America has always been seen as a melting pot to the world. Scholars research the concept of blending cultures in the United States and how it is changing over time. The final lesson of a four-part series analyzes the changing...

Pupils examine the role of John and Mary Jones in the abolitionist movement. Using primary source documents, they discover the importance of an oral history and take notes on the Jones' role. They write a summary of the data to practice...

Ninth graders take note of the ways in which word choice, rhythm, language and narrative voice, as well as point of view in a poem can be used to evoke a time and place. They use their insights to create a poem of their own.

Pupils read about the life and work of John and Mary Jones. Using primary source documents, they draw conclusions about their role in the abolistionist movement. They also examine artifacts from their lives and analyze their portrait in...

After your biologists have learned about transcription, translation, and gene regulation, they work in a small group to create a poster of a system that serves as an analogy of the gene regulation process. They share their creations with...

Students take an in depth look at different aspects of the Civil War. Using primary source documents, they discover that people who lived during the war are not so different from them. They read about the experience of a Confederate...

Students examine photographs from the Civil War. Using a primary source document, they discover the conditions of a private during the Battle of Chickamauga. In groups, they use the sources to determine the authnecity of the documents.

Middle schoolers study the triangle inequality. They will identify, compare, and analyze attributes of two and three-dimensional shapes. Then they develop vocabulary to describe the attributes. They also use manipulatives to analyze the...

Elementary schoolers play a math game using a Tic-Tac-Toe Board. This simple idea can be used with virtually any grade level. A team of learners are the "O's," and the other is the team of "X's." Each time a team gets a problem correct,...

Using coil-spring driven cars, first year physicists experiment with Hooke's Law of elasticity. They also calculate potential and kinetic energy transfer times and distances. Not much instruction is provided to the teacher in this...

Sixth graders pick a native animal and write a classified housing ad to match the animal's habitat requirements, paste it on posterboard and then try to match each habitat with the animal it represents.

Learners begin the lesson by reading a novel about the diversity of geography in Africa. They are to create an oral report based on information they research. They also communicate with someone through email about the situation in Africa.

Students read excepts from various government documents on the issue of slavery in America. Using the internet, they research a topic related to slavery of interest to them and present to the class their findings. They examine the life...

Students are introduced to the connection between women and the textile industry. Using primary source documents, they complete a handout on how gender roles have changed over the years. They examine a sampler which is connected to the...

Middle schoolers examine the role of John Jones and his fight to repeal the Black Laws of Illinois. Using the text of the law, they explore his reasoning for repealing the laws and the arguments he used to support his beliefs. They draw...

Young scholars use the text of the Illinois Black Codes to examine the laws in place. Using this information, they draw their own conclusions about why the laws existed in a free state. They also identify the purpose of these laws and...

Pupils examine the role of African-Americans in the Civil War. Using primary sources, they analyze the material and formulate their own opinions about the past. They write journal entries to share their opinions on photographs from the...

Connect the geography and history of Illinois using an art-centered lesson on the railroads. The railroad connected once-distant places, particularly in the Midwest. Using research, class members create postcards of fictional cross-state...

Read Angela Royston's Ciclo de vida de la mariposa! You can show your class pictures of different butterflies that live in Mexico or Spain, or have your learners conduct puppet shows with caterpillars and butterflies. How does a...

Who are you? Where are you from? Teach young Spanish language learners how to identify themselves and where they're from. They draw a picture of themselves to help develop vocabulary for this activity. 

Fourth graders use a previous and current map of the state of Michigan to compare cities and roads. They look for names that come from the Native American culture. They participate in a class discussion to compare findings.

Eighth graders explain the relationship between the position of the sun, a city's latitude and shadow length. Ratio's, geometry, and algebra are used to determine the shadow lengths and building heights. A sun angle (altitude) charts to...

Students conduct Internet research in order to better understand the concepts of sustainable health design. In this design and architecture lesson, students gather data and creat a materials kit that responds to the challenges of health...

What is easier to read: a bulleted list or a block of text? Look at different examples with your class and then go over the style guidelines for vertical lists.