Educator Resources

Explore lesson plans, activities, program brochures, and other helpful educational resources.

America at 250 Reflection Resource

President Lincoln’s Cottage Online Resources

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Recommended President Lincoln’s Cottage Books

Lincoln’s Sanctuary, Matthew Pinsker (Oxford University Press, 2003)
Emancipation at 150, President Lincoln’s Cottage (2013)
Cottage Photo Biography, President Lincoln’s Cottage (2015)

School Programming

2024-2025 School Programs Brochure

Lesson Plans

The Failure of Reconstruction

Appropriate for 11th grade U.S. History
Developed by Ellen Resnek, Morgantown, Pennsylvania

Why the Civil War was Fought: Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address

Appropriate for middle and high school students
Developed by Megan Purdy, Lake Braddock Secondary School, Burke, Virginia

President Lincoln’s Cottage: A Retreat

Appropriate for Grades 5-8
Developed by American University public history graduate students in conjunction with President Lincoln’s Cottage staff
Accepted to the Teaching with Historic Places lesson plan program run by the National Park Service

Faces of War Lesson Plan

Appropriate for Grades 6-8
Developed by Janet Johnson, Pine Street Elementary, Wayland, Michigan

Comparative Government: The Evolution of Equal Protection Law

Appropriate for high school students
Developed by Stratton Shartel, Annandale High School, Annandale, Virginia
Powerpoint to supplement classroom instruction

Homes of Lincoln

Appropriate for middle and high school students
Developed by Amy Trenkle, Alice Deal Middle School, Washington, DC

The Emancipation Proclamation

Appropriate for high school students
Developed by Bradley Swain, West Springfield High School, Springfield, Virginia AND Harlan Kinzer, Alice Deal Middle School, Washington, DC

Abraham Lincoln and the Soldiers’ Home: Privacy & Access to the President

Appropriate for high school students, primarily 11th and 12th grade
Developed by Heather Beckmann, Centreville High School, Clifton, Virginia

Related Sites and Other Online Resources

Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

African American Civil War Museum

American Civil War Museum

The Collected Works of Lincoln

Emancipation Proclamation at National Archives

Ford’s Theater

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Library of Congress

Lincoln Boyhood Memorial

Lincoln Day by Day Online

The Lincoln Forum

Lincoln Home in Springfield

Note: President Lincoln’s Cottage is not associated with these other websites, and these links are just provided as general resources.

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