the deadly in-person voting conditions during a pandemic, the right to vote is under attack and the stakes are high. It is critical that students learn about the fight for voting rights, past and present.

Nov. 30, 1924: Shirley Chisholm Born...

Teaching About the Violence in Palestine and Israel...

I can UNDERSTAND pessimism, but I don't BELIEVE in it. It's not simply a matter of faith, but of historical EVIDENCE. Not overwhelming evidence, just enough to give HOPE, because for hope we don't need certainty, only POSSIBILITY.

-Howard Zinn

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Zinn Education Project: Teaching People's History

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The Zinn Education Project promotes and supports the teaching of people's history in middle and high school classrooms across the country. Based on the lens of history highlighted in Howard Zinn's best-selling book A People's History of the United States, the website offers free, downloadable lessons and articles organized by theme, time period, and reading level.

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Lessons and units that examine issues facing the world today.

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World101 from the Council on Foreign Relations

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Understand the challenges that will define our lifetime.

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Lesson plans aligned to geography and AP Human Geography coursework.

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Debra Spielmaker, Administrator and Yasuko Mitsuoka Grow, Designer

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The National Agriculture in the Classroom website provides K-12 educators with engaging resources to increase agricultural literacy among their students.

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Lesson plans that cover top news stories of the day.

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Current events ready to go for students grades 6-12! Lessons based on the PBS NewsHour with focus on civics, social studies, ELA, science, art, and media literacy.

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Students complete analysis of primary source documents to promote critical thinking skills and media literacy. Activities can be completed online with a free account, or browse as a guest.

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" Energy rightly applied and directed will accomplish anything."
-Nellie Bly, investigative reporter

Essential Question

How does investigative journalism bring awareness to problems and help support reform efforts?

Overview

In this case study, you will analyze primary sources on the mental health reform movement of the mid-nineteenth century, which was spearheaded by Dorothea Dix. Hospitals were overcrowded, provided little training for nurses, and lacked translators for many of the poor immigrants who were wrongly committed in the first place. Medical knowledge of how to care for those with mental health issues still had far to go.

In addition, you will examine primary sources about the young journalist Nellie Bly who was given the assignment to go undercover as a patient inside the notorious New York City Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island in New York.

The term "lunatic asylum" was used in the 1800s but dropped out of the medical lexicon by the end of the century and is seen as a derogatory term today.

To complete her assignment, Bly feigned mental illness at a women's boardinghouse and was soon committed to Blackwell's. Within days of her release, Bly published her exposé in the newspaper the New York World. In it, she described the hospital's inhumane living conditions and the staff's cruel treatment of their patients. Her work led to government reforms and was an early example of a new type of reporting called investigative journalism.

Context

Throughout the 1700s in colonial America, the treatment of people with mental illness was almost always barbaric. Many mentally ill individuals were placed in prisons-often chained to the walls-and lacked appropriate clothing for the season. While some families took responsibility for their mentally ill relatives, many more would hide them in attics or sheds in order to avoid embarrassment. In the 1770s, facilities began to be built for the mentally ill but still were not designed to help patients get better, since most mentally ill people were seen as incurable.

The 1800s ushered in reforms in mental health, including the construction of asylums, as patients were no longer seen as having moral failings but rather treatable medical conditions. These reforms coincided with other humanitarian efforts focused on temperance, women's rights, penal reform, and the abolition of slavery.

New Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane, building, Pa. Stereograph showing the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane under construction, with many workers posing in foreground. ca. 1859. Library of Congress

Fenced-in walkways of the Richardson Olmsted Complex, the 1870 Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane, Buffalo, New York. Photograph by Carol M. Highsmith, 2018. Library of Congress

In the 1840s, Dorothea Dix led the reform movement for mental health and advocated for the "moral treatment" of individuals, for example that patients should no longer be kept in shackles or straitjackets. Dix successfully lobbied state legislatures and Congress for the construction of public hospitals for the mentally ill.

