The Reconstruction Era 3-Week Unit
Teach a 3-week study of the Reconstruction era guided by the essential question "What can we learn from the history of Reconstruction as we work to strengthen democracy today?"
![Portrait of a family](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-11/service-pnp-ppmsc-00000-00057v_0.jpg?h=fba49d59&itok=n7irMmx4)
The Reconstruction Era and the Fragility of Democracy
Use this rich collection of Reconstruction era primary sources, videos, and a 3-week unit to engage your students in this pivotal period in US history and its legacies today.
![African American and Radical Republican members of the South Carolina Legislature in the 1870s.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/Recon_Crop.jpeg?h=3d25abbd&itok=3H_YJPTl)
The Reconstruction Era Primary Sources
Enrich your teaching on the Reconstruction era with these primary source documents and images.
![Portraits superimposed on an image of the American flag](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Reconstruction_2022_FH2174814.png?h=8e4088dc&itok=zv81hdEs)
Defying the Nazis: The Sharps’ War
These lesson plans use the Ken Burns’ documentary "Defying the Nazis: The Sharps’ War" to explore what motivated Waitstill and Martha Sharp to help refugees.
![Picture of Martha and Waitstill Sharp](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-09/Defying_the_Nazis_banner_new_for_Web_or_Office_Use.jpg?h=96b73c84&itok=SAlIA7T0)
Developing Student Agency through History and Literature: Middle School Curriculum
Lead middle school students in an 18-week study of identity, membership and belonging, and civic participation through analysis of historical case studies and literature.
![High school students writing in class.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-08/_O5A1295_0.jpg?h=b69e0e0e&itok=FK45gLAF)
Ukraine: Discussing the War and Refugee Crisis with Students
Use this lesson to help students process how they are feeling about the devastating war in Ukraine, develop media literacy in what news they consume and how, and explore the mounting refugee crisis.
![Ukrainian Refugees crossing a fallen bridge.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/2022_RussiaUkraineConflict_FH2168262.jpg?h=7fb2964e&itok=suTcwNTN)
Ready or Nought, it’s Time to Face Race in the UK
Learn about impressions of Nought and Crosses and how it connects to the personal experiences of Facing History UK team members.
![A black and white hand on a red background.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-08/Noughts%20and%20Crosses_Large.jpeg?h=903dff9f&itok=XYuV9bwM)
Creating Student Projects
Help students develop a larger understanding and appreciation of the Jewish resistance movement during the Holocaust.
![Black and white photograph of six Jewish partisans standing in a forest clearing](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-12/4f728076-da8b-4921-a9c2-26834c0b5d06jpgpagespeedcejNOI-oC_Xq.jpg?h=fff89ad5&itok=PdRWicBS)
Sonia Orbuch: Becoming a Partisan
Explore the choices of Jewish partisan Sonia Orban, and gain a deeper understanding of the complexities that young people faced during the German occupation of Poland.
![Sonia Orbuch, a Jewish partisan in Poland during the Holocaust, and her husband on their wedding day in 1945.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Holocaust_2016_PartisanSoniaOrbuchafterWorldWarII_FH227675.jpg?h=01b11b5d&itok=fXjQZD3M)
Vitka Kempner: Identity and Resistance
Explore the choices of Vitka Kempner, a Jewish partisan who chose to resist the Nazis.
![Picture of Vitka Kempner](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-12/Vitka_Kempner.jpeg?h=8276ab78&itok=5w9R8E7w)
Frank Blaichman: Ethics in a Time of Genocide
In this lesson, students explore moral and ethical frameworks in relation to teach actions of Frank Blaichman.
![A young, white, mustachioed man wearing a uniform and a hat tilted to the side](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Jewish_Partisan_Frank_Blaichman_FH227676.jpg?h=ad641f7c&itok=o047HoPK)