Books That Shaped America

Extension Lessons

Below you will find C-SPAN Classroom resources relating to the topics and categories listed above. Click on each title to expand the section and view the featured resources.

Books That Shaped America

Many of the following resources come from C-SPAN and the Library of Congress' partnership series, Books That Shaped America.

Video Clip: Books that Shaped America (11:49)
Lesson Plan: What Book Has Shaped America? (10 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Book That Shaped America - "Common Sense" (15 Clips & Slides)
Lesson Plan: Book That Shaped America - "The Federalist" (13 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Book That Shaped America - "Lewis and Clark" (18 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Book That Shaped America - “Frederick Douglass” (18 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Book That Shaped America - "The Common Law" (15 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Book That Shaped America - "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" (13 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Book That Shaped America - "My Ántonia" (17 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Book That Shaped America - "Their Eyes Were Watching God” (13 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Book That Shaped America - "Free to Choose” (17 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Book That Shaped America - "The Words of César Chávez” (21 Clips)

Extension Lessons

In partnership with Harvard University Graduate School of Education's Jocelyn Chadwick and former NBC producer John Grassie, C-SPAN Classroom is excited to offer the following resources that serve to extend student learning from our original Books That Shaped America lesson plans above. Each of these resources come with an extended video segment and additional resources.

Lesson Plan: Extension - Thomas Paine and "Common Sense" (1 Clip)
Lesson Plan: Extension - "The Federalist Papers" (1 Clip)
Lesson Plan: Extension - "Lewis and Clark" (1 Clip)
Lesson Plan: Extension - Frederick Douglass' "Narrative" and Beyond (1 Clip)
Lesson Plan: Extension - "The Common Law" (1 Clip)
Lesson Plan: Extension - Willa Cather and "My Ántonia" (1 Clip)
Lesson Plan: Extension - "Their Eyes Were Watching God” and the Harlem Renaissance (1 Clip)
Lesson Plan: Extension - Legacy of César Chávez (1 Clip)
Stay tuned for more resources!