Students examine current news stories and from them develop "BIG" questions related to individual and group rights. They then relate their questions to the U.S. Constitution and supreme court decisions.

Fifth graders read the biographies of seven colonists and determine their position on the freedom of religion. They conduct a panel discussion of seven personalities and debate the religious freedom in America.

Pupils use communicative activity strategy, Go, Ask and Tell, or more traditional whole text comprehension activity to read, discuss and explore issues in article, Free Speech Comes at a Price, by Hugh Mackay.

Learners are introduced to the concept of Civil Rights. In groups, they use a timeline of the Navajo tribe to identify the ways the tribe has made advances in Civil Rights throughout the years. To end the lesson, they take notes and...

Students read "The Eiserloh Story" and evaluate decisions made by the government in time of war. They determine if the government violated the rights of innocent civilians. They identify the Bill of Rights and analyze each Right.

Young scholars become familiar with the concepts of human rights and constitutional rights. They have an increased awareness of the historical record as to the cessation of these rights, especially in regards to children during WWII. ...

Learners explore the concepts of martial law, writ of habeas corpus, due process, discovery and human and constitutional rights during World War II. They assess the roles and responsibilities of government leaders and citizens during...

Students discuss the Bill of Rights. In this Bill of Rights lesson plan, students discuss laws and rights. Students read a textbook selection about the bill of Rights, complete a vocabulary word activity, and complete guided reading...

Students research the US Presidential election of 1824. They explain why the election of 1824 was decided in the House of Representatives. They summarize relevant portions of the Constitution on presidential election procedures.

Tenth graders examine the role of Jewish Americans in the 1900s. They examing the changes in industry and inventions. They also identify how Jewish Americans changed society and religious organization.

What are the differences between homeschooling, traditional schooling, and unschooling? Middle and high schoolers examine the opinions of their peers on these varied types of education. After reading a New York Times article, they...

In groups, learners review one of four selected Supreme Court cases. The whole class watches a video introducing the four cases, and then small groups dive into Internet research in an attempt to write a two-paragraph summary of the...

All revolutions in science and technology have both pros and cons. Kids examine the advent of the green revolution, nuclear growth, use, and the countries that are considered nuclear powers. They'll construct three responses to each of...

The final lesson in a unit study of American slavery asks young historians to synthesize what they have learned about how slavery in America changed over time. Revisiting the many documents they have examined, they consider the economic,...

Who decides someone is not a real person? Scholars investigate the Dred Scott v. Sandford court case which deals directly with slavery and citizenship. After viewing a short video clip, classmates work in pairs to assess and discuss the...

First graders utilize observational skills to articulate similarities and differences in the plants they observe. They make comparisions of size, color, and height. Lima beans are planted at successively farther distances from a water...

When slavery ended, what did the government do to help African American during Reconstruction? An interesting instructional activity uses primary sources such as newspaper articles to help scholars analyze Reconstruction policies and how...

Young readers work on evaluating claims in a piece of informational text with the article "In New York, It's Open Bag or Find Exits" from the New York Times. They analyze current search procedures implemented to fight terrorism...

Students examine how citizens can influence legislation. They watch a video, develop a list of how citizens can influence legislation, answer video discussion questions, conduct Internet research, and write a recommendation for change to...

Eleventh graders analyze a chart comparing U.S. census data from 1850, 1880, 1900, and 1920. They read a handout summarizing immigration legislation from 1882-1996 and create a graph charting how open / closed U.S. immigration is over time.

Seventh and eighth graders solve and complete 20 various types of short answer problems. First, they write a brief description of themselves including those as stated. Then, learners categorize the type of sampling used in various...

Fourth graders study women's involvement in Texas politics. In this US history lesson, 4th graders discuss woman suffrage, examine three Texas female pioneer legislators by reading biographies, and explore women's issues by generating a...

Students analyze ozone data.  In this atmosphere lesson, students will use a NASA resource to gather data for different regions of the Earth.  Students will then create a graph for their data and answer related questions.