Lesson Plans That Really Work
If you teach middle school or high school level social studies, you may wish you had a pool of ready, effective and battle-tested lesson plans to draw from. Expertly designed plans that require minimal adjusting.
The History Dr offers unique lessons along with any support you may need to make them go off beautifully! When you purchase a lesson from us, you'll also receive one-to-one support from me about any issues that arise. Whether you prefer email, video chat or phone with their author, who has been awarded numerous honors in social studies instruction, you cannot fail with these. I'm dedicated to helping the next generation of teachers excel. Our democracy depends upon it!
See a free sample plan here to see what you'll get.
You can use them, right now, today. The History Dr's lesson plans were tested for more than 30 years in my classroom, in which students were encouraged, even required, to play active roles in their learning. They are all experiential and interactive. Your students will do history; not passively watch videos or lectures and answer questions from a textbook.
Watch your classroom comes alive with the most pressing issues of American history as students assume historical identities and contest the issues. Your students will become the primary actors in the class. You will love teaching these classes.
Browse our plans or search by historical periods listed (at right or the bottom) for the American history lesson plan that best meets your needs. For more explanation of this process, see our FAQs page.
A Nation or a League? Jackson Faces Nullification, 1832
6 credits ⓘ Credits worth $1 each, buy more and get discount
Students face the Nullification Crisis of 1832 in the roles of Jackson, Clay and Calhoun as they reason issues of federal taxes and the true nature of the Union.A Republican Campaign Leaflet
9 credits ⓘ Credits worth $1 each, buy more and get discountThis four-day lesson plan will turn your classroom into the Headquarters of the fledgling Republican Party as you seek to establish your platform and have your candidate prevail over the Democrat in the 1856 election. With tension and hostility growing between North and South, there is growing danger of civil war. Can your candidate unite the nation and keep the peace? This lesson specifies learning outcomes, activities and procedures and a grading rubric. Suggested time: 4-6 class periods.An Original Fireside Chat
7 credits ⓘ Credits worth $1 each, buy more and get discountStudents will learn about the New Deal and will hone their rhetorical skills--style, strategy and organization. Suggested time: 3-6 class periods.Dear Abby from “Confused in Kansas”
10 credits ⓘ Credits worth $1 each, buy more and get discount
Answer a Dear Abby column in the 1920's by impersonating a famous woman of the day. The Battle of the Sexes couldn't get hotter in this inventive and thought-provoking letter writing assignment.Life on the Home Front, 1942-1945
6 credits ⓘ Credits worth $1 each, buy more and get discount
Role play, followed by an analytical writing exercise about Civil Rights in wartime, Life on the Home Front helps kids look at Japanese internment from multiple perspectives. This two-day activity includes 17 identities from which to analyze the events and compare them to other historical parallels.
Rate The Colony, 1750
18 credits ⓘ Credits worth $1 each, buy more and get discountWhich colonial region in the 1700s had the most to offer potential immigrants from Europe? Turn your classroom into a tension-filled conference to find out! Students will experience superior self-directed inquiry, create compelling public orations, work and solve problems together, and explore the connections of past and present. The conference ends with a dramatic vote. Suggested time: 8 to 10 class periodsReconstruction Reunion, 1900
5 credits ⓘ Credits worth $1 each, buy more and get discountDid Reconstruction succeed or fail? Use the miracle of time-warp technology to debate the issues with leading figures of the day. This allows students to look at whether or not Reconstruction fulfilled the goals of the Civil War. Suggested time: 3-5 class periods.Slavery: Whose Loss?
6 credits ⓘ Credits worth $1 each, buy more and get discountThe slave experience was diverse. Students will explore the impact of slavery on all walks of life as they dispute who was harmed the most by the "peculiar institution." Suggested time: 3-4 class periods.Spy’s Dilemma
5 credits ⓘ Credits worth $1 each, buy more and get discount
Your students become KGB spies at the height of the Cold War. With FBI agents closing in, your student agents have time to transmit to Moscow only one of the stolen documents in their possession. Which one will it be?The Admissions Game, 1840
9 credits ⓘ Credits worth $1 each, buy more and get discountYour American history classroom takes a look at the most influential figures of the Antebellum Period. Your students will be challenged and stimulated by this activity that takes place in a fictitious university admissions department and culminates in a dramatic vote. Students will research, argue persuasively for their candidates and write convincing arguments. Suggested time: 3-5 class periods