Stop lecturing about history and help your students engage with it! They will use the highest levels of thinking in this challenging, but engaging activity as they figure out for themselves who Christopher Columbus really is: A Hero or a Villain? I had great success with my students and this activity as spontaneous debates erupted in the classroom over which title this controversial character deserves. This is part two of a three part unit on the Age of Exploration. This section is a primary source analysis where students will use 9 documents to determine if Christopher Columbus deserves the title “Hero” or “Villain.” These engaging documents include primary and secondary sources about the explorer. Students will analyze paintings, illustrations, letters, journal entries, reports, and news articles that share a variety of opinions about Columbus and who he was. Each document is fairly short, the longest being a page, and so are very manageable for students. Depending on the length of your class periods, this activity could take up to two days. If you have purchased the Aztec primary source set from my Native American Unit, this set is designed the same way and will help your students continue to build on those skills as the year progresses. A PowerPoint is included to help you be successful as well as a packet for you that includes a key and tips in order to simplify your lesson planning and help you make the most out of this teaching tool. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to see a sample: jennalyn.mackay@gmail.com

A creative idea for an open project that gets kids thinking and giving back. Great to use during a unit on civics and government. I had great success with this project in my classroom. It is best to not use it at the beginning of the year. This is a handout that includes a description of the project, ideas, a simple rubric, and a place for students to write their proposals and for you, the teacher, to approve of before they begin.

In this activity, students will learn how Christopher Columbus's discovery of America led to a global chain of events that changed and shaped the world. This activity is easily adaptable. You could simply use this as a boring notes page if you are short on time. It could be completed individually or with partners as a research assignment. Or you could turn it into a fun game where students race each other in teams, using their background knowledge and textbooks to try and place the cards in the correct box. Any way you do it, at the end the students are provided with a visual understanding of how this event changed the world. There are two versions of the actual worksheet, a word version for editing and a PDF file for simplicity. I have also included a key. The final two files are "cards." The cards are supposed to be cut out so students can move them around and experiment. It makes it easier for the teacher to come and check and tell them yes or no and have them experiment again without continually erasing. The complete set does not have pictures. The other set is not complete, but has pictures if you are interested.

This is one of my favorite units. I did it almost every year I was teaching and always had a good response. It works well because the writing assignment involves choice and authenticity. They aren’t writing what you tell them to write and they aren’t writing to you. This works great for a persuasive writing unit in English or a government unit in U.S. History. Students write official letters to their government representatives. Included in this set is a page for the teacher explaining how I taught this unit, a page on ethos/pathos/logos that can be used as a handout or a lesson, a planning page that guides the student's research and outline, a letter format page to help the student understand how to write an official letter, and a peer edit page for the revising process.

Students will create a menu complete with appetizers, main course items, and desserts. Each menu item should reflect your students' understanding of how the Columbian Exchange changed the world, specifically the world of food. Includes a handout and a rubric. This resource will be a part of "Age of Exploration Part 3."

Included in this set are a basic planning page and a writing page. I introduced this topic at the beginning of our unit on explorers and we referenced it throughout the unit. It was the student's final project for our unit. This is in a word document so you may edit as needed.

As a teacher I believe in an occasional party with a purpose. After all, they exist in the workforce, why not in the classroom? This is a fun, but educational "birthday party”, to be held near President's day. A Presidential Birthday Party typically lasts 20-30 minutes. Students complete the test while the room is set up. The resources for the party include: an “invitation" that has clear instructions, a sample assignment, and list to be cut into strips for assigning presidents. Resources for the test include: a study guide, lyrics to the song "The Presidents" by Warner Bros Animaniacs, and the quiz over the first 17 presidents. For the actual "birthday party”, we would have cake and icecream, but drinks and cups would be sufficient. Students get really into this activity and it's a fun and easy way to introduce them to some of the presidents that may or may not be covered in your curriculum

