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A parade with cars and motorcycles, surrounded by cheering crowds and confetti, celebrating an event in a city.
A historical painting depicting a group of people in 18th-century attire engaged in a serious discussion.
Three military tanks positioned on a street, with a person standing in front and street lamps visible in the foreground.
A man in a suit and tie, with a short hairstyle, against a dark background.

Middle School United States History Teachers Resources

21 items

A parade with cars and motorcycles, surrounded by cheering crowds and confetti, celebrating an event in a city.
American Heroes, Past and Present
Lesson - 3 Activities

Lesson

3 Activities

How have Americans shown civic virtues throughout history?
A historical painting depicting a group of people in 18th-century attire engaged in a serious discussion.
George Washington and Self-Governance
Lesson - 7 Activities

Lesson

7 Activities

100 Min

What is the virtue of prudence? Explore how George Washington's prudence influenced the early republic and how it influences what we value in both citizens and leaders.
100 Min
Three military tanks positioned on a street, with a person standing in front and street lamps visible in the foreground.
Tiananmen Square and Courage
Lesson - 2 Activities

Lesson

2 Activities

90 Min

How did the anonymous individual who refused to yield to a tank during the crackdown on protesters at Tiananmen Square display the virtue of courage?
90 Min
A man in a suit and tie, with a short hairstyle, against a dark background.
Dwight Eisenhower and Responsibility
Lesson - 3 Activities

Lesson

3 Activities

90 Min

What military decisions did Dwight Eisenhower make on D-Day in World War II and how did he take responsibility for his grave decisions of launching the Normandy invasion?
90 Min
A young person wearing sunglasses walks among a crowd, holding a book, with adults in the background.
Elizabeth Eckford and Courage
Lesson - 4 Activities

Lesson

4 Activities

90 Min

What is the virtue of courage and why it is important in a society that values individual liberty? Trace the experience of Elizabeth Eckford and the Little Rock Nine to explore these questions.
90 Min
Middle school social studies resources about the Founding documents
The Founding Documents: A Three-Act Drama
Curriculum

Curriculum

Immerse little learners in the story of the Founding using this interactive resource. Introduce students to key figures like Benjamin Franklin, George Mason, and Thomas Jefferson among others. Complete with activity sections and vivid illustration, this resource is a wonderful introduction to Founding Principles.
Map of the United States displaying various geographic regions and their characteristics, including labels and colors.
Question Formulation Technique (QFT): Map of 1491 vs. 1754
Lesson - 2 Activities

Lesson

2 Activities

55 Min

It is recommended that this Lesson be completed to introduce the first unit of AP U.S. History. This Lesson will benefit from students having limited prior knowledge about the course content. This Lesson can also be used in conjunction with the Native People Narrative and The Oral Tradition of the Foundation of the Iroquois Confederacy Primary Source.
55 Min
Historic map of Virginia depicting geography, settlements, and illustrations from the early 17th century.
Maps Showing the Evolution of Settlement, 1624–1755
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.
An impressionist painting depicting a historic scene with figures in a boat, carrying flags of the American Revolution.
Art Analysis: Washington Crossing the Delaware
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.
Cartoon depicting Lincoln and a caricatured figure repairing a map of the United States to symbolize Union restoration.
Cartoon Analysis: The “Rail Splitter” at Work Repairing the Union, 1865
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.
Cartoon of a rotund man with a dollar sign for a head, captioned about Tammany's victory at a convention.
Cartoon Analysis: Thomas Nast Takes on “Boss” Tweed, 1871
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.
A woman draped in white symbolizes progress, set against a landscape of livestock and settlers in the westward expansion era.
Art Analysis: American Progress by John Gast, 1872
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.
Black and white photograph of a group of ten Indigenous individuals posed outdoors, with a building in the background.
Images from the Carlisle Indian School, 1880s
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.
A man and two children walking through a dusty landscape near a dilapidated wooden house.
Photographs: The Dust Bowl and Rural Poverty, 1936–1937
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.
Two men working together on an aircraft with an American flag in the background, featuring the text "UNITED WE WIN."
World War II Propaganda Posters, 1941–1945
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.
A document titled "Primary Source" discussing correspondence between Benjamin Banneker and Thomas Jefferson, 1791.
Correspondence between Benjamin Banneker and Thomas Jefferson, 1791
Activity

Activity

Document describing the principles of the Declaration of Independence and their relation to slavery and the Civil War.
Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, 1845
Activity

Activity

A document titled "Primary Source" discussing the Silent Parade of 1917 and African American rights in the early 20th century.
Images of the Silent Parade, July 28, 1917
Activity

Activity

Text discussing a primary source related to the Black National Anthem, with exploration questions about its historical context.
“Lift Every Voice and Sing”, James Weldon Johnson, 1900
Activity

Activity

Document titled "Primary Source" featuring a quote by Langston Hughes from 1936, discussing liberty and justice for African Americans.
Langston Hughes, “Let America Be America Again”, 1936
Activity

Activity

Presentation slide titled "Primary Source: 'We Shall Overcome'" with questions about civil rights movement principles.
We Shall Overcome
Activity

Activity