U.S. History Lesson Plans

The key to writing effective U.S. History lesson plans is good organization. At the outset the teacher should decide on the basic lesson framework. What will be the subject matter of the lesson? What will be its objective? What materials will be necessary to present the information?

The subject matter of each lesson should be carefully chosen so that it fits in with previous lessons and builds on the knowledge already accumulated by students. For example, a lesson on 1960s will only really be understood by students who have already studied the implications of colonization, the complex causes of the Civil War such as slavery and the state U.S. post-World War 2.

In formulating U.S. History lesson plans, it might be helpful to link topics to other subject areas studied by students. For example, those who take social studies lessons might understand certain historic circumstances more easily if they are encouraged to think about the social circumstances of the period being studied like women's rights, living conditions etc. It is a good idea to consult with the students' social studies teachers so that their lesson plans can be coordinated with yours and students will have the opportunity to study the same period and issues in both classes and from different angles.

As regards the objective of the lesson, it is important to think about how far you want to take the subject. For example, will your class on slavery deal with black history in general? If not, it is helpful to set out your parameters at the start of the lesson. If you do wish to incorporate it, think about formulating activities for black history discussion.

In the modern classroom, educational technology should be incorporated into the lesson. History PowerPoints are particularly effective in that they allow for clear and concise presentation of factual information during lessons. The visual format is also generally considered to be more interesting to students.

To make lessons dynamic, history games can also be used in lessons. Whether it is a quiz, a history crossword, or a role play, games encourage students to participate and help bring lessons to life.

You can purchase professionally made history PowerPoints for internet download, or delivery to your home or school in CD or DVD format. These offer several advantages.
It's like having a "classroom in a box" with PowerPoints that include lessons, crossword puzzles, exams and everything you need to teach. They're very flexible, as they can be used in many ways in the classroom, for instance, as an opening activity, in the middle of a unit, or for review. The PowerPoints are easy for teachers to navigate, as they are organized with a hyperlinked table of contents.
Teachers don't actually need PowerPoint loaded on a computer if they buy these materials in DVD form. The DVD can be played on any computer or and even a DVD player with remote control.
They are ready out of the box (or after the download), with no editing necessary, but can be easily customized if a teacher does want to make changes. 
PowerPoints hold students attention better, and are linked to national history standards and major state standards, which helps with state test prep, and can improve students' state test scores.
Purchasing professionally made PowerPoints for the classroom is great for both students and teachers.

Written by Muireann Prendergast. MultiMedia Learning LLC provides U.S. History lesson plans, as well as history classroom games, and World history PowerPoints. Learn more at http://www.multimedialearning.org.


For more information click here