Get young people thinking about their lives and current topics of social justice, advocacy, gender, race, and identity. After examining several works by Barbara Kruger, participants select a tag with one of the questions printed on it,...

When in the course of a course on historic American events, it becomes necessary for learners to examine, with decent respect, the Declaration of Independence, it becomes evident that there are six separate and equal parts of that...

There is a lot to learn from art. This teacher's guide provides you with extensive background information, activities, and a scripted commentary to accompany a slide show on French artists in California during the Gold Rush Period. The...

Nine historical documents, an interactive online notebook, and a fantastic opportunity for historical inquiry await your pupils in this 5-day lesson plan. Class members identify and discuss various causes for the Spanish-American War...

Tenth graders role-play a person living in the United States during the 1890s. Students research their role using focus questions about daily life, including standard of living.industrialization. They have the opportunity to ...

Who done it? Class groups adopt the role of crime scene investigators and examine exhibits (primary source documents) to determine who attempted to assassinate the members of the Medici dynasty.

Emanuel Leutze's painting Washington Crossing the Delaware. Alexander Gardner's photograph of Abraham Lincoln. What do these works of art tell us about the character of these American Presidents? After examining the techniques the...

Judge Learned Hand's "Spirit of Liberty" speech delivered during the July, 1944 "I Am an American Day" celebration is the subject of a close reading activity that models for learners how to approach a dense, difficult text.

In this economic systems learning exercise, learners read and follow the provided 5 tips to locate, analyze, and discuss macroeconomics current event issues. 

A series of well-written activities, these lessons prompt middle schoolers reading below grade level (at a second, third, or fourth grade level) to use poetry to practice basic reading skills. They rhyme, build words, make inferences,...

All's fair in math and war. Scholars examine the Battle of Trafalgar using calculus. They set up and solve a system of differential equations to determine the number of ships remaining in each fleet over time.

The origins, goals, and struggles of the women's movement are the focus of a five-day series of lessons about the accomplishments of the movement and the continuing struggle for women's rights.

Learn about the concept of specialization of labor with your class. In this specialization of labor lesson, 3rd graders work in teams to produce a product. They work in either a division of labor or independent production method. They...

Take a step back in time with this political cartoon analysis worksheet, which features editorial cartoons from the 2008 presidential campaign. Background information allows pupils to "read between the lines" in their analysis, and three...

To better understand the Indian Removal Act of 1830, class members examine primary source documents including letters written by Alabama governors and the Cherokee chiefs. The lesson is part of a unit on the expansion of the United...

Students research the ordinance about dumping snow in their community. They interview city officials and the city web site. Students conduct research to find out what other cities like theirs have. They write an informative article about...

Students conduct an interview with a person who was alive during WWII. They explore the media coverage of human rights abuses and speculate about what American knew and when regarding the Holocaust. They prepare a commentary with their...

Fourth graders analyze Abraham Lincoln's poems "The Bear Hunt" and "My Childhood's Home" for word choice and deeper inquiry into the vocabulary he uses to convey emotion. They identify rhyming words and patterns in these poems. ...

Seventh graders explore the democratic republic principles of U.S. government. In this U.S. government lesson plan, 7th graders compare and contrast the governments of ancient Athens,the Roman Republic, and the United States today....

Fifth graders examine the geographic concept of absolute location. Using a variety of resources, they create a life-size classroom grid and locate the coordinates of a point, identify latitude and longitude of different locations, and...

Incorporate six lessons on Trajan and ancient Rome into a social studies unit on the Roman Empire. From Trajan's birth to his rise to greatness, the resource uses primary source documents and historical commentary to connect...

Twelfth graders research historical turning points, gather-data, and extrapolate possible alternate outcomes. They work individually to choose one historical event from Attachment D, Historical Turning Points. Students complete either...

Aaron Douglas, Meta Warrick Fuller, Palmer Hayden, William Johnson, and James Lesesne Wells, the painters and sculptors of the Harlem Renaissance, are featured in a unit study of artists of the Harlem Renaissance.

Students observe pictures of the Titanic sailing and at the bottom of the ocean. They hypothesize the cause of the Titanic tragedy and engage in deeper questioning while one student writes responses on the board. They then work in groups...