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"We have chosen what is common, established, almost proverbial; what has become indisputably 'classic,' what, in brief, every child in the land ought to know, because it is good, and because other people know it.  The educational worth of such materials calls for no defense.  In an age when the need of unifying our people is keenly felt, the value of a common stock of knowledge, a common set of ideas, is obvious."

E. D. Hirsch, Jr.
Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know

"I believe that somehow every student in every college of the United States ought to be taught fundamental lessons that say democracy is precious, democracy is perishable, democracy requires active attention and that democracy requires hard work."

Roger Wilkins,
Professor of History and American Culture,
George Mason University

"Social studies textbooks used in elementary and secondary schools are mostly a disgrace that, in the name of political correctness and multiculturalism, fail to give an honest account of American history."

Dianne Ravitch, Educator and Author

"The story of America's heroes, accomplishments and ideals is getting surprisingly short shrift in a place of great influence: the nation's public schools."

Albert Shanker Institute

America's Heritage:  An Adventure in Liberty
Elementary Lesson Plan Resource
$150.00 value!
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The elementary school resource can be downloaded in parts or all at once.  Due to file size and download time, downloading the entire elementary resource all at one time is recommended only for those with fast connections like DSL.
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1-Introduction:  The introduction to the AHEF elementary edition of America's Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty includes the publication and contact information, the table of contents, and the purpose/rationale for the curricula. The preface essay, 1776--From Freedom to Oppression: Modern History's First Experiment in Self-Government, offers a philosophical, political, historical, and socioeconomic background for the birth of the United States and the corresponding ideology of the curricula. (907 KB, 987 KB Spanish)
Download:    National Edition                           Texas Edition
                   National Edition (ESL Spanish)     Texas Edition (ESL Spanish)

2-American Heritage Themes:  Students have the opportunity to define, understand, and examine the four underlying, philosophical themes of the AHEF curricula—Freedom, Unity, Progress, and Responsibility—that are important for citizens individually and for our nation as a whole. The lesson includes related quotes by well-known figures, a poster activity, and a writing assignment for personal application. (656 KB, 691 KB Spanish)
Download:    National Edition                           Texas Edition
                   National Edition (ESL Spanish)     Texas Edition (ESL Spanish)

3-Colonial America:  Causes of the American Revolution: Students understand the reasons for and context in which immigrants came to America, and they experience colonial life.  Students learn about British policies in the colonies and their effects on colonists in early America with regard to the causes of the American Revolution. The lesson includes the Independence Game--a simulation of colonial life, trade, British rule, and events that occurred prior to and leading up to the American Revolution. (906KB, 960 KB Spanish)
Download:    National Edition                           Texas Edition
                   National Edition (ESL Spanish)     Texas Edition (ESL Spanish)

4-Declaration of Independence: Students investigate the circumstances surrounding and influencing the writing of the Declaration of Independence together with the colonists' devotion to freedom and reasons for issuing this important document. The lesson includes a copy of the Declaration, a contextual reading, a theater script, puzzle and text activities, and a visual art application.
(854 KB, 941 KB Spanish)
Download:    National Edition                           Texas Edition
                   National Edition (ESL Spanish)     Texas Edition (ESL Spanish)

5-A Famous Signature: Students can observe and assess the need to take responsibility for one's actions by examining John Hancock's signature as it appears on the Declaration of Independence and by recognizing this signer's bravery and absoluteness in standing for what he believed in. The lesson includes a copy of the famous Hancock signature, a visual reproduction of the original Declaration document, a group discussion assignment, and an artistic letter-tracing activity.
(700 KB, 723 KB Spanish)
Download:    National Edition                           Texas Edition
                   National Edition (ESL Spanish)     Texas Edition (ESL Spanish)

6-George Washington-Our First President: Students identify and apply the qualities of responsible leadership as exemplified in George Washington's life in the American colonial era. The lesson includes a thematic reading about Washington and a reflective silhouette activity for students' personal application. (535 KB, 553 KB Spanish)
Download:    National Edition                           Texas Edition
                   National Edition (ESL Spanish)     Texas Edition (ESL Spanish)

7-The U. S. Presidents:  Students acquire perspective on the progress of the nation through history as they gain an overview of all of the U. S. presidents and their major achievements and qualities. The lesson includes a chronological portraiture of the presidents, fast facts about each president's major accomplishments and attributes, and crossword puzzle activities.
(1.39 MB, 1.46 MB Spanish)
Download:    National Edition                           Texas Edition
                   National Edition (ESL Spanish)     Texas Edition (ESL Spanish)

8-The Great Seal:  Students identify and analyze the visual and representative elements that make up one of the United States' important symbols of unity, the Great Seal of the United States. The lesson includes pictures of the seal, a historical and philosophical background reading, and a bookmark activity. (543 KB, 603 KB Spanish)
Download:    National Edition                           Texas Edition
                   National Edition (ESL Spanish)     Texas Edition (ESL Spanish)

9-The History of Thanksgiving Day: Students discover the historical setting, origin, and meaning behind the first Thanksgiving holiday and, in the process, learn about the contributions of different people in the appreciation of unified, national blessing. The lesson includes a historical reading, KWL and comprehension activities, a role-playing journal activity, and a crossword puzzle.
(779 KB, 810 KB Spanish)
Download:    National Edition                           Texas Edition
                   National Edition (ESL Spanish)     Texas Edition (ESL Spanish)

