How much power is too much power for the federal government? Scholars use primary documents and constitutional research in groups to analyze the creation of the Second National Bank under James Madison. This is the second lesson of a...

Students explore and discuss Woodrow Wilson's concepts for peace and the League of Nations. They understand efforts made to foster American support for the League and discuss the opposition shown in the Senate.

Learners survey the loss of forests around the world. In this environmental lesson, students read an article that outlines how forests are being lost and government interaction which encourages forests to be rebuilt.  Activities to...

Student delegates conduct "United Nations" style session in which they are challenged to develop resolution or resolutions that address how to feed growing population, taking into consideration quality of life and impact on environment.

Develop media smarts by considering the power of celebrity involvement in world issues. A look at the work of such celebrities as Angelina Jolie, Oprah, and Bono prepare learners to develop their own media campaign for a global...

Imagine using narrative essays to encourage change. This multi-week unit plan does just that. After reading a series of articles from Tyson Miller's Dream of a Nation: Inspiring Ideas for a Better America, class members examine the...

Investigate national unity in a month-long lesson. After creating "I am from" poems, 5th graders will construct accordion flip books, listing and illustrating reasons for settlement. Choosing illustrations, essays, or Powerpoint...

Use this presentation about redwood trees and parks in your ESL unit about travel and/or the outdoors. Bright photographs adorn each slide, with short descriptions of each topic. The slide show is short enough to show in one class period...

Get inspired to help those creative juices flow. Using the resource, scholars write their final, best version of their narrative monologues or concrete poems. Next, they prepare for a performance task by watching and discussing a video...

Sixth graders read the novel Grab Hands and Run by Frances Temple. They explore the effects of war on human rights. Students explore the idea that human rights are protected by the United Nations. They identify the human rights that were...

The Grapes of Wrath. The Jungle. Native Son. The Things They Carried. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. To address a current social, political, economic, or environmental issue, class groups pair the reading of a...

After researching an issue introduced in Tyson Miller's Dream of a Nation: Inspiring Ideas for a Better America, writers develop an original thesis statement and craft an analytic essay using evidence collected in their research.

Do research projects at your school look like a class of eighth graders staring at a blank screen? Use the Big 6 research method to guide middle schoolers through the process of finding a topic, searching for and evaluating sources,...

Students explore the National Road to Indiana. In this U.S. highway history and primary source research instructional activity, students read an original journal written by Jane Voorhees Lewis in 1806 describing her trip west on the...

Students gain an understanding of some of the challenges the U.S. faced at its birth. They are asked to compose a report on the state of the nation in 1790 (addressed to President George Washington), which includes a narrative, maps and...

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...

How did Theodore Roosevelt stress the importance of conservation during his time as president of the United States? Take a closer look at the language Roosevelt used himself in a 1907 address to Congress, and have your young...

Third graders demonstrate an understanding of geography and its effects on lifestyles and culture. Then they apply basic economic terms and principles and identify the United States government and history. Students also identify and...

Rather than waiting for the world to change, encourage your class members to become agents of change with a project that asks groups to select an issue found in Tyson Miller's Dream of a Nation: Inspiring Ideas for a Better America....

Showing how folk poetry keeps alive national heritage is the stated goal of this proposal for a unit on the poetry of the Balkans.

Fifth graders participate in various activities related to the Civil War. In this Civil War instructional activity students understand the events and feelings of people during the Civil War by studying primary sources, journal writing,...

Seven problems send physics stars out of this world! Challenge learners to calculate centripetal force, time to complete revolutions, circular speed, and acceleration. They also are asked to explain scenarios and draw a force diagram for...

Learners sort teddy bears according to types and then graph the results. They each bring a bear to class and then discuss their similarities and differences. Once the bears have been sorted into groups according to size and color,...