American Institute of Physics
Dr. Gates and the Nature of the Universe
What do Russian nesting dolls have to do with physics? They make a great demonstration tool for explaining Dr. Sylvester James Gates, Jr.'s string theory to young scientists. A two-part lesson first introduces learners to Dr. Gates' life...
American Institute of Physics
African Americans and Life in a Secret City
Imagine the lure of being offered a job at a secret site, working on a secret project, and earning higher wages! Such was the approach used to recruit African Americans to Hanford, Washington, one of several sites used to develop...
American Institute of Physics
African Americans in Astronomy and Astrophysics
A two-part lesson focuses on the contributions to the fields of astronomy and astrophysics of two African Americans: Benjamin Banneker and Dr. George Carruthers. In part one, scholars learn about Benjamin Banneker by examining his...
American Institute of Physics
African Americans and the Manhattan Project
A lesson plan about the Manhattan Project will explode young physicists' understanding of the racial attitudes in the United States during and after World war II. Groups select an African American scientist or technician that worked on...
American Institute of Physics
African American Inventors in History
A two-part lesson introduces young historians to the work of famous African American inventors. Groups first research and develop a presentation of an inventor that includes biographical information and information about one of their...
American Institute of Physics
When Computers Wore Skirts: Katherine Johnson, Christine Darden, and the “West Computers”
Did you know that people, known as computers, performed the complex calculations that are now done by electronic computers? Three of these human computers, Katherine Johnson, Christine Darden, and Melba Roy Mouton are featured in a...
Story Corps
The Power of Active Listening
Listen up! The game of Telephone launches a study of active listening. Class members watch a short video that demonstrates active listening and tips on practicing active listening. Pairs then interview each other and practice their...
ReadWriteThink
Heroes Are Made of This: Studying the Character of Heroes
What makes heroes and villains? A six-part unit plan asks young scholars to explore the concept of heroism and the characteristics they consider heroic and unheroic. Groups create character maps that focus on how characters are shaped by...
NPR
Teaching Podcasting: Choosing a Topic
Pick a topic, any topic! Working in small groups, scholars choose three topics they think would make interesting podcasts. Next, each group shares their ideas with the class to narrow down their choices.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Case Study: The 1918 Influenza Pandemic – Factors Beyond the Biological that Influence the Spread of Disease
A very timely lesson looks at the social and political factors that affect the spread of disease. Using the 1918 Influenza Pandemic as a case study, pupils research factors that influenced the spread of the disease, including the role of...
Nemours KidsHealth
Cyberbullying: Grades 9-12
A bully, a victim, and a bystander—far from the beginning of a joke, cyberbullying is no laughing matter. Bystander or upstander? As part of the study of cyberbullying, high schoolers first read a series of articles about cyberbullying...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Why We Have Freedom of the Press
A newspaper receives documents that reveal not only a devastating secret the public needs to know, but also troop movements that could put American lives at risk: to publish or not to publish? Using background readings, discussion...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Understanding Fake News
Fake or fact? Learners must decide while looking at two published "news" stories. A reading about why fake news exists and a checklist on how to evaluate sources rounds out the activity.
Teaching Tolerance
Using Photographs to Teach Social Justice | Exposing Gender Bias
Young sociologists are asked to read two photographs, identifying how the photographer uses point of view, color, pose, light, and shadow to express a stereotype of women or to challenge those stereotypes. Partners then create their own...
National Woman's History Museum
Songs of Protest: Seneca Falls to Vietnam
Long before the songs of the 1960's Peace Movement, long before the songs of the Civil Rights Movement, and even before the songs of the Abolition Movement, were the songs of the Suffrage Movement. To understand the power of protest...
EngageNY
Grade 10 ELA Module 4: Unit 3, Lesson 5
Would Machiavelli consider Macbeth a successful ruler? Scholars ponder the intriguing question, demonstrating their knowledge of Shakespeare's Macbeth and Machiavelli's The Prince. They collaborate with peers to share their opinions,...
EngageNY
Grade 10 ELA Module 4: Unit 3, Lesson 4
According to Machiavelli, a good ruler does whatever it takes. Using the resource, scholars work in small groups to analyze quotes from The Prince and then participate in a whole-class discussion. To finish, pupils select a phrase and...
EngageNY
Grade 10 ELA Module 4: Unit 2, Lesson 19
A tragic play includes imperfect heroes, pity and fear, and a fatal flaw. Scholars analyze Shakespeare's Macbeth as an example of the tragedy genre. Pupils demonstrate understanding by completing a Quick Write discussing how Shakespeare...
EngageNY
Grade 10 ELA Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 20
Using the resource, scholars work in small groups to rehearse a selected scene from Shakespeare's Macbeth. Finally, they present their interpretive dramatic readings to a group of peers or the whole class and complete a self-assessment...
EngageNY
Grade 10 ELA Module 4: Unit 2, Lesson 17
Madness, violence, despair—the titular character of Shakespeare's Macbeth is spiraling out of control. Pupils first explore the topic with a collaborative jigsaw discussion. At the end of the instructional activity, they write about how...
EngageNY
Grade 10 ELA Module 4: Unit 2, Lesson 5
When Macbeth says, "Nature seems dead," he uses personification. Using the resource, scholars complete a Quick Write to analyze the impact of figurative language on the mood of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Pupils also participate in an...
Read Write Think
Book Report Alternative: Rewind the Plot!
Have you ever looked for a new way to teach an old concept? Scholars thinking about the rising action of a story in a whole new perspective. However, Book Report Alternative: Rewind the Plot! challenges readers and allows for much...
Equality and Human Rights Commission
Balancing Human Rights
Everyone appreciates human rights, but what happens if the rights of an individual conflict with the rights of the larger group? Scholars explore real-life scenarios and debate when to limit rights and when to strictly enforce them. The...
Institute for Humane Education
Not So Fair and Balanced: Analyzing Bias in the Media
Life is not always fair. Who's heard that before? This same concept moves to a larger scale using prejudice and bias. Pupils discuss where prejudice attitudes derive and how they develop throughout life. Reading comprehension...