ALEX Lesson Plan Resources

ALEX Lesson Plans  
Subject: English Language Arts (4), or Social Studies (4)
Title: Alabama's Early Governors
Description: In this lesson, students will learn about the executive branch of government at the state level, especially related to the first governors of the state of Alabama. Their impact on the development of Alabama and Alabama's role in the United States will be discussed. Students will use research and note taking skills to gather information on an early governor. Then students will participate in jigsaw groups to share their information, discuss the importance of each governor, similarities, and impact. Finally, students will discuss the role of governor and how governors have an impact on the state and the impact these men had in Alabama and in other states.  This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History. 


Subject: English Language Arts (4), or Social Studies (4)
Title: Letting Off Some Steam
Description: In this lesson, students will explore the invention of the steamboat and the role it played in the economy, transportation, and culture of the lifestyles of plantation owners, yeoman farmers, slaves, and townspeople of early nineteenth-century Alabama.  Students will compare and contrast steamboats, wagons, and stagecoaches as different modes of transportation for goods as well as people.  Students will create a steamboat advertisement to illustrate the importance of the invention of the steamboat in Alabama.  This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.