As is typical at many large institutions, problems began to develop inside the hospitals that arose. Dix blamed much of the problem on poor administrative leadership and a lack of funding, which led to overcrowding and poor care. Newspaper reports exposed the inhumane conditions inside these hospitals, taken from accounts by former patients or family members. However, most journalists were forbidden to see what was actually going on inside for themselves.

"Behind Asylum Bars" by Nellie Bly. The New York World. Oct. 17, 1887. Permission has been granted for educational purposes only courtesy of NYU Digital Library Services.

One notable exception was twenty-four-year-old Nellie Bly. In 1887, Bly was able to get herself committed to the asylum on Blackwell's Island, an overcrowded, state-run mental institution. Shortly upon her release, she wrote a groundbreaking piece for the newspaper the New York World about her experience. Bly's exposé won her instant notoriety and helped to bring widespread attention to the problem.

Discuss the following questions:

1. How was mental health treated in the 1800s compared to the 1700s?

2. What contribution did Dorothea Dix make on advancing mental health treatment? Why were her accomplishments important?

3. Describe the unusual way Nellie Bly found out what life was like in an asylum. Do you feel this was an ethical way to get a story? Why or why not?

Journalists

The newspaper business was very competitive in the late nineteenth century, especially in big cities. Publishers and editors sought out sensational stories of poor urban conditions to increase circulation. If reform and improvement came about in the process, so much the better. One reporter sought more than the sensational and was one of the first to develop a form of reporting known as investigative journalism.

Elizabeth Jane Cochran, a.k.a. Nellie Bly, was one of fourteen siblings growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Early in life, she was compelled to speak truth to power when she testified on her mother's behalf against an abusive stepfather. Later, she studied to become a teacher, one of the few professions open to women at the time, but dropped out due to lack of funds.

At age twenty, Bly read a newspaper column in the Pittsburgh Dispatch entitled "What Girls Are Good For" that argued womens' value was only in birthing children and keeping house. Incensed, Elizabeth wrote a letter in response, pointing out the article's negative representation of women. The managing editor of the Dispatch was so impressed that he printed her rebuttal letter and offered her a full-time job.

After a series of Bly's investigative articles on female sweatshop workers received several complaints from factory owners, she was reassigned to the Society pages. Bly soon became dissatisfied with her new assignment and traveled to New York City, where she got a job writing for the New York World.

In one of her first assignments, Bly had herself committed to the New York City Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island. There she experienced the filthy conditions and abusive treatment firsthand. She interviewed patients who were committed after only a brief examination. Many of these people were immigrants who didn't speak English.

In 1887, the New York World published a series of articles that were later compiled into a book, Ten Days in a Mad-House. The articles caused a major sensation, prompting city officials to implement reforms and bringing Bly lasting fame.

Not long after Bly's exposé, a group of journalists who came to be known as muckrakers began reporting on issues of social injustice in an in-depth way that connected to the public on an emotional level. (Be sure to check out the case study on the Muckrakers to learn more.)

Discuss the following questions:

1. Why do you think circulation increased when nineteenth-century newspapers printed sensational stories about poor urban conditions?

2. What does the story about how Nellie Bly got the job at the Pittsburgh Dispatch tell you about her personality and ambition?

3. What does Bly's reporting from the "Mad-House" tell you about society's attitudes toward mental health and ethnic prejudice at the time?

Newspapers like the Sun wrote their own stories about the "mad woman" known as Nellie Brown whose identity remained a mystery to authorities. The Sun's editors were not pleased to learn that the woman was in fact a reporter for their rival paper. Oct. 14, 1887. Library of Congress

News Format

During the late nineteenth century, the newspaper business became not only "big business" but highly competitive and sensational as publishers battled for increased circulation to grow their advertising revenue. Some newspapers printed yellow journalism, exaggerated stories with sensational headlines. Bly worked for Joseph Pulitzer's New York World, which became one of the most famous examples of yellow journalism but also published hard-hitting, investigative articles.