10-The United States Flag: Students learn about the value and meaning of the U. S. flag as a symbol of freedom and unity by examining the various elements of the flag as well as the official uses of and ways to display the flag. The lesson includes a copy of the U. S. Federal Flag Code, a group vocabulary and analysis activity, and a KWL chart. (637 KB, 690 KB Spanish)
Download:    National Edition                           Texas Edition
                   National Edition (ESL Spanish)     Texas Edition (ESL Spanish)

11-The Star-Spangled Banner: Students find out about the dramatic circumstances surrounding the creation of the nation's powerful anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner," and may sing and/or memorize its first verse. Students learn about unity as a country as they consider the valor and patriotism reflected in the anthem's lyrics. The lesson includes the full text for the anthem, a historical and vocabulary reading activity, a KWL chart, and a text scramble. (706 KB, 857 KB Spanish)
Download:    National Edition                           Texas Edition
                   National Edition (ESL Spanish)     Texas Edition (ESL Spanish)

12-The National Motto: Students consider the nation's motto, "In God We Trust," as it progressively echoes the ideas of the Declaration of Independence and appears on U. S. currency. A timeline informs students of the process involved in developing, adopting, and displaying the motto. The lesson includes a coin-rubbing activity. (513 KB, 605 KB Spanish)
Download:    National Edition                           Texas Edition
                   National Edition (ESL Spanish)     Texas Edition (ESL Spanish)

13-The Statue of Liberty: Students discover and clarify the real meaning and significance behind the Statue of Liberty, including and focusing on the thematic idea of freedom. Students learn about the conceptualization of the statue and the practical steps that led to its completion. Students also examine the content and relevance of the poem inscribed on Lady Liberty. The lesson includes a reading and vocabulary activity, a cutout puppet project, a crossword puzzle, and a text scramble.
(1.20 MB, 1.23 MB Spanish)
Download:    National Edition                           Texas Edition
                   National Edition (ESL Spanish)     Texas Edition (ESL Spanish)

14-The Pledge of Allegiance & Creed: Students learn, recite, and analyze the nation's Pledge of Allegiance as a symbol of unity and patriotism among U. S. citizens. Students understand the terms in the text and the reasons why they are used. The lesson includes a vocabulary exercise, a copy of the Pledge text, and a text scramble. The American's Creed is also included as another textual symbol of loyalty and honor toward the nation. (728 KB, 843 KB Spanish)
Download:    National Edition                           Texas Edition
                   National Edition (ESL Spanish)     Texas Edition (ESL Spanish)

15-America the Beautiful:  Students find out about the background and creation of the nation's "unofficial" anthem, "America the Beautiful." In praising our country's freedom and illustrating its geographic and economic landscape, the song reflects the ideas of freedom and progress. The lesson includes the full text of the poem used as the song's lyrics, a background reading, a vocabulary and comprehension activity, and a creative writing assignment. (622 KB, 611 KB Spanish)
Download:    National Edition                           Texas Edition
                   National Edition (ESL Spanish)     Texas Edition (ESL Spanish)

16-What is an American?: Students reflect upon the philosophical, historical, religious, and economic underpinnings of the country. Ultimately, students recognize the need to be individually responsible citizens who contribute to the betterment of the nation as well as appreciate the unified effort of all citizens of varying backgrounds toward this shared goal. The lesson includes a compare/contrast writing assignment, a collage activity, and a reflective essay.
(487 KB, 498 KB Spanish)
Download:    National Edition                           Texas Edition
                   National Edition (ESL Spanish)     Texas Edition (ESL Spanish)

17-Teacher Resources:  Religious Expression in Public Schools: Religious expression is a historical element in the founding of the United States. Religious tolerance is known around the world as a key expression of freedom in our nation. Teachers and students can learn, clarify, and understand how religious freedom and expression applies to public schools and the classroom as addressed by the 1995 legal guidelines of the U. S. Department of Education. (574 KB)
Download:    National Edition                           Texas Edition

18-Character Education: This elementary level resource developed by HISD provides teachers and students with a month-by-month character education unit focus correlating with the AHEF themes of Freedom, Unity, Progress, and Responsibility. Each unit lists relevant or correlating resources including books, articles, and websites. (42 KB)
Download:    TEKS (Texas)

Texas (HISD) Project CLEAR Objective Correlations, Grade 5: The middle school edition of America's Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty correlates with Houston Independent School District's (HISD) Project CLEAR in Required Objectives and Correlations (ROCs) to assist and guide Texas teachers in the teaching of concepts on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) for Social Studies, Grade 5.
Download:    Project CLEAR Correlates Grade 5 (Texas)

America's Heritage:  An Adventure in Liberty (National Edition): This supplement includes all sections of the elementary school resource. Lesson plans correlate to the Core Knowledge standards applicable to teachers throughout the United States. (Download recommended only for fast connections like DSL.) (3.73 MB)

America's Heritage:  An Adventure in Liberty (National Edition ESL Spanish): This supplement includes all sections of the elementary school resource in both English and Spanish for ESL and bilingual program teachers.  Lesson plans correlate to the Core Knowledge standards applicable to teachers throughout the United States. (Download recommended only for fast connections like DSL.) (4.12 MB)

America's Heritage:  An Adventure in Liberty (Texas Edition): This supplement includes all sections of the elementary school resource. Lesson plans correlate to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards applicable to teachers in the state of Texas.  (Download recommended only for fast connections like DSL.) (3.75 MB)

America's Heritage:  An Adventure in Liberty (Texas Edition ESL Spanish): This supplement includes all sections of the elementary school resource in both English and Spanish for ESL and bilingual program teachers.  Lesson plans correlate to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards applicable to teachers in the state of Texas.  (Download recommended only for fast connections like DSL.)  (4.13 MB)