Civil Rights Movement Timeline Project for Middle School

Timelines are an awesome tool to teach students about eras in history and how one event might impact subsequent events. In my US History classes, I use them often. Usually each unit, we will look at some for of timeline to get a look at everything students need to know.

When I teach about the Civil Rights Movement, I use this set of timeline activities. I love this one because it provides a few different options to use. It's also great to use at the start of the unit as an introduction to all the main events of the Civil Rights Movement or at the end of the unit as a review.

I have used it both ways and it has been great!

Either way we use, I post 10 readings up around the room as stations. These are 10 of he most significant moments of the Civil Rights Movement. It's not all of them (for example, I also always include Emmett Till, Loving v. Virginia, the assassination of MLK, Ruby Bridges, and a few other significant events in my lessons), but I also don't want to overwhelm students. So, I think 10 events on a timeline is a good amount to be thorough, but not too much.

Each event is covered with a 1-page reading and photographs at the stations. Students each receive a 2-page timeline that goes into their interactive notebooks. These are the "centerfold spread" style that are great for covering a lot of info in an organized way.

The timeline has students respond to prompts, draw pictures, analyze the events, and connect to today. Each station can be completed in a couple minutes so that the entire timeline can be finished in class.

When they're finished, they'll look like this:

Absent students can complete the entire activity also through an included Google Doc version! This editable set includes the same readings and a table students can type into. Or they can complete a "drag-and-drop" Google version in which students sort the events.

These versions are also great for differentiation if you have students that need more accommodations or even if you just need to make a few changes.

This is an AWESOME lesson plan resource for your middle school classroom!

You can download this resource for your classes here or as part of my larger Complete Civil Rights Movement Unit Bundle.

If you want more great lesson plans and resources for ALL of US History, you might want to sign up for a Students of History subscription! Joining gives you immediate access to HUNDREDS of amazing resources and lesson plans for every day of the school year! You'll never stress about a lesson plan again!!

Students of History's New Lesson Plans and Resources

The school year recently started and you may be starting to feel that stress of lesson planning for your social studies classes. When I first started teaching, this would be a serious stress every night as I couldn't sleep unless I have the next day's classes thoroughly prepped and ready. You may not have that level of anxiety but no matter what, it can be a time drain on your life.

I developed a site a couple years ago with a goal of easing that stress on teachers. At first, I just had resources organized by day and unit. This year, I'm upping the game with new lesson plans for EVERY DAY of the year!

Each day now has a short, easy-to-follow lesson plan with links to videos, Google Docs, suggestions for differentiation, and more. PLUS there are engaging resources and activities for every day - often with several to choose from that work best for your students.

These are available for:

• US History
• World History
• Civics and American Government

Each curricula is thorough enough so you don't have to plan for the entire year. There's station activities to get students moving and active, primary source analysis to get students in-depth with the content, interactive notebooks, digital Google Drive notebook sets, PowerPoints with guided notes and graphic organizers, review games, videos, assessments, and more!

The lesson plans detail how to best use all of the resources in your class. They're simple so you're not scanning through long documents and standards about how to use the resources. While they're simple, they're also engaging for students. They involve multiple activities to keep students active and ensure that they are learning for the full time in each class - whether that's 90 minute blocks or 45 minute periods that meet every day.

You can download a bunch of free resources here to see the kind of high-quality, engaging classroom activities you'll have for every day of the year. Then, you can join for a month or a whole year - there's no long term commitment. Download as much as you like and never stress about lesson planning for your social studies classes again!

Lesson Plans and Resources for Every Day of US History, World History, & Civics!

Really exciting news, everyone! After a year of organizing, updating, and writing lessons, my new site is now LIVE! 

What's so exciting about this site? Well, not only do you get the most engaging history resources available anywhere for every day of the year, but there are now LESSON PLANS for every day! You don't need to wonder about the best way to use a resource, plan the order of a lesson, or worry about how to implement a project. At StudentsofHistory.com all the lessons are done for you! 

