Students debate the limits to celebrity privacy and to paparazzi rights after learning about some recent incidents. They imagine how their private lives might change if they became overnight celebrities.

Through this set of three lessons about Ellis Island, class members will learn about why immigrants came to the United States, find out about the difficulties that went along with coming to America, become familiar with the immigration...

Students research passengers aboard the St. Louis to explore the difficulties Jewish refugees faced when fleeing Nazi Germany. They research print and online resources, construct histories of individual passengers on the St. Louis.

Young scholars research Internet sites for lighthouses. In this lighthouses lesson, students learn facts about lighthouses in the United States. Young scholars complete a related worksheet and share their information with the class.

Students read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, define asylum and identify when people have the right to asylum. They examine specific cases of asylum in recent times and consider some of the difficulties refugees face.

Students examine the history of the Populist Party as it relates to its reforms and economic plight. In this Populism and the People's Party lesson plan, students explore why farmers experienced financial difficulty at the end of the...

Students recognize that our bodies cannot function without certain essential foods. For this hunger and malnutrition lesson, students become familiar with the problems associated with malnutrition such as medical problems, problems...

Grab the popcorn and take a seat for a Hollywood premier! Eighth graders grasp the concepts behind Westward Expansion and create engaging videos by working through a set of 18 engaging tasks. They also hone their technology, social...

How did free and enslaved blacks work to craft freedom for themselves and their families before the Civil War? Young historians read about the life of Thomas Day, a free black man who also owned slaves and had abolitionist ties in...

Get the inside scoop on the European explorer, Christopher Columbus, with a response to reading worksheet that requires scholars to answer who, what, why, when, and a variety of other questions about the word crew.  

Third graders explore Canadian history by participating in a role-playing activity. In this First Nation treaties lesson, 3rd graders identify the difficulties the Aboriginals faced when dealing with early European settlers. Students...

Learners are introduced to the Rosetta Stone and asked to consider the difficulties of translating ancient texts. They write a message in hieroglyphics and translate each other's work. They evaluate their translations.

Students examine the factors leading to divorce and its ramifications on family members. Among the reasons considered are finances, selfishness, and communication difficulties. The lesson pays particular attention to effects on...

Students examine the difficulties of exploration and some of the motivations for exploration. They investigate various types of explorers and identify the difficulties faced by the New World explorers. Students create a journal of...

Ask learners about their personal writing habits, such as whether they keep a journal or a blog, or if they'd ever want to. Though this is not a fully developed lesson, you can use this article and question to provoke discussion and...

Students research the adaptation and acculturation of immigrant groups in the United States. They create culture capsules aimed at preserving the cultural heritage of new peoples in American society.

Foster reader confidence when encountering complex text and reinforce the skills readers have acquired to build and extend their understanding of text. The plan uses a section of Douglass’ narrative as an exemplar text. Directions for...

Middle schoolers investigate the working conditions during the Age of Industrialization. They research how workers reacted to the conditions and discuss the results of labor movement.

ELLs are introduced to the experiences of Filipino immigrants to the United States. As a class, they discuss the various waves of immigration to the United States and state the reasons why they would leave the Philippines. They compare...

Eighth graders read about and reflect upon a variety of events that occurred during World War II. They conduct research on the Holocaust and Anne Frank's life, the attack on Pearl Harbor, American life during this time and the...

Ninth graders examine the causes and major events of the Cold War. They listen to a lecture and fill in the blanks on a handout, and in two groups develop a proposal to deal with the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Fifth graders explore the different types of Indian languages used today in the United States.

Students discuss the life of Louisa May Alcott and create an outline of a biography of her life and times.  In this Louisa May Alcott activity, students explore the Transcendentalist involvement in the abolitionist movement,...

Students explore U.S. history by researching a historic map. In this westward expansion lesson plan, students discuss the mystery of the western U.S. in the early 1800's and the impact expansion had on Native Americans and agriculture....