This is designed to be a unit for about two weeks. The packet itself is 18 pages. I have included the packet as both a PDF and a docx as well as a teacher version with answers, explanations, and tips. This packet includes introduction pages, a geography portion, big questions, guided notes, a group project, primary sources analysis, and an individual creative project. The unit is modeled using Blooms Taxonomy: it starts with knowledge, but rises quickly through the different levels until the students are creating and making judgments of their own. It follows closely to three big questions that will help students differentiate myth from fact, analyze the way Native Americans used resources to the way we use them today, and look closely at how artifacts can help us better understand the cultures that left them behind. The most important part of the packet is a primary source analysis that allows students to compare and contrast information from 5 primary sources about the downfall of the Aztecs. These are sources that were carefully picked for this age group that are interesting and easy to understand. Please message me if you have any questions. I will also divide the packet up and sell it separately if that interests you. If you'd like, you can browse through any of my resources that begin with "Native American Unit" and get a better idea of what is included.

I’m a big believer in doing geography along with each unit as it is applicable. The alternative (an entire geography unit at the beginning of the year) I’ve found to be torture for many of my students and they do not remember the important things for each unit by the time we get around to discussing them (i.e. where is Washington D.C. now that it’s been over 3 months since we memorized that capital…). This worksheet and map will have your students drawing on physical features that were important for Native Americans and continue to be critical for us today. It also has your students shade in areas where Native American groups lived that will be studied throughout the Native American Unit (Inuit, Cliff Dwellers/Anasazi, Iroquois/Haudenosaunee, Mound Builders/Cahokia, Aztec, and Mayans). This activity is included in the unit packet that can be purchased in my store: "Native American Unit." Please message me if you have any questions.

This set includes three different activities: a worksheet to get the students thinking; a Gallery Walk activity with pictures, instructions, and a worksheet; and a page with big questions to ponder throughout the unit. I have included a teacher version that has tips and instructions along with sample questions to encourage discussion. These activities could be could be completed in a 45 minute class period, depending on the length of discussion your class engages in. If you would like to purchase the entire unit, just look for the resource "Native American Unit" in my store. The entire unit includes resources for around 2 weeks, depending on your schedule and students' abilities.

This is an easily adaptable project for your students. I have included instructions as well as ideas for how to adapt it in the Teacher file. The resource also includes a rubric. This resource is a group project in which students take information about the way Native American used the land and the natural resources around them and compare it to the way we use the same land and resources today. After learning about these groups in class and reading about them and the way the land is used today, students will be required to make a judgement call: Are we using the same resources today to the best of our ability, or is their something we can learn from these native cultures? In some instances the students will find ways in which we could improve use of the land by modeling our use after Native groups. In some instances, students will find warnings from the Native use of resources that we need to avoid. This is part of a larger resource that can be found in my store called "Native American Unit." You will also want to download for free the resource "Native American Unit: Resources Proposal Information Packets." Here are the actual instructions for this project. I have inserted clarifications in brackets: You just learned some basics about four different Native American groups that lived in four different parts of North America [see my resource: "Native American Unit: Guided Notes"]. Some of these native groups still live in these areas, some don’t. As industrialization and modern life have entered these regions, how have things changed? Are the modern Americans better or worse at using and abusing these areas? What can we learn from the Native groups that lived in these areas longer than the modern inhabitants? As a group, choose ONE of the four areas [arctic, four corners/southwest U.S., Mississippi River valley, and the Great Lakes region]. Use the information packets [see free resource "Native American Unit: Resources Proposal Information Packets] or the internet for your research. Make sure each person in your group has an assignment. As a group, you will create a proposal to be submitted to local or national government leaders comparing the way the land was used pre-colonization to the way it is used today. You should choose in your proposal to either support and encourage the current way we are using those lands by comparing it to the way Native cultures used it OR suggest a change based on the way Native cultures used it. Make sure your proposals are well written and polished and reference research, not just your own ideas!

The resource includes a guided notes page for your students and a key for you. It also includes a link to a very informative prezi I made that goes right along with the guided notes. These notes will give your students an overview about four very different Native American groups: Inuit, Cliff Dwellers/Anasazi, Mound Builders/Cahokia, and Iroquois/Haudenosaunee. These notes are part of a larger unit you can find in my store called "Native American Unit." You can purchase the unit as a whole for $15. Please message me if you have any questions.