We have complete curricula available for US History, World History, and American Government. Each curriculum is broken down into easy-to-manage units of about 4-10 class periods. Each period includes a short lesson plan with 3 or more resources plus links to relevant videos to show and strategies to use.

You'll never have to stress about a lesson plan again!!! 

Take back your life and focus on what really matters: you and your students. 

You can rest assured knowing that our resources are the most exciting and interactive materials available anywhere for social studies. Each unit is filled with: 

• Google Drive digital notebooks for World & US
• Mind-blowing PowerPoints in full 3D
• Interactive Notebook resources for History
• Magic-motion PowerPoints with moving video portraits that bring historical figures to life!
• Project Based Learning packets for World & US
• Primary source materials 
• Links to short videos for every topic
• Fun online review games
• Editable tests, quizzes, & more! 

I promise you will not be disappointed by these amazing curriculum packages. You can subscribe and cancel any time or join for a whole year and save big!

You can download free lessons on our page as well to check out the resources!

Thanks so much for stopping by to check us out!

Indian Removal Act and Trail of Tears Lesson Plan

This engaging lesson plan on the Indian Removal Act is an awesome way to get students thinking critically, analyzing primary sources, and working together!

The complete lesson features directions for the teacher to set up multiple activities in one class period. There's a warm up question, introduction, link to a short video, and discussion points before leading into the primary source analysis activity.

There are 10 short excerpts from various speeches or documents related to the Indian Removal Act. These include words of:

• President Andrew Jackson
• Cherokee Chief John Ross
• Alexis de Tocqueville
• Soldiers who participated in the forced Indian Removal
• Native American voices
• ... and more! 

Each helps students gain a clearer image of the divergent views regarding the removal of the Cherokee and other Native American groups from the southeast.

Students record their own analysis of each on a chart then move on to a longer primary source speech to analyze. A worksheet is included for this speech to help students focus on the key points.

Answer keys for each are included for your convenience along with ideas for extension activities.

You can download this great lesson for your students here. Or, you can also get this resources along with 50 more on Early America as part of my Complete Early American History Unit Plan.

Thank you for stopping by!

Updated World War 2 Unit Plan!

I just gave my World War 2 Unit Plan Bundle a big update and it now includes over 50 activities for teaching everything about WW2 for either World or US History!

This awesome package features interactive notebook pages, Google Drive, PowerPoints, projects, dozens of primary and secondary source readings and activities, review materials, assessments, and more.

These are truly some amazing teaching resources and I know they will be awesome for your classes. I have used them myself for years now and refined them and added to the unit each year. Now, there's so many activities that you have choices each day about which resource you want to use. For example, on day 2 of the unit, there are 3 different reading activities. You can select one for your whole class or have students do different ones in groups!

     

It truly makes for an incredible and interactive unit in your social studies class. You can preview the entire unit here. It includes a Unit Planning Guide plus review materials at the end, including Jeopardy, task cards, and more. Then there's multiple tests to pick from which you can edit as well!

I promise this will be one of your best units of the whole year - packed full of exciting and egaging activities!

You can download this awesome World War 2 unit plan here!

Civil Rights Movement Lesson Plan with New Google Activity

This fantastic Civil Rights Movement lesson plan is inspired by the "Freedom Riders" who took buses South to register voters during the late 1960's.

Included in your activity download are 7 one-page readings on major events of the Civil Rights Movement. The 7 events are:

• Brown Vs. the Board of Education
• The Montgomery Bus Boycott
• The Little Rock 9
• The March on Washington
• Massive resistance in public schools
• The assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. 
• The killing of civil rights workers in Philadelphia, Mississippi

These readings can be hung around the room for your students to move through as a station activity, or completed in groups. As students stop and read about each event, they complete a graphic organizer and map each event. 

This is a great activity to get students moving around the room or used for student presentations. A completed example is included as well as several additional ideas on how to present the lesson. 

This download includes both printable and Google Drive versions of the activity! If you're in a paperless classroom or just want to integrate more digital resources, you can use the provided link to bring this resource into Google Classroom!

