Standard 1: Utilize historical inquiry skills and analytical processes.

In this lesson, students use primary and secondary sources to examine life under Stalinist Soviet Union, before, during and after World War II. This resource helps support Florida’s State K-12 Holocaust Education Mandate.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students read a non-fiction text as they learn of the artifacts unearthed from the remains of a Salvadoran village preserved in volcanic ash much like Pompeii. Students will discover how researchers piece together evidence to determine the significance the artifacts reveal in illustrating the daily lives of this ancient people. As students come to understand the researchers use the artifacts to infer religious, cultural and economic aspects of the Ceren village, they will answer text-dependent questions and compose a multi-paragraph writing response (sample answer keys included) asking students to describe the power of this natural disaster to destroy this ancient culture yet preserve its details for future generations to learn from.

Type: Lesson Plan

This informational text is designed to support reading in the content area. It describes the remains of a Salvadoran village preserved in volcanic ash, much like Europe's Pompeii. The unearthed village reveals artifacts that illustrate the daily lives of this ancient people. The authors use artifacts to infer religious, cultural and economic aspects of the Ceren village.

Type: Text Resource

Born in 1949, under the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin, Tatiana Menaker grew up in communist Soviet Union (now the Russian Federation), witnessing first-hand the inequalities that occurred under Stalin’s rule. “Refuseniks,” Tatiana and her family applied for permission to emigrate and became “Refuseniks” when they were denied permission to emigrate. Eventually, Tatiana engineered a plan that would allow her and her family to escape the Soviet Union.

Type: Video/Audio/Animation

Lily Tang Williams was born in communist China during Mao Zedong’s rule. She witnessed Mao’s Cultural Revolution first hand as she was growing up. She was a member of the Young Pioneers and the Red Guard, but yearned to come to the United States to learn about and live in a democracy. In 1988, she was able to come to the United States for schooling and was granted asylum status.

Type: Video/Audio/Animation

View a 10-part video on the Battle of Yorktown, the culminating battle of the Revolutionary War. With French aid, George Washington led American troops to a victory that ensured American independence.

In addition to the video, you will find primary source documents and a graphic organizer to help you analyze the Battle of Yorktown in greater detail.

Type: Video/Audio/Animation