How can you tell the author's purpose from just a short summary? Kids read three different summaries of books to determine whether the author meant to entertain, persuade, or inform.

Fifth graders travel along exploring the expeditions of John F. Fremont. In this Westward expansion lesson, 5th graders gain understanding of the events that shaped the west through the use of maps. Students use mapping skills to...

Second graders explore the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad. In this U.S. history lesson, 2nd graders discuss vocabulary and events that occurred in the 1860s pertaining to the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad....

Students examine the Bible, one of the earliest written sources, as a compilation of narratives, and search the resources on the HERITAGE DVD-ROM for historical "proof" as well as create their own stories and scripts based on ancient...

Students create an etiquette book for women of Medieval times.  For this Catherine, Called Birdy lesson, students discuss the setting and work in small groups to list things expected of women in the 1200s.  Students then...

Students report on family trends, functions of the family and various ways of selecting marriage partners. In this family lesson plan, students act as editors, commercial skits, and writers for a newscast about families.

Students create a genealogy book tracing their heritage many generations back. They examine their own ethnicity, attitudes, and self-awareness. They examine new American trends regarding family structure and ethnicity.

Students read about, discuss and reflect on the life of retired Justice Lewis Powell, investigating major court decisions he influenced and the impact of his 'voice of moderation and civility to an increasingly polarized (Supreme) court.'

Students research and write about the effectiveness of hate-crime legislation in the United States

Students, through video and Internet activities, are exposed to rites of passage in two modern day West African cultures, the Fulani and the Dogon, and how slavery served as a rite of passage for many West African people in the past.

High schoolers examine how the epic poem, "Ramayana" teaches dharma, one of Hinduism's most important tenets. They read the abridged version of the "Ramayana," identify the main plot points, complete a chart, and write an essay on a...

Students gather information about a 15th to 17th century explorer and prepare a script in talk show format about the individual. Finally, students make a video following the script and present it to the class.

Sixth graders investigate the ideas, literature, music, and art of the Romantic Movement. They apply romantic ideals to their original writing and art, analyze poetry, discuss key vocabulary, and analyze artwork from this era.

Students examine the concept of freedom of speech as it applies to music. They watch and discuss the video, "VH1 Storytellers: Pearl Jam," participate in a class discussion about free speech, conduct research, and conduct a debate.

In this literature worksheet, students respond to 46 short answer and essay questions about The Rise of Silas Lapham. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the selection at the bottom of the page.

Students read a passage about immigrants making contributions to the state of Kansas and write the main ideas and details of what they read. In this immigrant contributions lesson plan, students fill out a graphic organizer of immigrant...

Students examine how important the rainforest and its resources are for our everyday survival in the future.

Students use New York Times articles to trace the causes, effects, and predicted impact of the Melissa e-mail virus. In small groups, students create diagrams of the information about the virus that serves as ongoing timelines of this...

Learners explore new support regarding the earliest peopling of America by examining multiple theories on the migration of the first people to America, investigating related archaeological finds, and creating research-based scientific...

Students explore the significance of the Louisiana Purchase and the journey of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery. They read to explain a new topic and write to inform readers of the historic events they explored.

Identify minerals, their sources, functions, and deficiencies in the body. National Standard 14.2.1 Discuss macro minerals, electrolytes, and trace minerals Identify the problems associated with calcium and iron

Click here to download a PDF of this lesson. (2.8 MB) Overview This lesson will enable teachers to use the blues to explore selected topics in African American folklore. Students will learn about some of the African American cultural...

This activity enables teachers to use blues music to explore the history of African Americans in the 20th century. By studying the content of blues songs, young scholars can learn about the experiences and struggles of the working-class...

Students will: Analyze an extract of a document from 1616 concerning male adolescent behavior. Decide if the advice offered is sensible. Determine if the content of that document is relevant to contemporary adolescent males. Compare the...