The State of the Union Address
Students review the origins of the State of the Union in the Constitution and then watch significant moments in selected historical addresses and identify important themes, continuities, and discontinuities.
U.S.-China Trade Tensions
In this lesson students examine primary sources from U.S. officials, scholars, journalists, and business leaders supporting and opposing Trump administration trade policies with China.
Resource Guide: Transgender Identities and Rights
A collection of resources that may prove useful to educators looking to learn more about transgender identity, discuss transgender identity in the classroom, and to support transgender students.
#WontBeErased: Source Analysis
Students read a general overview text about transgender identity in the United States and analyze social media posts as sources about transgender identity today.
Gerrymandering: One Person, One Vote?
In this lesson students understand the reasons for and process of redistricting after a census.
An Interactive Timeline: U.S. Immigration Policy, Past and Present
Students review a timeline of U.S. immigration policy and laws from European colonization to today, collaboratively synthesize their findings, and present them to the class.
Safeguarding Democracy: Understanding Allegations of Russian Election Interference
In this lesson students analyze the issues and controversies surrounding Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Debating the U.S. Response to Violence in Syria
Students explore, debate, and evaluate multiple perspectives on U.S. policy towards Syria through a role-play activity.
South China Sea: Maritime Conflicts
In this lesson students explore, discuss, and evaluate multiple perspectives on maritime disputes in the South China Sea.
Puerto Rico’s Recovery After Hurricane Maria: Who is Responsible?
In this lesson students learn about the post-hurricane situation in Puerto Rico within a broader context of U.S.-Puerto Rican relations.
Syrian Refugees: Understanding Stories with Comics
In this lesson, students will read stories of Syrian refugees to learn more about the ongoing civil war and refugee crisis in Syria.
Myanmar and the Rohingya
In this lesson students learn more about the Rohingya people of Myanmar and the current conflict.
North Korea Nuclear Crisis
In this lesson students will understand the current threats of a nuclear crisis between North Korea and the United States.
History in Dispute: Charlottesville and Confederate Monuments
In this lesson students will understand the idea of historical memory and contextualize recent events in Charlottesville within a larger historical controversy.
Values and Public Policy
Students identifying values as a way to understand the views of others, find common ground where it exists, and work together to find ways to form policy.
Famine Today: The Greatest Humanitarian Crisis Since World War II
In this lesson students learn about two historical famines and the current food crises in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen.
President Trump’s Executive Order on Immigration and Refugee Policy
In this lesson students practice source analysis skills, consider bias, audience, and author expertise to assess source reliability.
From George Washington to Donald Trump: Comparing Inaugural Addresses
In this lesson students explore significant moments in selected historical inaugural addresses and identify important themes, continuities, and discontinuities
Black Lives Matter: Continuing the Civil Rights Movement
Students review a timeline of black activism in the United States from the 1950s to today and identify core themes of the civil rights and Black Lives Matter movements.
Youth Activism and the Dakota Access Pipeline
Students discuss the controversy over the Dakota Access Pipeline, read and analyze letters from native youth activists who oppose the project, and reflect on the role of youth in social movements.
Refugee Stories: Mapping a Crisis
Students gain an understanding of the current refugee crisis by mapping data and exploring personal accounts of refugees.
The Candidates and Their Values: Election 2016
Students examine their personally held values, explore the platforms of presidential candidates, assess how their own values and beliefs align with those of the candidates, and discuss the potential impact of the upcoming election.
Resource Guide on the Orlando Nightclub Shooting
An annotated list of sources that offer suggestions for various classroom approaches to these tragic events.
Resource Guide on the Terrorist Attacks in Paris
An annotated list of online sources that may be helpful for approaching some key aspects of the terrorist attacks in Paris.
Negotiating Climate Change: Paris 2015
Students examine the need for, and challenges associated with, creating an international agreement on climate change.
The Iran Nuclear Deal
Students interpret political cartoons to better understand the role of the U.S. in the debate about the Iran nuclear deal.
Cuba and the United States: A New Chapter
Students explore the changing relationship between the United States and Cuba.
Governing Global Health: The World Health Organization and Ebola
Students explore the structure of the World Health Organization (WHO) and its role in the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, discuss challenges the WHO has faced in responding to the Ebola outbreak, identify what resources are needed to bring the epidemic under control.
Nigeria and Boko Haram: Inequality, Injustice, Insurgency
Students gather information about Nigeria and the Boko Haram insurgency and identify core challenges faced by the government and people of Nigeria.
The Struggle to Define Free Speech: From Skokie to Paris
Students consider how different societies define freedom of expression, analyze historical sources that reveal contrasting views on freedom of expression in the case of Skokie, Illinois, where a Nazi group attempted to demonstrate in the 1970s, and explore the current free speech controversy in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks.
The Umbrella Movement: Protests in Hong Kong
Students analyze photographs of the protests in Hong Kong and explore the symbols and messages that protesters use to express their views.
ISIS: A New Threat
Students use political cartoons to explore the role of ISIS in the Middle East.
Unrest in Ukraine
This lesson provides a background to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, has students analyze political cartoons, and asks them to monitor the Ukrainian crisis in the news.
Graffiti in Egypt’s Revolution
Students will assess the role of graffiti in political protest, use a short video to analyze the relevance of graffiti during the Egyptian revolution and articulate opinions on graffiti and censorship.
The Egyptian Revolution: An Interactive Timeline
In this lesson students review an interactive timeline of events in Egypt over the past three years and identify core themes of Egyptian protest movements.
Fifty Years after the March on Washington: Students in the Civil Rights Movement
Students hear stories from former civil rights activists, analyze what motivated students to join the movement, what their experiences were like, and consider the relevance today.
Debating U.S. Drone Policy
Students will explore, debate, and evaluate multiple perspectives on U.S. policy regarding drones.
On the Brink of Nuclear War: Leadership and the Cuban Missile Crisis
In this lesson, students will understand the significance of the Cuban Missile Crisis and Consider lessons from the missile crisis for today.
U.S. Policy in the Middle East: Analyzing Political Cartoons
In this lesson students explore current issues in the Middle East and their relation to U.S. policy by interpreting political cartoons.
The Costs of War
In this online lesson students explore the human, economic, social, and political costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.