U.S. Mexico War: “We Take Nothing by Conquest, Thank God”
Teaching Activity. Lesson by Bill Bigelow and student reading by Howard Zinn. 21 pages.
Interactive activity introduces students to the history and often untold story of the U.S.-Mexico War. Roles available in Spanish.
Union Maids
Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow and Norm Diamond.
Activity for students to write from the point of view of one of the women featured in the film Union Maids.
Unleashing Sorrow and Joy: Writing Poetry from History and Literature
Teaching Activity. By Linda Christensen.
Teacher reflection on different ways to effectively incorporate poetry into history or literature classes.
Unsung Heroes: Encouraging Students to Appreciate Those Who Fought for Social Justice
Teaching Activity. Essay by Howard Zinn and lesson by Bill Bigelow. 17 pages.
Students research and share stories about unsung heroes in U.S. history.
A War to Free the Slaves?
Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow.
Students examine excerpts from Lincoln’s first inaugural address, the rarely mentioned original Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution that Lincoln promised to support, and the Emancipation Proclamation to explore some of the myths about the Civil War.
Warriors Don’t Cry: Connecting History, Literature, and Our Lives
Teaching Activity. By Linda Christensen.
Role play and writing activities for language arts and social studies on the Little Rock Nine, Brown v. Board, and schooling in general. Designed for use with the memoir Warriors Don’t Cry.
‘We Had Set Ourselves Free’: Lessons on the Civil Rights Movement
Teaching Activity. By Doug Sherman.
The author describes how he uses biographies and film to introduce students to the role of people involved in the Civil Rights Movement beyond the familiar heroes. He emphasizes the role and experiences of young people in the Movement.
What Rights Do We Have?
Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow and Norm Diamond.
This lesson teaches some of the nuts and bolts of labor unions and then moves beyond to ask students to consider what rights they have at work, and to recognize that “rights” depend in large part on what people have fought for and won.
What War Looks Like
Teaching Activity. By Howard Zinn. 2002.
Background reading for teachers and high school students on the impact of war.
What We Don’t Learn About the Black Panther Party — but Should
Teaching Activity. By Adam Sanchez and Jesse Hagopian. 33 pages.
A mixer role play that introduces students to the pivotal and largely untold history of the Black Panthers.
‘What We Want, What We Believe’: Teaching with the Black Panthers’ Ten Point Program
Teaching Activity. By Wayne Au. 7 pages.
The author describes how he used a study of the Black Panther’s Ten Point Program to help students assess issues in their own communities and to develop Ten Point Programs of their own. Available in Spanish.
What the Tour Guide Didn’t Tell Me: Tourism, Colonialism, and Resistance in Hawai’i
Teaching Activity. By Wayne Wah Kwai Au. 5 pages.
Lesson on the history of Hawai’i and the impact of colonization and tourism.
When the Impossible Suddenly Became Possible: A Reconstruction Mixer
Teaching Activity. By Adam Sanchez and Nqobile Mthethwa. 25 pages.
A mixer role play that explores the connections between different social movements during Reconstruction.
Who Freed the Slaves?
Student Handout. By Bill Bigelow.
This timeline can be used as a resource for lessons on the Civil War, President Lincoln, the 54th Regiment, and the end of slavery.
Who Makes History?
Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow and Norm Diamond.
This lesson introduces students to Bertolt Brecht’s poem, A Worker Reads History. Students reflect on the creative role of workers in making history.
Whose “Terrorism”?
Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow. 11 pages.
Using scenarios based on real situations, this lesson helps middle and high school students examine the definition of terrorism and the use of the term terrorism in the media and U.S. foreign policy.
“Why Is This the Only Place in Portland I See Black People?”: Teaching Young Children About Redlining
Teaching Activity. By Katharine Johnson. 10 pages.
An elementary school teacher introduces the history of redlining through a role play designed for 1st and 2nd graders.
Why Students Should Study History: An Interview with Howard Zinn
Background Reading. By Howard Zinn. 1994.
Interview conducted by Barbara Miner on a number of questions about the study of history.
Witness to Apartheid: A Teaching Guide
Teaching Guide. By Bill Bigelow. 1987.
Lessons and activities that accompany the 1986 film Witness to Apartheid.
Reconstructing the South: A Role Play
Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow. 17 pages.
This role play engages students in thinking about what freedpeople needed in order to achieve—and sustain—real freedom following the Civil War. It’s followed by a chapter from the book Freedom’s Unfinished Revolution on what would happen to the land in the South after slavery ended.