Young scholars use the internet to research the beginnings of the United States government. In groups, they examine the presidency of George Washington while they are guided along a museum tour. They end the instructional activity by...

Fourth graders participate in a simulation of the Donner Party in order to learn more about this episode in history. In this social studies lesson, 4th graders take on a role which dictates their group job; each role was assigned to...

Students investigate the motion of a swinging pendulum. They experiment with a pendulum to find out why it might swing at different speeds at different times.

Fifth graders use a scientific calculator to practice finding equivalencies They discuss the possible uses for the scientific calculator. They experiment with other basic functions using the calculator.

Students test the strength of the arch in eggs. Then form hypothesis for how to increase their strength.

Students create a classification tree based on grouping candy with eight different properties. This allows students to understand how living things are classified.

Provides a good basic introduction to the Constitution. Explains the founding principles, checks and balances, the rationale for it, the accomplishments of the Constitutional Convention, the debate and ratification, the structure of the...

Read the complete text of the Virginia Plan that proposed a strong central government consisting of three branches. You can also view images of the original drafts.

This site is from a unit called 'Writing the US Constitution.' It looks at the documents that preceded the Constitution, and the major issues that were debated while the Constitution was being created.