Sit back, relax, and transport to 1787! This lesson on the Constitution begins with guided imagery of the Constitutional Convention. The class reads A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution in an...

Pupils create a story map of the basic elements and significant events of the book Flat Stanley. Students brainstorm places they would like to visit if they had been flattened and then, write about an imagined experience. Pupils...

Visit the Magic Treehouse and take your class on a trip through time with a reading of the children's book Mummies in the Morning. Using the story to spark an investigation into Egyptian culture, this literature unit engages...

Students conduct research on the history of the Great Wall of China. They explore websites, complete various interactive activities, read a history of the Great Wall, write an essay, and take an online quiz.

Mark Twain's life, politics, writing, and role as a mirror of pre- and post-Civil War American culture are the focus 11th and 12th graders in this section from an expansive author study. A critical writing assignment comparing Twain...

Students investigate the diversity of life that is found in Montana. They research some of the different interactions that organisms have with their environment. The lesson includes an extensive introduction for teacher information....

Students view the Amnesty Interactive CD-ROM and investigate different aspects of human rights around the world. They identify people who have contributed to human rights, documents from ancient to modern times that have contributed to...

Students research a person who had a role in the Lewis and Clark expedition. They work together to create and perform a skit showing the person they researched role. They write their own journal entries to end the activity.

"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," from The Jungle Book, offers young readers a chance to examine how Rudyard Kipling uses setting and personification to bring to life the brave mongoose who battles cobras to protect his family. Class members...

Interpreting text is vital. Middle schoolers read a 1 page passage describing why Europe was so interested in colonizing India. After reading, they answer 8 comprehension questions. 

Sometimes the most fascinating stories are true. Uncover the basic origins, contributions, and interactions that lead to Greek culture. Concepts covered are environmental effects on culture, Greek life,  Mycenaean, Minoan, and...

Learners "role-play" the part of a person who says unkind things and are photographed while doing so. They then act out a story about making friends. They practice saying kind things and are photographed. Word bubbles are added...

Although this legislative process lesson is designed to accompany a specific text, it is valuable independently. Young learners participate in a picture walk (worksheet included) through My Senator and Me: A Dog's-Eye View...

Students examine Canadian history through William Kurelek's artwork. In this art analysis lesson, students discuss the ideas expressed in the picture book A Prairie Boy's Winter and A Prairie Boy's Summer. Students view the film Kurelek,...

Did you know that modern Chinese literature “grew from the psychoanalytical theory of Sigmund Freud”? Designed for a world literature class, seniors are introduced to “One Evening in the Rainy Season,” Shi Zhecun’s stream of...

Learners divide into research groups, and are each assigned a research topic. They access an award-winning Ancient Egypt site, which is an interactive book about the history and culture of the Ancient Egyptian civilization.

Young scholars research and enhance the Jewish immigrant experience to that of contemporary immigrants to sustain a connection to their personal family stories. A story is shared with the class and then a discussion follows on the...

Students engage in research, small-group discussions, whole class discussions, family interviews, and interaction with multimedia resource material as they explore the relationship between memory and history.

Students read After Seventeen Years by Kim Yong Ik and discuss the cultural, political and geographical aspects of Korea that specifically affect the events in the story.

Students take home an Australian Teddy Bear home and draw pictures, photograph, write or verbalize stories of what the bear did at their home. They make a book that is sent to their partner class.

First graders review the Pledge of Allegiance and symbols of America. Students discuss the sequence used to say the Pledge of Allegiance. They practice reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Students view symbols of things they know and...

Fourth graders create their classroom rules.  In this Mayflower Compact instructional activity, 4th graders listen to the Plymouth story and learn about the Mayflower Compact.  Students analyze the Mayflower Compact and create...

Fifth graders discover the history of their hometown Des Moines River.  In this U.S. Geography lesson students speak with Iowans that tell stories of the settlers and early villages near the Des Moines River.  Students document...

Parents and children work together in a community circle to discuss caring for people with special needs. In separate groups, the children sing and listen to a story. They discuss ways people are alike, and ways they are different....