In this set of five primary sources, students will be able to compare and contrast different viewpoints surrounding who the Aztecs were and why their civilization fell in order to come to their own judgments and conclusions. There is a PowerPoint that will help teach your students (through the use of a text message scenario) the importance of looking at multiple sources and how to compare them while thinking like a historian. Students will analyze each source looking at author, audience, and purpose and then identify the main ideas, compare and contrast to other sources, and finish by making a judgment call. I have selected sources about the Aztecs that are both interesting and easy to understand. That being said, primary sources can be difficult for students especially if it is their first time. In order to help, I have a teacher page with tips and ideas and the PowerPoint will walk you through two of the five sources if you choose to do part of it as a whole class. I loved doing primary source analyses in the classroom. It made the history really come alive and taught the students critical skills. It’s no longer about giving the kids the information, its about teaching them how to analyze and sift through the information being hurled at them. Plus, they get really into it! Let them voice their opinion, be sure to use the arrow opinion gauge in a public place so the whole class can see how viewpoints shift, and get ready for an exciting and meaningful break from history lectures! This is part of a larger unit. If you would like to purchase the entire unit packet for $15, search for it on my store: “Native American Unit.” Please let me know if you have any questions!

This is Part One of a unit on European Exploration. This section covers an introduction to the unit with an attention grabber activity, intro to the Big Questions of the Unit, a lesson on how maps can be biased, a geography assignment built into a guided notes presentation, and an engaging presentation. The presentation, guided notes, and geography portion explain the why behind European exploration and connects the past to the present without weighing the students or the teacher down with meticulous details. It covers the main ideas while bringing up important points and questions. It'll have the students connecting events that happened over 500 years ago to current events like calling the War on Terror as a "Crusade" and current level of imports to the U.S. from Asian countries. These questions will help students grasp the importance of being sensitive to historical events, what we can learn from them, and the ways they still impact us today. As a bonus, there are links to a couple entertaining, but applicable, clips to break up the note taking. Keep a look out for Part Two and Part Three which will contain a Primary Source Analysis and engaging group and individual projects and assignments. If you like this unit, consider purchasing my Native American unit which is similar in scope, style, and focus.

I have included both a teacher version and a student version for this project. There is also a presentation to help you teach the students about artifacts, how to analyze them, and introduces the final project. For this project students will create an artifact that should reveal something about themselves as well as their community. This project allows for a lot of freedom and is a great beginning of the year project, which conveniently is when Native American units are usually taught. It will allow you as a teacher to get to know who your students are personally as well as what their strengths are as a student. The PDF is for you, the teacher, and gives you some tips and ideas for how to introduce this project as well as an easy way to keep tabs on their progress and, finally, fun ideas for presenting the artifacts at the end of the unit. This is part of a larger unit which can be purchased in whole for $15 from my store. It is called "Native American Unit." Please let me know if you have any questions!

This set includes resources on the Columbian Exchange and a project for researching explorers called Pokexplorers: Gotta Explore it All! It also includes the completed student packet. The entire Exploration Unit can be purchased as a bundle for $15.

This is the free version for the Presidential Birthday party - a fun and educational activity where students prepare place cards and toasts to various U.S. Presidents. Please see the paid version for $5 for access to the "invitation" to the party with detailed instructions, pages to help you as the teacher make it a success, and study aids for the test.

These are free for downloading for your convenience if you purchased the Native American Unit or the Native American Unit: Resources Proposal Project. I did not spend a lot of time making these especially attractive, but I did focus my energy on making them useful. I have taken information from the websites listed on the Resources Proposal Project and narrowed it WAY down to be far more manageable for your students. Each packet has a "Stuck?" page at the end to guide their thinking. When printing, I advise you to hold on to the "Stuck?" page and hand out if groups are struggling. These pages guide their thinking and highlight quotes from the different articles that are particularly important. Please let me know if you have any questions. You can find the entire Native American Unit in my store or you can simply search for the Native American Unit: Resources Proposal Project, if that interests you.

Includes 3 different quizzes and a key. Quizzes are formatted to fit multiple on a page for easy printing.