You can download this great lesson plan for your classes here: Civil Rights Movement Lesson

If you need more great resources for this unit, this activity can also be downloaded as part of the larger Civil Rights Movement Resource Bundle which includes many additional resources for your unit!

Thanks for stopping by to check it out!

Watergate Scandal Lesson Activity

One of the most important lessons in US History is the Watergate Scandal and how it transitions us from the Cold War to Modern America. Today's distrust of politicians and disillusionment in our government really stems from this period.

To teach my US History classes about Richard Nixon and the Watergate Scandal, I use this engaging lesson plan.

This great activity that you can download here, includes a PowerPoint overview with guided notes plus a primary source analysis activity!

The PowerPoint starts off with a bell-ringer activity then covers Nixon's presidency from his election in 1968 to his resignation in 1974. It guides students through the complex Watergate scandal with simple, easy-to-follow notes on the key players, developments, and events of the Watergate Scandal.

Next, students analyze a primary source from the scandal. Included are images of the source along with a transcription, worksheet, and timeline of the events of the scandal.

A teacher directions page features links to videos plus steps on how to use each resource.

Finally, your download includes both printable and Google Docs versions of the primary source analysis activity! If you've gone paperless  or  want to integrate more digital resources, there's a link to bring this resource into Google Classroom!

This is an excellent lesson plan to help students understand the transition to the modern presidency and distrust of politicians. You can download it all for your classes here!

Space Race Readings, Timeline, & Newspaper Activity - Now Updated with Google Classroom!

This lesson plan on the Cold War's Space Race has been totally updated to now include a Google Classroom version!

The lesson includes 11 1-page articles which students can read to learn about key events in the space race. Students use these to create newspaper pages which they can then present and use to create a human timeline and interactive notebook page timeline!

The events include: Sputnik, the famous Soviet dog Laika , voyages of John Glenn, Yuri Gagarin, Neil Armstrong, Voyager, launching of the Hubble Telescope, & more!

This can be differentiated in your classes by having students work in pairs, groups, or individually.

The new Google Classroom version features a "drag and drop" timeline of events and links to dozens of online sources for students to read about the events of the Space Race!  If you're in a paperless classroom or just want to integrate more digital resources, this is a great digital learning activity for the Cold War!

You can download this Space Race Timeline and Activity set here!

Thanks for checking it out!

Google Classroom for US History

This amazing Complete American History Google Drive Digital Interactive Notebook features 17 sets of fully-editable digital interactive pages on all of American History for Google Drive!

There are over 150 pages in this set to cover all of US History through digital pages! This is perfect for 1:1 classes, the computer lab, Chromebooks, or allowing students to use their own devices to learn US History!

These pages were based on traditional Interactive Notebook Pages, these these digital Google pages can be completed all online with laptops, tablets, or any other device that supports Google Drive! They also allow for online activities like dragging and dropping timelines, sorting vocabulary, inserting pictures, and other engaging activities!

Check out the preview here. These are really excellent for any unit in US History!

New US History Curriculum Packages with free LIFETIME Updates!

Over the past few years of creating new resources, I added more and more to the point that my Complete US History Curriculum was too big to be hosted online (about 1.6 GB). As a result, I made it available only on a USB flash drive that I would mail out.

However, TpT recently increased their file size limit up to 1 GB. While this still isn't big enough to hold ALL my American History resources, it is big enough to break the curriculum up into 2 halves! 

