Gilded AgeAll 5 grade bands · K-2 through APFree download
1888
Lesson plan.
Benjamin Harrison vs Grover Cleveland — Incumbent Grover Cleveland won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College to Republican Benjamin Harrison, grandson of President William Henry Harrison. The election centered on the tariff — Harrison championed high protective tariffs while Cleveland sought reduction. Harrison carried the key states of New York and Indiana. Cleveland's gracious acceptance of defeat ('I have tried so hard to do right') was widely admired; he would return to win back the presidency four years later.
What is in each packet
Cover
Cycle metadata + band eyebrow
Lesson plan
Instructor — timing, materials, standards
Reading
Sized to grade band (K-2: ~250 words → AP: ~650)
Background
Curated cycles — 5-7 vocab terms + primary-source excerpt
Student worksheet
K-2: 3 questions → AP: 8, mixed format
Answer key
Instructor — rationale on every item
Discussion prompts
3 prompts tied to era
DBQ (AP only)
Long-essay + 5-point rubric + second source