Newspapers like the World also engaged in "stunt journalism"-or "immersive journalism"-in which reporters like Bly embedded themselves into the subject of their story. The result is a deep look into the inner workings of business and government. The stories often revealed the dangerous living and working conditions in tenement housing and factories. The writing was vividly descriptive and condemning, but oftentimes told only one side of the story. Stunt journalists were sometimes criticized when their experience affected them so much that their stories lost objectivity.

Discuss the following questions:

1. What is meant by "investigative journalism"? What are some examples of this today?

2. Why was "investigative journalism" sometimes called "stunt journalism"?

3. What was some of the criticism of investigative journalism at this time?

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" Energy rightly applied and directed will accomplish anything." -Nellie Bly, investigative reporter How does investigative journalism bring awareness to problems and help support reform efforts? In this case study, you will analyze primary sources on the mental health reform movement of the mid-nineteenth century, which was spearheaded by Dorothea Dix.

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Huge searchable database of lessons and resources related to Native American cultures and peoples.

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Native Knowledge 360° | Search NK360° Educational Resources

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Native Knowledge 360° is the National Museum of the American Indian's national initiative to inspire and promote improvement of teaching and learning about American Indians. Discover standards-compliant, interactive teaching resources for all grade levels. Explore and search for new and timely instructionaland informational resources.

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Resources to teach students to analyze primary sources, including lesson plans and materials.

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Created by teachers for teachers, these ready-to-use materials provide easy ways to incorporate the Library's unparalleled primary sources into instruction.

Lesson Plans Teacher-created lesson plans using Library of Congress primary sources.

Presentations Media-rich historical context and opportunities for both teachers and students to explore.

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Classroom Materials | Teachers | Programs | Library of Congress

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Created by teachers for teachers, these ready-to-use materials provide easy ways to incorporate the Library's unparalleled primary sources into instruction.

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Primary source document analysis and lesson plans for history courses.

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The Reading Like a Historian curriculum engages students in historical inquiry. Each lesson revolves around a central historical question and features a set of primary documents designed for groups of students with a range of reading skills.

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Gamified resources for students to understand government.

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In this new Private i History Detectives unit, Elementary students analyze primary sources to discover how Constitutional Amendments attempted to address slavery's wrongs, how the courts challenged unfair laws, and how individuals and groups fought for civil rights.

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In this new Private i History Detectives unit, Elementary students analyze primary sources to discover how Constitutional Amendments attempted to address slavery's wrongs, how the courts challenged unfair laws, and how individuals and groups fought for civil rights.

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Brief summary of an event in history, updated daily.

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Search results from Today in History, Available Online

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Lesson plan detailing the history of Antisemitism in Europe.

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Teaching the History of Antisemitism | Institute for Curriculum Services

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Our free lesson plan on antisemitism history bridges students' understanding of antisemitism's historical roots and its manifestations today.

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Searchable database of inquiry lessons.

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This inquiry leads students through an investigation of campaign finance by examining election costs, expenditures, and the complex relationships between candidates and political-action committees. By investigating the compelling question "Does money matter in political campaigns?" students dissect contemporary political campaigns in order to assess whether or not campaign-finance reform should take place.

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Primary source document analysis and lesson plans for history courses.

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The Reading Like a Historian curriculum engages students in historical inquiry. Each lesson revolves around a central historical question and features a set of primary documents designed for groups of students with a range of reading skills.

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Searchable database of lessons on Korea. Many lessons specific to AP Human Geography.

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World History Digital Education Foundation, Inc.

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Free Lesson Plans for Teachers

WHDE offers a set of free resources for teachers to help students better understand Korea. The lesson plans cover a variety of topics including geography, religion, economic development, culture, history, and the Korean War. Search our archive of lessons plans by topic, skill or grade level.

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Free Lesson Plans on Korea for Teachers - World History Digital Education Foundation, Inc.

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WHDE offers a set of free resources for teachers to help students better understand Korea. The lesson plans cover a variety of topics including geography, religion, economic development, culture, history, and the Korean War. Search our archive of lessons plans by topic, skill or grade level.