     

As a result, I created 2 new Complete Curriculum packages for US History! These are: 

US History Part 1

This bundle of over 300 resources covers the Age of Exploration through the Reconstruction Era. There are 10 complete units full of resources: 

• The Age of Exploration 
• The 13 Colonies 
• The American Revolution 
• The Constitution
• Early America 
• The Age of Jackson 
• Manifest Destiny
• Sectionalism & Reform 
• The Civil War
• Reconstruction 

US History Part 2

This bundle covers The Gilded Age to Modern America and includes almost 400 total teaching resources and 9 Complete Units: 

• The Gilded Age 
• Progressives and American Imperialism 
• World War 1 
• The Roaring 20's 
• The Great Depression 
• World War 2 
• The Cold War 
• The Civil Rights Movement 
• Modern America (Unit Bundle Coming Soon)

Both packages also include my popular Daily Warm Up Activities for US History along with amazing resources like:  

• Interactive Notebook Pages
• Digital Google Drive Notebooks
• Project Based Learning
• Primary Source Activities
• Magic Portrait lessons on the Founding Fathers and Civil War Leaders
• Engaging Review Activities

Best of all, these 2 downloads give you free updates for life! Every new resource that I add in the future for US History will get added to these 2 bundles. That means more Google Classroom activities, projects, interactive notebooks, and more! 

These resources are thorough, rigorous, and hyper-engaging. Your students will love your class and you'll finally have time to devote to their needs instead of stressing about planning.

You can download them here:

★ US History Part 1

★ US History Part 2

I promise you you'll love these packages! 

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

America's Constitution and Constitutional Convention Unit Plan

This download includes over 30 amazing teaching resources for a complete unit on America's Constitution and the Philadelphia Convention!

Everything is planned out for you throughout the 2-3 week unit. Every day is packed with activities to engage your students and help them understand the Constitutional Convention, Founding Fathers, and America's government.

Each of these amazing resources is included in this download:

★ Constitution Google Drive Digital Notebook
★ Interactive Notebook for the Constitution and Early America
★ Class Constitution Group Project
 ★ Constitution and Constitutional Convention PowerPoint Lesson
★ Compromises of the Constitutional Convention Reading
★ Bill of Rights Scenarios Analysis Worksheet
★ Constitution and Convention CLOZE Vocabulary Reading
★ Comparing Plans of the Constitutional Convention
★ Federalist Papers 10 and 51 Analysis Worksheets
★ Founding Fathers of America Magic Portrait PowerPoint
★ Constitutional Convention Pop-Up Figures "Rise of Democracy" Lesson
★ Alexander Hamilton: Lesson Plan for the Musical
★ Plus a selection of Warm Up Activities

Plus there's more resources included on the Articles of Confederation, a Jeopardy-style review game, and editable test. You won't find better lesson activities to teach about the Constitution anywhere!!

If you teach American History and are looking for more great resources, this entire unit plan bundle is included as part of the American History Part 1: Complete Curriculum Digital Download.

Thanks for checking it out and happy teaching!!

Evaluating Reconstruction Lesson Plan for US History

This awesome activity on the Period of Reconstruction has students assume the roles of different Americans during the 1870's to evaluate how various Reconstruction policies and events would affect them.

Students are assigned one of 6 different characters:

• Freed slave
• Poor white farmer
• Former plantation owner
• Freedmen's Bureau teacher
• Former Confederate general
• Radical Republican

After reading about their character, students have to think critically about each aspect of Reconstruction. They then decide which parts of Reconstruction would be positive for their character and which would be negative.

There are 14 different aspects of Reconstruction (Scalawags, Carpetbaggers, Black Codes, the KKK, etc), students must analyze. They then decide whether Reconstruction was a success or failure from that person's perspective.

This is an awesome higher-level thinking activity that will help your students gain a deeper insight into the lasting effects of Reconstruction.

This download includes both printable and Google Docs versions of the activity! If you're in a paperless classroom or just want to integrate more digital resources, you can use the provided link to bring this resource into Google Classroom!

The Google Doc version also includes links to online sources for students to research how each aspect of Reconstruction affected different Americans.

You can find a great companion PowerPoint on the Age of Reconstruction here which I use prior to this activity. Both of these activities are also part of my Civil War & Reconstruction Unit Bundle.

Boxer Rebellion in China Activity

This lesson plan on the Boxer Rebellion features engaging primary sources, videos, and a reading activity all in one download!

This is a fantastic resource for covering Imperialism and gives an excellent overview of the China's 1899-1901 Boxer Rebellion.

