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Lesson Plans

Inquiry-based lesson plans exploring a small number of sources over one or two class periods

20th Century, Classroom Materials, Lesson Plans, Middle School

Women of the Great Migration, Part I: Letters from the South

Colored glass slide showing 15 Black women working at sewing machines in a large hall. Completed dresses hang on the walls around them.

Freda D. Brown, 2024 DAR Fellow
May 6, 2024

20th Century, Classroom Materials, Lesson Plans, Middle School

The Chicago Defender as the North Star

Approximately 30 Black men in suits and ties sit at two long tables in a small, well-decorated room. Most have reading material in front of them. Two stand at a rack of newspapers on the side of the room.

Freda D. Brown, 2024 DAR Fellow
May 6, 2024

19th Century, 20th Century, Classroom Materials, Elementary School, Lesson Plans

The Carrington Store

Black-and-white photograph of a two-story building standing alone and fronting a street with horse drawn vehicles. The first floor has a covered awning over the sidewalk labeled "E.H. Carrington Groceries" and has advertisements for a variety of products. Six well-dressed people stand under the awning.

Hilary Mac Austin and Kathleen Thompson
January 31, 2023

20th Century, Classroom Materials, High School, Lesson Plans, Middle School

Blockbusting

Single page of cursive text in pencil. The text describes the author's experiences and advocates for better housing access for African Americans in Chicago

Hilary Mac Austin and Kathleen Thompson
December 16, 2022

15th Century, Classroom Materials, College Prep, Lesson Plans

Contexts for the Book of Margery Kempe

Colored drawing of a nun (St. Bridget) writing at a writing desk. An angel whispers in her ear while a monk prays next to her. Above her head is a dove descending from a burst of light representing the Holy Spirit. On either side of the dove are depictions of Jesus Christ. On the left, God the father (an older man with a beard) holds him after he was taken down from the cross. On the right, the Virgin Mary holds him as a baby. All the figures are white.

Joe Stadolnik, PhD
December 5, 2022

19th Century, Classroom Materials, High School, Lesson Plans

Perspectives on the United States

Title page of book printed on birch bark. Title readings "The Red Man's Greeting, 1492-1892 by Chief Pokagon." In the lower right corner is an image of a white man standing on a beach with many other white men behind him. They carry flags and crosses and are disembarking from a boat." The image is captioned "Landing of Columbus."

Hilary Mac Austin and Kathleen Thompson
April 6, 2022

20th Century, Classroom Materials, High School, Lesson Plans, Middle School

Women’s Suffrage

Hilary Mac Austin and Kathleen Thompson
April 6, 2022

18th Century, Classroom Materials, High School, Lesson Plans

Native Nations in an Age of Empire and Revolution, 1750-1783: Assessments

Rachel Banke, PhD
March 23, 2022

19th Century, Activities, High School, Lesson Plans, Middle School

Civil War Letters

Hilary Mac Austin and Kathleen Thompson
February 28, 2022

20th Century, Classroom Materials, Lesson Plans, Middle School

All Together in World War I

Hilary Mac Austin and Kathleen Thompson
July 7, 2021

20th Century, Classroom Materials, Lesson Plans, Middle School

Pullman Porters

Hilary Mac Austin and Kathleen Thompson
July 7, 2021

19th Century, Classroom Materials, Lesson Plans, Middle School

From the Letters of Amy Eleanor Wingreen (1870-1919)

Hilary Mac Austin and Kathleen Thompson
June 30, 2021