Students research the impact of European voyages of discovery and colonial influence on different aspects of American culture. They access a number of online sources and reference maps to trace the influences of England, France, Holland,...

Introduce your middle schoolers to the lives of past Native Americans. First, learners work together to put photographs in a sequence. Then, using their sequence, they create stories to share with the whole class. No matter how old your...

What are the characteristics of an outstanding citizen? Nebraskan J. Sterling Morton contributed to the formation of societal and family values in his state. Learners gather information on Morton's life accomplishments from primary...

Students discuss the Presidential Medal of Freedom and create pamphlets about recvipients, including artwork depicting reasons for receiving the medals. They write essays about someone they think should be awarded the medal.

Students build upon their knowledge of the Corps of Discovery to research and explain the significance of gifts given to American Indians by Lewis and Clark.

Students discuss the importance of writing to their representatives. Using the internet, they identify who their representative is and ways they can communicate with them. They review the guidelines in which they need to follow in order...

Students read Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the life of Abraham Lincoln, including, but not limited to, the Civil War. Included are reading, art, math,...

Teams of learners integrate reading, writing, math, social studies, and science in this simple, yet effective lesson. They work in groups in order to solve a ten-step problem which requires internet research, the use of a calculator, and...

Learn more about the North American Plains Indian tribes and their unusual methods of recording historical events. Learners examine the winter count, a custom by which these groups illustrated information after each winter passed. They...

Author Faith Ringgold uses quilts to illustrate her books Tar Beach and Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad. For this integrated trio of activities, young scholars read stories, identify and create patterns, and design quilt squares of...

Pupils may take part in a multitude of activities listed such as creating political cartoons, comparison papers, and creating a portfolio to reinforce concepts and ideas surrounding the Louisiana Purchase.

Students explore maps to discover historical information about their local area.  In this mapping and history lesson, students use panoramic maps of their own town/city to interpret historical information.  Students also place...

Students discuss the history and importance of voting. In this voting lesson, students research the women's suffrage movement and the methods used to change people's beliefs about suffrage for women. Students also create posters to...

Students examine historical documents and research why early pioneers settled on the Iowa prairie. They review maps, describe the impact of railroading, describe life in pioneer times, and identify the effects of drought, prairie fire,...

Students review the meaning and application of primary and secondary sources in research. They determine how researchers locate primary source documents before looking at signatures as a validating factor on many primary sources....

Students investigate the 1507 word map. In this world geography lesson plan, students examine the details of each section of the map and then draw conclusions about how the people of 1507 understood the world. Students are evalated on...

Students examine the contributions of the author Gwendolyn Brooks. They create a journal, read and discuss poems by Brooks, write a poem about themselves, and create a timeline of their own lives.

Students explore campaign politics. In this political campaign lesson, students investigate multimedia sources in order to examine the structure of political parties and platforms from previous presidential elections. Students then...

Following the book, Marco Paul's Travels on the Erie Canal, readers complete an activity for each chapter, take part in discussions, and respond to several questions. To show what they know, scholars create an alphabet book using primary...

Looking for analogies? Here are 501.

Learners examine the life and accomplishments of Amelia Earhart and her status as a role model for women. After researching Earhart, they select another person they think is courageous and write a dialog between the two heroes as if they...

Learners research and read a profile of Benjamin Franklin. In this philanthropic lesson, students research the projects of Benjamin Franklin and determine which were philanthropic, which were governmental and which were business...

Students use primary and secondary sources to observe a child's view of the Civil war.  In this Civil War lesson plan, students understand that different people had different perspectives on the war.  Students recognize the...

Students explore the work of a Civil War photographer. In this Civil War instructional activity, students access the photographs by Matthew Brady through the web link and examine the photographs he took in order to better understand the...