NCSS has selected a collection of classroom activities, teaching ideas, and articles from Social Education, Middle Level Learning, and Social Studies and the Young Learner. Browse the collection, or search by historical period and grade level using the search function below.
(Collections on other disciplines are under development.)
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A Mighty Storm: Galveston, Texas, 1900
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 1:31pm--Steven S. Lapham
Background and lyrics to a 1942 blues song about the 1900 Galveston hurricane. Also an article about Alexander Hamilton's close brush with big winds in 1772.
- This issue needs to be scanned. Steve will do.
Printer-friendly versionThe WPA Slave Narratives: Teaching with Oral Histories
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 2:26pm--Paul Horton
Describes an online a selection of written narratives given by formerly enslaved, elderly African Americans (in the 1930s under the Works Progress Administration) and how to interpret these historical documents with middle school readers.
This URL downloads all 16 pages of Middle Level Learning as a pdf of about 0.8 MB:
* http://members.ncss.org/mll/13/mll13.pdf
A Zen Garden at Tecumseh: From Mocking to Honoring
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 2:43pm--Leila Meyerratken
Learning about Japanese culture and recent history with books, film, and a service learning project in Lafayette, Indiana.
This URL downloads all 16 pages of Middle Level Learning as a pdf of about 1.0 MB:
* http://members.ncss.org/mll/17/mll17.pdf
State v. Tribe: How the Indian Gaming Controversy Began
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 2:47pm--William L. Hewitt and Barbara Beaucar
This theme issue also includes related items -- "From Furs and Wampum to Slot Machines and Megadollars," "Does Gaming Hurt or Help?", and "The Streets are Paved with Silver," etc.
This URL downloads all 16 pages of Middle Level Learning as a pdf of about 1.0 MB:
* http://members.ncss.org/mll/18/mll18.pdf
The Compromise of 1790: A Capital Simulation
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 2:59pm--David L. Ghere
Study the handout map and chart. The national capital would be built in the South if the federal government would assume the states' Revolutionary War debts. Would it work?
This URL downloads all 16 pages of Middle Level Learning as a pdf of about 0.8 MB:
* http://members.ncss.org/mll/19/mll19.pdf
Runaway Slave Advertisements: Teaching from Primary Documents
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 3:05pm--Tom Costa and Brooks Doyle
Interpret short primary source documents to reveal some details about slave life and the moral dilemmas of antebellum U.S. Also includes "Abolitionists Among the Founding Generation" by Kevin T. Brady.
This URL downloads all 16 pages of Middle Level Learning as a pdf of about 0.67 MB:
* http://members.ncss.org/mll/20/mll20.pdf
Teaching About Immigration, Past and Present
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 3:08pm--Susan Pass
Interviewing first generation parents, or writing about their own immigrant experiences, generates memorable results. Ten key interview questions.
This URL downloads all 16 pages of Middle Level Learning as a pdf of about 0.67 MB:
* http://members.ncss.org/mll/20/mll20.pdf
“Maybe You Could Help?” Letters to Eleanor Roosevelt
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 4:03pm--Mary Mason Royal
In small groups, students read and analyze letters written by children to "Eleanor" during the Great Depression. Handouts include text of seven letters.
This URL downloads all 16 pages of Middle Level Learning as a pdf of about 1.0 MB:
* http://members.ncss.org/mll/22/MLL22.pdf
Ben Franklin’s Evolving View on Race and Ethnicity
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Fri, 08/14/2009 - 4:06pm--Steven S. Lapham and Drew Saunders
A wise man observes, learns, and grows. Also includes a related classroom activity about Ben's interesting personality: "Will the Senate Confirm 'Karl B. Fennin'?" by William E. Amburn.
This URL downloads all 16 pages of Middle Level Learning as a pdf of about 1.0 MB:
* http://members.ncss.org/mll/22/MLL22.pdf
Philip Reid and the Statue of [em]Freedom[/em]
Submitted by Steven Lapham on Tue, 08/18/2009 - 11:20am--Eugene Walton
Primary source documents help validate the history of an enslaved American who solved a crucial puzzle as the statue of Freedom was being prepared for casting in bronze. (Freedom now stands atop the Capitol in Washington, DC.) Handouts include time line, 1830 political cartoon, and the story of early emancipation (April 16, 1862) of enslaved Americans in the capital city during the Civil War.
This URL downloads all 16 pages of Middle Level Learning as a pdf of about 3.5MB:
* http://members.ncss.org/mll/24/mll24.pdf
