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American Icons: A Radio Series from Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen

A radio series which focuses on the fundamental works in American cultural history featuring one-hour programs that span our history: Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, Herman Melville's Moby Dick, Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, Edith Wharton's novel The House of Mirth, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, I Love Lucy, and The Autobiography of Malcolm X.

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Detail map of ancient Mesopotamia

Teaching the Middle East

Scholars from the University of Chicago developed, and master teachers tested, this resource to provide an overview of Middle Eastern cultures and their contributions to the world.

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  • More Amazing Americans: A WebQuest

    Created October 12, 2010
    More Amazing Americans: A WebQuest

    Through a series of interactive lessons, guided by a WebQuest, students learn about many amazing Americans. Ultimately, students get to nominate and highlight their own amazing Americans.

  • The Poet's Voice: Langston Hughes and You

    Created October 8, 2010
    The Poet's Voice: Langston Hughes

    Poets achieve popular acclaim only when they express clear and widely shared emotions with a forceful, distinctive, and memorable voice. But what is meant by voice in poetry, and what qualities have made the voice of Langston Hughes a favorite for so many people?

  • Perspective on the Slave Narrative

    Created October 5, 2010
    Perspective on the Slave Narrative

    Trace the elements of history, literature, polemic, and autobiography in the 1847 Narrative of William W. Brown, An American Slave.

  • Launchpad: Perspectives on the Slave Narrative

    Created October 5, 2010

  • What is History? Timelines and Oral Histories

    Created October 5, 2010
    What is History? Timelines and Oral Histories

    This lesson plan addresses the ways people learn about events from the past and discusses how historical accounts are influenced by the perspective of the person giving the account. To understand that history is made up of many people’s stories of the past, students interview family members about the same event and compare the ifferent versions, construct a personal history timeline and connect it to larger historical events, and synthesize eyewitness testimony from different sources to create their own "official" account.

  • What Makes a Hero?

    Created October 1, 2010
    What Makes a Hero?

    A common lament one hears today is that young people lack heroes to emulate. Is that true? After completing this lesson plan, students will be able to describe what makes a hero in various contexts.

  • Slave Narratives: Constructing U.S. History Through Analyzing Primary Sources

    Created September 30, 2010
    Slave Narratives: Constructing U.S. History Mary Kincheon Edwards

    The realities of slavery and Reconstruction hit home in poignant oral histories from the Library of Congress. In these activities, students research narratives from the Federal Writers' Project and describe the lives of former African slaves in the U.S. -- both before and after emancipation. From varied stories, students sample the breadth of individual experiences, make generalizations about the effects of slavery and Reconstruction on African Americans, and evaluate primary source documents.

  • Women in the White House

    Created September 29, 2010
    Women in the White House: First Ladies

    Explore the role and impact of recent First Ladies through research and family interviews.

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