Reading

Source: Pixabay by QuinceCreative (License: Creative Commons 1.0)

Students use web sites for department stores to find product information for similar products in order to compare prices and qualities of products at different stores so that they can make wise buying decisions.

Source: 4Tests GED Practice Test page (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

 

A free online practice test site for the 2014 GED test with the 4 sections of the GED provided by Barrons Educational Series. It includes an explanation for the right answer.

This is a good unit on consumerism. The lesson is complete with video, note-taking and practice.

Students watch a video which explains advertising strategies. Then, using a note-taking chart, they will practice identifying advertising strategies while watching various commercials. They can also use the form at home while watching TV commercials for further practice. Then as a final activity, students can make a team presentation using PowerPoint.

Source: Snopes.com (License: CC0/Public Domain)

 

While learning about urban legends, students practice reading skills, summarizing and paragraphing in speaking and writing, and hone their abilities to view media critically. Students use Snopes, a site dedicated to fact-checking news stories, past events and urban legends, to read and take notes on an urban legends. 

Source: http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/raisin-sun-quest-american-dream#sect-introduction (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

 

In this activity, students read the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and explore how the social, educational, economical, and political climate of the 1950s affected African Americans' quest for "The American Dream." The critical reading and analysis of the play are complemented by a close examination of biographical and historical documents that students use as the basis for creating speeches, essays, and scripts.

Read the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry with your students and you can enhance your discussion of "The American Dream" even while you and your students explore how the social, educational, economical, and political climate of the 1950s affected African Americans' quest for "The American Dream."

Source: https://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plans/anne-frank-one-hundreds-thousands#sect-thelesson%22_blank%22 (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

 

This lesson invites you to supplement your students' reading of The Diary of a Young Girl by connecting the diary to the study of history and to honor the legacy of Anne Frank, the writer, as she inspires your students to use writing to deepen their insights into their own experiences and the experiences of others.

In the class activity, students look at a series of maps to gain an idea of the territorial changes in Europe after World War I up to the beginning of the defeat of Germany. They complete a map intended to show the speed and reach of Germany's wartime expansion. Then students share information about the German occupation in some European countries, which they then compare to the situation in the Netherlands. Lastly, students analyze a map.

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In this activity, students learn about the history of Women’s Suffrage through the exploration of primary sources. The American Memory Collection’s Classroom Materials section features lesson plans, themed resources, primary source sets, presentations and activities, and collection connections. The Presentations & Activities section offers media-rich historical content or interactive opportunities for exploration to both teachers and students.

Source: President Elect homepage (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

 

The President-Elect site is a great site to help your students learn about the electoral college. The "FAQ" page would be a good place to start, as these may represent most of your students' questions about the electoral college and how it works. The site is per election year so check for the current election.

Source: https://sheg.stanford.edu/history-lessons/pocahontas (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])

 

In this activity, students use primary sources to answer the question of whether Pocahontas saved John Smith’s life.

Screenshot of the Reading Like a Historian lesson on Pocahontas

The Reading Like a Historian curriculum engages students in historical inquiry. Each lesson revolves around a central historical question and features sets of primary documents modified for groups of students with diverse reading skills and abilities. U.S. History consists of the following Units:

• Unit 1: Introduction
• Unit 2: Colonial
• Unit 3: Revolution and Early America
• Unit 4: Expansion/Slavery
• Unit 5: Civil War and Reconstruction
• Unit 6: The Gilded Age
• Unit 7: American Imperialism
• Unit 8: Progressivism
• Unit 9: World War I and the 1920s
• Unit 10: New Deal and World War II
• Unit 11: Cold War
• Unit 12: Cold War Culture/Civil Rights