History of Santa Claus and Christmas in America Common Core Reading

This entertaining Common Core-aligned reading activity features a 1 page article on the history of Santa Claus in America. It explains how the image of Saint Nicholas changed from Europe to America and how the famous poem "The Night Before Christmas" and Thomas Nast's cartoons came to transform Saint Nicholas into the image of Santa Claus that we enjoy today.

Following the article is a set of reading comprehension questions that students can answer to demonstrate their understanding. An answer key for this is provided. You can download this for your classes by clicking here!

Thanks for looking and happy holidays!

Causes and Characteristics of the Great Depression Worksheet

One of the skills I find my students need help with is the ability to effectively classify information from history.  I had taken this for granted in my early years teaching, but now make sure that I work on this skill every so often.

For our Great Depression unit, I use this graphic organizer worksheet, which lists 15 different aspects of the Great Depression and New Deal.

Students must classify each into one of 4 boxes at the top: Causes of the Great Depression, Characteristics of the Great Depression, Characteristics of the New Deal, and Long Term Effects of the Depression. This is fantastic for your students to think about cause and effect as well as the difference between the New Deal and the Depression.

This worksheet is really effective for my students at helping them to classify essential information. This file can be downloaded for your classes here. An answer key is included for your convenience. Thank you for looking!

Spanish American War Timeline Using Primary Sources

Our newest lesson covers the "splendid little war" known as the Spanish American War. Although brief, this war is essential for students to understand how America transitioned into becoming a world power.

In this lesson, students analyze 10 primary sources from the Spanish American War, including cartoons, newspapers, lithographs, maps, and pictures all related to each aspect of the war.

Students then match these documents to questions along a timeline. The documents begin with a cartoon related to America protecting Cuba and move through the explosion on the USS Maine, the Teller & Platt Amendments, Rough Riders, Yellow Journalism, Buffalo Soldiers, Philippine-American War, and more. 

Each task is of varying difficulty and caters to visual and kinesthetic learners in having them finishing sketches to reinforce concepts. An answer key is included and can be seen below. You can download this lesson for your classroom by clicking here. A free preview of all the documents in the lessons is available as well.

"Uncle Wiggle Wings - The Candy Bomber " Berlin Airlift & Communism Story

This lighthearted, heartwarming true story tells of American Air Force pilot Gail Halvorsen who flew supplies over Germany during the famous Berlin Airlift of 1948.

After the Soviet Union cut off Berlin from West Germany, the US plan to fly in supplies rather than break the blockade famously embarrassed the Soviet Union. This tension eventually led to the building of the Berlin Wall.

During his flights, Halvorsen would drop candy out of his plane to the children of Berlin, earning him the nickname "Uncle Wiggle Wings the Candy Bomber".

This worksheet includes one page on this fantastic story, mixing essential Common Core knowledge like the Berlin Airlift, Allied Powers, President Truman, Stalin, and more with the amusing tale of Uncle Wiggle Wings. My students really enjoyed this story and were able to relate very well to the children of Berlin.

Just the title of the story had them laughing and anxious to read it!

You can download this worksheet for your students by clicking here. An answer key is included for your convenience.

American Imperialism: World Leader or Bully?

This downloadable worksheet combines several layers of Bloom's Taxonomy, including comprehension, analysis, and critical thinking as students review 10 US actions during the Age of Imperialism.

Included are the US purchase of Alaska, Spanish-American War, building of the Panama Canal, the annexation of Hawaii, and more. For each event, students must determine whether they feel the US was acting like a "world leader" promoting good or a "bully" acting in its own self-interest.

Whatever their decision, they must provide evidence to back up their claim. After completing the chart, students then determine whether America overall acted more like a World Leader or a World Bully and compose a short persuasive essay on their choice.

I did not include an answer key because each aspect of this is opinion-based and arguments could be made for either. However, if you would like a completed student sample, please let me know and I will supply one!

Click here to download this lesson for your student to use today!