Take a look at an image of the constitutional amendment that put an end to slavery in the United States. Interactive image is accompanied by an overview of the amendment's inception and adoption, as well as document transcript.

Short video [1:11] on Abraham Lincoln animated and narrated with humor. Support materials for students include background essay on Lincoln and fact sheet to accompany video.

A detailed lesson plan of Abraham Lincoln to celebrate the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth. In a PDF file, the complete lesson is provided along with visual aides needed for the lesson. Draws on photographs and masks of Lincoln's face and discusses their significance in terms of his activities in office.

This is a collection of five video lessons about Bill T. Jones, an African American choreographer, director, author, and dancer, and his quest to determine if Abraham Lincoln was a Good Man! or a Good Man? from today's perspective.

Students will complete a double bubble thinking map by sorting facts that go with Washington, Lincoln or both. Also included in this plan is an art project, worksheets, and video of the lesson in action. Great activity to use after reading about Washington and Lincoln!

In this video [2:18] from the documentary American Masters: Bill T. Jones: A Good Man, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company has been commissioned by the Ravinia Festival in Chicago to create a dance performance celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. While Bill T. Jones decides that Paul, a dancer within the ensemble, will represent the "dancing" body of Lincoln, he also ponders an approach to the development of the performance piece as a non-narrative series of ideas.

In this segment [5:10] from the documentary American Masters: Bill T. Jones: A Good Man, the creative process continues for the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company in the creation of a dance-theater piece about Abraham Lincoln. Bill T. Jones notes the current trend of artists creating work independent of the restrictions of previous generations. In an effort to advance the performance while mirroring the trend, Jones decides to take away some of the focus from the Lincoln family story to include the personal stories of dancers within the company.

This video [5:39] demystifies the film editing process as producers and editors discuss edits to the documentary American Masters: Bill T. Jones: A Good Man. The film chronicles Bill T. Jones creating Fondly Do We Hope, Fervently Do We Pray, a dance performance commemorating Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday. As the post-production process evolves, the filmmakers confront the same challenge Jones faced: should they include a reference to "snakes in bed," a metaphor Lincoln used to illustrate his views on slavery in the new territories, or should it end up on the cutting room floor. Includes teaching tips and discussion questions.

An overview of Reconstruction provided by the University of Houston. Provides images and the political climate that occurred during this part of American History.

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) provides an elaborate overview of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Content includes detailed background information behind the document, photos of the original document, a full transcript, and an audio clip of a former slave discussing work and living conditions after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Image of handwritten copy of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, accompanied by an explanation of the speech's purpose, impact, and role in American history.

In small groups, students closely examine one sentence from the Gettysburg Address and create a multigenre project communicating what they have discovered about the meaning and significance of the text.

The 12th grade learning experience consists of 7 mostly month-long units aligned to the Common Core State Standards, with available course material for teachers and students easily accessible online. Over the course of the year there is a steady progression in text complexity levels, sophistication of writing tasks, speaking and listening activities, and increased opportunities for independent and collaborative work. Rubrics and student models accompany many writing assignments.Throughout the 12th grade year, in addition to the Common Read texts that the whole class reads together, students each select an Independent Reading book and engage with peers in group Book Talks. Language study is embedded in every 12th grade unit as students use annotation to closely review aspects of each text. Teacher resources provide additional materials to support each unit.

In this short unit, students will spend three lessons exploring some of Abraham Lincoln's speeches. Students will explore Lincoln's themes and consider how they address the issues of his time, and they'll analyze the literary and rhetorical devices he used to express his ideas.

This project unit—a multimedia self-portrait published in digital form—is the capstone of your students' high school careers. It is a chance for them to pause and reflect on where they've been, where they're going, and who they are as a person. Students will reflect on what they want others to know about them: what they want their message to be and what types of media they might use to convey that message. Students will have the opportunity to express themselves in many different formats—through writing, of course, but also through other media of their choosing. Students will be able to convey your message through visual art, photography, a graphic novel, audio, poetry, or video—practically any type of media they want!

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Students will complete a multimedia self-portrait, capturing important aspects of the essence of themselves.
Students will contribute one chapter from their multimedia self-portrait to a class anthology.
Students will present one chapter from their multimedia self-portrait to the class.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

These questions are a guide to stimulate thinking, discussion, and writing on the themes and ideas in the unit. For complete and thoughtful answers and for meaningful discussions, students must use evidence based on careful reading of the texts.

How is late adolescence a moment of internal and external change?
What are the most important qualities of your character—past, present, and future?
How can you portray these key aspects of yourself using multimedia?

BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT: Cold Read

During this unit, on a day of your choosing, we recommend you administer a Cold Read to assess students’ reading comprehension. For this assessment, students read a text they have never seen before and then respond to multiple-choice and constructed-response questions. The assessment is not included in this course materials.

Congratulations! Students have finished and published their final project. Now they will begin to share and present the chapter they included in the class anthology. As their classmates share, they should note what in the presentations stands out. What made a strong impression?

The class will finish the presentations. What new things about the students did the presentations teach them? Were there common themes students noticed in all of the presentations? Did those themes help them draw conclusions about the experience of being a teenager?

Follows the events leading to the trial of those accused of conspiring to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Historical documents and primary sources describe the events.

This collection uses primary sources to compare and explore the relationships between Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.