All of the following are included with this lesson plan:

• Thorough directions on how to present the lesson
• Bellringer to get started
• Reading activity on the Boxers
• Primary Source poem 
• Eight primary source cartoons on the Boxer Rebellion 
• Printable worksheet for individuals or groups
• Links to videos for the lesson

This also includes a Google Drive digital version of the lesson plan! If you've gone paperless or want to integrate more technology, you can use the included digital version through Google Classroom!

You can download this for your classroom today by clicking here.

Thanks so much for checking it out!

PS: You can get this great resource PLUS over 500 more amazing teaching activities for World or American History through a simple monthly subscription to my site StudentsofHistory.org!

Joining the site gives you immediate access to every engaging resource — each highly reviewed by thousands of teachers across the world! Save yourself time, energy, and sanity by joining today!

Secession of the South Lesson Plan and Activities

This fantastic lesson plan allows your students to analyze different primary sources related to Southern states seceding from the Union prior to the Civil War.

The activity is very easily adaptable for different grade levels and students. It can be done individually or in small  groups with students working together to analyze the printed copies. You can also do the activity digitally through included Google Docs version!

The complete lesson plan includes all of the following :

• A 2-page worksheet students use to analyze the primary sources
•  An excerpt from a speech by the Confederate Vice President 
• Mississippi's Declaration of Secession
• 2 primary source political cartoons
• Extension activity for class debate on secession
• A digital (and editable) Google Docs version of the resource
• Teacher directions page with included key

This is an awesome lesson to help your students better understand the real reasons the South seceded from the Union by analyzing the actual primary sources from the era.

The activity can also be downloaded as part of the Civil War & Reconstruction Unit Bundle with over 50 awesome resources for teaching all about the Civil War!

Thanks for stopping by to check it out!

PS: You can get this great resource PLUS over 500 more amazing teaching activities for World or American History through a simple monthly subscription to my site StudentsofHistory.org!

Joining the site gives you immediate access to every engaging resource — each highly reviewed by thousands of teachers across the world! Save yourself time, energy, and sanity by joining today!

Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman?" - Primary Source Analysis Activity

This engaging activity on Sojourner Truth's famous "Ain't I a Woman?" speech is awesome for giving your students an introduction to analyzing primary sources.

The download includes 2 different versions of Sojourner Truth's speech. First is the most widely printed version that repeats her iconic rhetorical question.  The second is an earlier account from an Abolitionist newspaper. Both versions are short, compelling, and easy for students to understand.

In my class, I ask for volunteers to read them out loud so students can hear the power in her words and better differentiate between the 2 speeches.

Following the 2 versions is a worksheet with open-ended analysis questions designed to get your students thinking critically about Truth's words and the differences between the two accounts.

I love this resource because it is an primary source that is engrossing and in language students can comprehend. It's a great way to get them into more primary sources.

Thanks so much for checking it out!

PS: You can get this primary source analysis activity PLUS over 500 more amazing teaching resources and lessons for World or American History through a monthly subscription to my site StudentsofHistory.org!

Joining the site gives you immediate access to every engaging resource — each highly reviewed by thousands of teachers across the world! Save yourself time, energy, and sanity by joining today!

LGBTQ History Activity for Social Studies

This lesson plan activity on the Lavender Scare of the 1950's is excellent for incorporating LGBT your Cold War unit!

The downloadable activity includes an article on the history of the "Lavender Scare". This period of fear and paranoia in the United States coincided with the Red Scare and saw thousands of government employees lose their jobs for being homosexual.

The article details how Senator Joseph McCarthy - of McCarthyism infamy - connected homosexuality to communism and un-American activities.

Soon after, newly elected President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10450, which led to a crackdown on homosexuality throughout the government and government contractors. The article goes on to connect the scare through to President Clinton's repeal of it and his "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy and finally President Obama's repeal of that.

After the article is reading comprehension activity with a worksheet and questions designed to help students think critically about what they learned.  This includes an answer key for your convenience.

