We currently teach reading as if it is a skill to absorb rather than a skill to be taught. Research has proven again and again that the most effective way to...
Learn about the role of the US Congress, how it works, its history, and the principles behind its creation and operation. Wonderful set of resources including FAQs, short articles and video clips, "interactive learning modules" (i.e., a video presentation where you can follow a member of congress through the day or try a federal budget allocation activity), commentaries, teacher professional development materials, and more. The entire site, including video materials, is also available in Spanish.
Students will consider the different ways that humor can be used by a writer to criticize people, practices, and institutions that he or she thinks are in need of serious reform. Students will read satirists ranging from classical Rome to modern day to examine how wit can be used to make important points about culture.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Students research an aspect of modern life that they would like to lampoon.
Students read from satirists across history to absorb the style and forms of humor and institutions satirized.
Students write their own satire, drawing on techniques of famous satirists to criticize their targets.
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.
What is satire, and when is it too harsh?
How can humor and irony make you more persuasive?
What do you think is funny? How far would you go to satirize it?
Who gets more reaction—satirists or protestors?
Open this page for links to the full text of Henry George's "Progress and Poverty", which became popular during the American Progressive Era.
Complete directory of the political parties that are active in the United States. Links to each party's website are included along with a brief overview of each one with major players.
Learn about Helen Keller's work toward special education and reform in this video from the AMERICAN MASTERS documentary Becoming Helen Keller. Using video, discussion questions, teaching tips and an activity focused the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), students learn about the history of the critical law that ensures free public education to children with disabilities in the United States and provides special education and related services to those children. Support materials are provided. [1:07]
This collection uses primary sources to explore immigration to the US and immigrant Americanization between 1880 and 1930. 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.
This article examines science education from the what, when, and how perspectives and describes resources that support a reform view of teaching and learning.
This site, a companion to a PBS program, explores the lives of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. With ample use of video and audio commentary, the site chronicles their work, their friendship and thus the history of the American suffrage movement. As you listen to their stories and view the flash pictures, you can also read a side text for more information.
This collection uses primary sources to explore the politics of the Gilded Age. 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.
Amelia Bloomer was a prominent advocate of women's rights in the 19th century. She invented bloomers to replace the skirt hoop, in an effort to free women from much of their cumbersome apparel. She later used her newspaper, The Lily, to push for reform.
Offers teaching activities, four political cartoons, and a narrative about reforms proposed by three major presidential candidates in 1912: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson.
This essay is a thorough investigation of the various political and philosophical changes which have occurred throughout the environmental movement. Examines the current situation and includes references. Excellent article.
Check out this wonderful interactive site from the National Archives and Records Administration, to learn about the women's suffrage movement during the Progressive Era. See photos and primary documents related to the topic (click to enlarge).
U.S. History is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of most introductory courses. The text provides a balanced approach to U.S. history, considering the people, events, and ideas that have shaped the United States from both the top down (politics, economics, diplomacy) and bottom up (eyewitness accounts, lived experience). U.S. History covers key forces that form the American experience, with particular attention to issues of race, class, and gender.Senior Contributing AuthorsP. Scott Corbett, Ventura CollegeVolker Janssen, California State University, FullertonJohn M. Lund, Keene State CollegeTodd Pfannestiel, Clarion UniversityPaul Vickery, Oral Roberts UniversitySylvie Waskiewicz
What happened to the nineteenth-century temperance movement? Becca discusses the rise of the American Temperance Society, teetotalism, and the temporary pause in the movement that accompanied the Civil War. [6:19]
Khan Academy learning modules include a Community space where users can ask questions and seek help from community members. Educators should consult with their Technology administrators to determine the use of Khan Academy learning modules in their classroom. Please review materials from external sites before sharing with students.
U.S. History is designed for a two-semester American history sequence. It is traditional in coverage, following a roughly chronological outline, and using a balanced approach that includes political, economic, social, and cultural developments. At the same time, the book includes a number of innovative and interactive features designed to enhance student learning. Instructors can also customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom.
This seventh grade annotated inquiry provides students with an opportunity to explore how words affect public opinion through an examination of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Students will investigate historical sources related to the novel and reactions in the North and South in order to address the compelling question, “Can words lead to war?” This query takes advantage of the mixed messages students often receive about the power of words. Students’ understanding about how words can make a difference is often grounded in discussions of words used to bully, instead of the power of words to encourage reform. This is an ANNOTATED inquiry with additional information on the questions, tasks, and sources within.
This site, a compliment to PBS's landmark series "The West," provides an excerpt from President Chester Arthur's First Annual Message to Congress. In this speech, Arthur outlines his proposals for dealing with the Native American population.