Standard 15: Explain major political events from the Nixon administration to the present, including the Vietnam War; Watergate; the collapse of the Soviet Union; the Gulf War; the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks; and the War on Terrorism.
Lesson Plans The 1970s Oil Crisis Using historical references, this lesson requires students to describe the 1970's oil crisis and the effects it had on the transportation industries. Watergate In this lesson, students will use reference skills to learn the primary events of the Watergate crisis.  Additionally, students will conduct an interview with a Watergate-era adult and present a summary of their interview. Constitutional Issues - Watergate and the Constitution This NARA lesson plan gives teachers a chance to explain the Watergate incident to students. The Teacher's guide has three different activities that stimulate discussions of the Constitution and the legal system. Exploring Non-Violent Alternatives to Terrorism In this lesson, students reflect on the 1979 occupation of the American Embassy in Iran. They then research the nations that are believed to currently pose a threat of terrorism toward the United States and speculate on ways in which these nations' conflicts with the United States could be solved through non-violent means. White House Scandals In this lesson, students compare and contrast Watergate to other scandals associated with the White House. Watergate In this Internet scavenger hunt (Webquest), students will access information from a Web site created by the Washington Post, the newspaper that uncovered the president's illegal activities. Carter as President and as Ex-President President's often outline their goals in their inaugural address to the nation.  In this lesson from Discovery, students analyze this address to evaluate former President Carter. Balancing Budgets: From Reagan to Today The concept of a balanced federal budget has attracted much attention from the 1980s through today. In this lesson, students will explore the approaches that have been considered and implemented to solve this problem. U.S. President Facts This activity is a great way for students to get acquainted -- or reacquainted -- with the United States' presidents!
Resources Watergate A CNN/Time site which includes all types of multimedia. Watergate Presented by the newspaper that broke the story, this 25th-anniversary web site contains interviews with Ben Bradlee and Bob Woodward, as well as links to Key Players and Reforms resulting from Watergate. American Memory A gateway to rich primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States. The site offers more than 7 million digital items from more than 100 historical collections. Digital History This site provides links to American history web sites by period and provide historical overviews, readings, primary source documents, maps, cartoons, teaching resources, and audio-visual resources. The additional resources below are by the POTUS (Presidents of the United States) website, provided by Internet Public Library.  POTUS provides viewers with biographical information, image galleries, administration appointments, and numerous links for all of our nation's Chief Executives. Richard Milhous Nixon Gerald Rudolph Ford James Earl Carter Ronald Wilson Reagan George Herbert Walker Bush Illusion and Delusion Photographs of the Watergate years. Nixon A biography with pictures.  Watergate A CNN/Time site which includes all types of multimedia. Watergate Presented by the newspaper that broke the story, this 25th-anniversary web site contains interviews with Ben Bradlee and Bob Woodward, as well as links to Key Players and Reforms resulting from Watergate. Nixon Tapes, National Security Archive Primary documents and audio selections dealing with the relationship between President Richard Nixon and the former president of Mexico. Pentagon Papers Secrets, Lies, and Audiotapes the Nixon tapes and the Supreme Court tape, briefs and opinions. POTUS (Presidents of the United States) In this resource you will find background information on each of the presidents. Special Education Files SMART Notebook Activities ELL Suggestions