Finally, this activity concludes with an extension activity with links to primary sources for students to analyze. These can be used for a collaborative learning activity with students delving into the Congressional reports, Executive Orders, and documents mentioned in the article.

You can download this great LGBTQ activity here.

Thanks so much for checking this out!

George Washington ESOL & SPED Activity Set

This George Washington reading and lesson set features a 1-page biography of George Washington and 5 different resources to pair with it!

The biography of George Washington is written in very simple English and designed for early ESOL classes or SPED students.I first used this with classes of 9th & 10th grade ELL students very successfully. These students were mostly Level 1 and 2 students who had only been in the US for a year or less. This was a great way to introduce them to our Founding Father!

This resource would also be an excellent activity for SPED students who are struggling readers. The activities include:

• A timeline for students to complete based on the reading
• A cut & paste interactive notebook-style graphic organizer on Washington’s life
• The same graphic organizer on Washington’s life, but without cutting or pasting
• A worksheet of 7 questions based on the reading
• A vocabulary page for students to use with words from the reading

A teacher directions page is also included along with answer keys for the timeline and worksheet. Pictures of a completed graphic organizer are included as well to help students visualize what it should look like when they are finished.

These activities are definitely engaging and will help students learn about our first president while working on their reading and writing skills. Check out the preview here for a closer look at each page from the download!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

PS: As a reminder, you can get this resource PLUS over 500 more amazing teaching activities for World or American History through a simple monthly subscription to my site StudentsofHistory.org! Joining gives you immediate access to every engaging resource - each highly reviewed by thousands of teachers across the world! Save yourself time, energy, and sanity by joining today!

World War II Lessons and Activities Unit Plan Set

This World War 2 Unit Plan includes over 50 awesome lessons and classroom activities in one easy download!

In one clearly-organized folder you will receive 10 PowerPoints, 8 student projects and cooperative learning activities, 10 reading resources and worksheets, review games and materials, a unit test with answer key, and more! There's over 50 resources in all!

Imagine having 3+ full weeks to a month completely planned out, FULL of visually-engaging, interactive activities for each day!

All of the following awesome teaching materials are INCLUDED with this one simple download:

• Rise of Dictators Pop Up Figures Lesson Plan

• Battles and Events of World War II PowerPoint Lesson

• Battles of World War II Radio Show Project

• WWII Nazi Nuremberg Trial Simulation Lesson Plan

• Countries of World War II Idea Web

• Analyzing Adolf Hitler’s Speeches Worksheet

• The American Homefront During World War II

• Hiroshima and Nagasaki 2x Atomic Bomb Survivor Worksheet

• Turning Point Battles in World War II Worksheet

• Charles Lindbergh US Isolationism and World War II Speech Worksheet

• Japanese Internment Camps Primary Source Reading & Worksheet

• The Holocaust: Background Through Liberation PowerPoint

• The Double V — African-Americans’ Experiences During World War II Lesson

• World War II Mexican-American Story — The Pied Piper of Saipan

• The Four Chaplains of the SS Dorchester Worksheet

• War Crimes Trials PowerPoint Presentation

• World War II Interactive Notebook Pages

• World War II Task Cards

• Allied Leaders of World War 2 Pop Up Figures Lesson Plan

• World War 2 Google Drive Interactive Notebook

You will also receive all of the great resources in this World War II Teaching Resource Bundle included as well!

PLUS even more great resources not available online, including a mapping the war PowerPoint, Jeopardy-style review game, and test and answer key! Also included is a simple directions page explaining pacing and the best way to use all of the resources over about 12 class periods.

Please download the free preview here for a more in depth look at all of the included resources. You can also click on all the links above for more about each specific resource.  

Priced individually, all of these resources would be over $60, so this bundled lesson plan set is a fantastic deal! 

Thanks so much for checking it out!

PS: As a reminder, you can get this resource PLUS over 500 more amazing teaching activities for World or American History through a simple monthly subscription to my site StudentsofHistory.org! Joining gives you immediate access to every engaging resource - each highly reviewed by thousands of teachers across the world! Save yourself time, energy, and sanity by joining today!