Unit Plans

Need new ideas on how to teach American history? Search our database of plans to discover plans aligned to the Pennsylvania State Standards (SAS).    Big Ideas, Essential Question, Concepts and Competencies are outlined for you. 

Unit plans link to lesson plans that fit class periods.  Each lesson includes learning objectives, vocabulary, and background material for students and teachers as well as primary sources from our collection.

Check back often as over the next few months we update and post unit and lesson plans that existed on our previous website.

 

Browse Unit Plans
The War of 1812 & the Star-Spangled Banner

On June 1, 1812, the United States of America declared war on the British. Several international factors led President James Madison to declare war after years of failed negotiations and laws aimed at preventing another conflict with the British.

Grade Level: Grade School
Standards:
8.1.3.C
8.1.4.C
8.1.5.C
8.3.3.B
8.3.4.B
8.3.5.B
Philadelphia Labor: Joseph Fels and James Samuel Stemons

In the early 1900s, the Philadelphia labor movement struggled to overcome the obstacles of the city’s close alliance between politicians and businessmen. Few workers experienced an increase in benefits and wages, let alone the formation and recognition of a union. Many ethnic groups suffered from biased hiring policies and corrupt owners.

Grade Level: High School
Standards:
8.1.9.B
8.1.12.B
8.2.9.D
8.2.12.D
8.3.9.A
8.3.12.A
Immigration in the American Tradition

Xenophobia has played a large role in American History from the first English settlers of Pennsylvania to the modern day fears that accompany the arrival of new immigrant groups. People's fears are based on differences in religious, cultural, and social beliefs, as well as economic and national security concerns. The documents within the unit illustrate different xenophobic organizations and laws.

Grade Level: High School
Standards:
8.1.9.A
8.2.9.B
8.2.9.C
8.2.9.D
8.3.9.B
8.1.U.A
From Fugitive Slave to Freemen

The "From Fugitive Slave to Freemen" lesson incorporates three documents tracing the advancement of men and women from the status of fugitive slaves to black soldiers fighting for the Union Army in the American Civil War.

Grade Level: High School
Standards:
8.1.U.A
8.2.U.A
8.3.U.A
8.2.U.B
8.3.U.B
Women's Rights

This unit examines the struggle women endured economically, politically, and socially in the United States during the nineteenth and twentieth century. Through the analysis of the Women Huckster's Petition, National Woman Suffrage Association's Constitution, and the Equal Rights Amendment brochure, students will understand the struggle women encountered in their fight to obtain economic and political rights.

Grade Level: High School
Standards:
8.1.9.A
8.2.9.A
8.1.12.A
8.2.12.A
8.3.9.C
8.3.12.C
The Promise and Challenge of Religious Freedom

The significance of religious freedom in the founding of Pennsylvania can best be understood through an examination of the Jewish Petition to the Dutch West India Company, William Penn’s Charter of Privileges, and The Remonstrance of the Subscribers, and the Cadwalader Bible Riots.

Grade Level: High School
Standards:
8.1.9.A
8.2.9.A
8.1.12.A
8.2.12.A
8.2.9.C
8.2.12.C
Philadelphia Chinatown’s Fight for Survival: A Study of Movements for Social Justice

Philadelphia’s Chinatown, long viewed by policymakers and non-Chinatown residents as a tourist destination and a place to get a good, affordable meal, is a community with a long history. In studying the history of Chinatown, students can gain valuable knowledge about a range of histories, including the history of immigration policy in the United States, the formation of ethnic enclaves in urban environments, and the role of urban neighborhoods in the development of the city.

Grade Level: High School
Standards:
8.1.12.A
8.1.12.B
8.2.9.D
8.3.9.A
5.3.9.G
5.3.12.H
Civil Rights in Pennsylvania

Throughout the twentieth century, blacks in Pennsylvania employed numerous strategies to achieve the civil rights they deserved. Their efforts for to receive their rights began with a strategy of New Deal liberalism in the 1940s and 50s headed by prominent black leaders. When attempts to rewrite the laws using the esablished political system failed, black leaders encouraged more direct action, like boycotts and sit-ins. The movement quickly took on a black nationalist approach.

Grade Level: High School
Standards:
1.2.12.C
1.2.12.D
5.2.12.A
8.1.12.C
8.2.12.A
8.2.12.B
The French and Indian War in Pennsylvania

"...they said they would go speak to their Chiefs and come and tell us what they said, they returned and said they would hold fast of the Chain of friendship. Out of our regard to them we gave them two Blankets and a Handkerchief out of the Small Pox Hospital. I hope it will have the desired effect." From, William Trent's Journal, 1763

Grade Level:
Middle School
High School
Standards:
1.6.6.A
7.1.6.A
8.1.7.B
8.2.6.A
8.2.7.B
8.2.8.B
Water: An Environmental Crisis in 19th Century Philadelphia

This activity is designed to introduce students to the environmental consequences of industrial and urban development in the late 19th century. Students will learn about the devastating effects of industrial waste on the drinking-water supply of Philadelphia in the late 19th century and about the solutions employed to improve public health. They will use primary sources published by the Philadelphia Water Department and the Philadelphia County Medical Society in 1885.

Grade Level: High School
Standards:
1.6.12.A
7.4.9.A
7.4.12.A
8.1.9.A
8.2.9.B
8.1.12.B