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Searchable database of lessons on Korea.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
World History Digital Education Foundation, Inc.

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Free Lesson Plans for Teachers

WHDE offers a set of free resources for teachers to help students better understand Korea. The lesson plans cover a variety of topics including geography, religion, economic development, culture, history, and the Korean War. Search our archive of lessons plans by topic, skill or grade level.

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Free Lesson Plans on Korea for Teachers - World History Digital Education Foundation, Inc.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
WHDE offers a set of free resources for teachers to help students better understand Korea. The lesson plans cover a variety of topics including geography, religion, economic development, culture, history, and the Korean War. Search our archive of lessons plans by topic, skill or grade level.

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Huge searchable database of lessons and resources related to Native American cultures and peoples.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Native Knowledge 360° | Search NK360° Educational Resources

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Native Knowledge 360° is the National Museum of the American Indian's national initiative to inspire and promote improvement of teaching and learning about American Indians. Discover standards-compliant, interactive teaching resources for all grade levels. Explore and search for new and timely instructionaland informational resources.

# data[].attributes.body
Huge searchable database of lessons and resources related to Native American cultures and peoples.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Native Knowledge 360° | Search NK360° Educational Resources

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Native Knowledge 360° is the National Museum of the American Indian's national initiative to inspire and promote improvement of teaching and learning about American Indians. Discover standards-compliant, interactive teaching resources for all grade levels. Explore and search for new and timely instructionaland informational resources.

# data[].attributes.body
Huge searchable database of lessons and resources related to Native American cultures and peoples.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Native Knowledge 360° | Search NK360° Educational Resources

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Native Knowledge 360° is the National Museum of the American Indian's national initiative to inspire and promote improvement of teaching and learning about American Indians. Discover standards-compliant, interactive teaching resources for all grade levels. Explore and search for new and timely instructionaland informational resources.

# data[].attributes.body
Huge searchable database of lessons and resources related to Native American cultures and peoples.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Native Knowledge 360° | Search NK360° Educational Resources

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Native Knowledge 360° is the National Museum of the American Indian's national initiative to inspire and promote improvement of teaching and learning about American Indians. Discover standards-compliant, interactive teaching resources for all grade levels. Explore and search for new and timely instructionaland informational resources.

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Lesson plan with comparisons of countries in Southwest Asia, including religion and founding documents.

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Religion & Politics in the Middle East - Institute for Curriculum Services

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Map of global music. Could be used to introduce different regions/countries.

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Free resources for the classroom Please browse the following map to find world music curricular experiences from Smithsonian Folkways’ Network of Music Educators. All lessons can be downloaded in PDF format.

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A variety of lesson plans and teaching materials that focus on the role of working people, women, and people of color within history.

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The Zinn Education Project is my compass in a sea of corporate textbooks, packaged common core curriculum and standardized testing. My entire curriculum is based on lessons that can be found on the Zinn Education Project.

High School Social Studies Teacher, Portland, Ore.

Your support is needed to help more students learn people's history. 100% of Zinn Education Project funding comes from individuals like you. Donate today.

By Ursula Wolfe-Rocca

From voter ID laws to voter-roll purges, gerrymandering to poll closures to the deadly in-person voting conditions during a pandemic, the right to vote is under attack and the stakes are high. It is critical that students learn about the fight for voting rights, past and present.

Nov. 30, 1924: Shirley Chisholm Born...

Teaching About the Violence in Palestine and Israel...

I can UNDERSTAND pessimism, but I don't BELIEVE in it. It's not simply a matter of faith, but of historical EVIDENCE. Not overwhelming evidence, just enough to give HOPE, because for hope we don't need certainty, only POSSIBILITY.

-Howard Zinn

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Zinn Education Project: Teaching People's History

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Zinn Education Project promotes and supports the teaching of people's history in middle and high school classrooms across the country. Based on the lens of history highlighted in Howard Zinn's best-selling book A People's History of the United States, the website offers free, downloadable lessons and articles organized by theme, time period, and reading level.