Invite your class to investigate racism and civil rights by analyzing the great Dr. Martin Luther King's speech. Your learners will read the words from the "I Have a Dream" speech and analyze the political and racial overtones. They will...

Pupils create multimedia speeches of introduction which focus on women and Hispanics. They introduce their famous person and, using a video camera, video tape their speeches. 

Engage critical and social thinking by exploring the value of language and word choice. The class considers the article "The Silence of the Historic Present" and analyzes several presidential speeches. They engage in class...

Students use text and photos to visualize the delivery of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s historic "I Have A Dream" speech. They analyze Dr. King's speech for examples of imagery and allusion and create original poetry and illustrations...

What rights are guaranteed to young scholars? Do they align with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was approved by the United Nations in 1948? Middle and high schoolers present persuasive arguments about the rights they...

America was founded by dreamers, and the American dream still resonates in our country today. Track the American dream from its Puritan beginnings to its optimistic descendants with a instructional activity that focuses on speeches...

Learners create building from paper bags. In this building lesson, students draw buildings on different size paper bags. They wear these bags on their heads or hands and tell the story of the building.

Young scholars develop critical thinking skills so that they may produce their own written plays or music from their thoughts and feelings. They express their thoughts based on what has been presented to them over the duration of the...

Students determine whether the Constitution should be ratified. For this U.S. Constitution lesson, students research the roles of famous Federalists and Antifederalists in order to prepare them to participate in a classroom simulation...

Young scholars discover the Missouri River and its importance during the Civil War.  In this U.S. history activity, students examine a map of the great Battle of Lexington, and discuss why the Missouri River was a key element to the...

Write and work with authors on the Scholastic Website to promote the recognition of various genres.  Young writers will participate in activities based on the type of writing such as biography, descriptive, folktales, mystery, news,...

Mermaids will sing to your class members as they engage in an activity related to T.S. Eliot's famous dramatic interior monologue. After engaging in a socratic seminar about literary devices in the poem, individuals choose one...

Students identify the main points and unique qualities of the "I Have a Dream" speech and write their own speech.  In this "I Have a Dream" lesson, students read the speech and discuss why the speech was written and the historical...

Introduce your class to epic heroes with these activities for Beowulf. After watching a video clip, taking notes on heroes, and tracking characteristics of heroism throughout Beowulf, class members retell an episode of Beowulf using a...

Fifth graders write a research paper and turn it into a speech about a historical person in the United States. In this history lesson plan, 5th graders memorize the speech and present it to the class.

Students investigate equality by reading a historical fiction book in class.  In this civil rights lesson plan, students read the story Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry with their classmates and define the Jim Crow Laws that kept blacks...

Students discuss and construct timelines based on the life of author/performer/Civil Right's activist, Paul Robeson. They view photographs of him at various times in his life and discuss the roles he may have been playing at those times.

Students read a story. In this Native American instructional activity, students learn about Native Americans and their responsibility to take care of a place called Turtle Island. Students learn the vocabulary words generation, befall,...

Eleventh graders explore the immigration patterns in the United States.  For this American History lesson, 11th graders study the push and pull factors that caused immigration.  Students research one group of individuals and...

Students analyze writings of Mr. Martin Luther King Jr. They read and discuss an article, and in pairs, research and analyze a written work or speech by Dr. King, create a mixed media collage to represent the text, and write an artist...

Young scholars choose chapters from "Animal Farm" to complete a project on. They make connections between the characters and gather any outside information needed. They present their information to the class.

Seventh graders explore stars. In this star lesson, 7th graders apply generalities about space objects to constellations and explore the differences between radio waves and light waves by answering essential questions in their research.

Students research various works of art, write essays, and create live performance art pieces in this 2-day Art, History, and/or Language Arts lesson for 7th and 8th grade. The use of a digital camera to capture the "live" performance is...

Young scholars demonstrate question and answer/interviewing skills. They brainstorm questions they would like to ask each other and then interview their partner who will be a fairy tale character. Interviews will be filmed with a video...