Despite some advances made during the Reconstruction Era following the Civil War, the period from 1887 through 1929, African Americans serving in Congress suffered severe setbacks due to Jim Crow Laws and voter suppression. Class members...

High schoolers read Ruthanne Lum McCunn's Thousand Pieces of Gold and as a class, discuss the Chinese practice of foot binding. They work in groups to read further about how women of different cultures attempt to conform. They write...

Reading the news is fun, and that's a fact! With the lesson plan, scholars differentiate between fact and opinion as they read editorial articles. They complete a worksheet to analyze the information before writing their own editorials...

How is religious freedom connected to the conflict between China and Tibet? After reading an online passage of background information, your learners will divide into groups and both read and view an interview with the Dalai Lama. They...

Upper graders view a series of films that depict rituals or celebrations as they occur in different cultural settings. They conduct a cultural investigation about one culture, brainstorm and research objects that have cultural or...

Students examine international labor laws. In this labor rights lesson, students analyze labor laws around the world. Students also read 2 case studies and determine how they do or do not fall into line with International Labor...

Students complete a critical reading of the novel "The Midwife's Apprentice." During their reading, students create several journal responses to the character's situation and transformation. Working with computers, students complete...

Incorporate reading strategies, math, research, and the scientific method into one activity about water conservation. After reading a story about a landlady trying to determine how many people are living in an apartment, learners develop...

Fourth graders read about the era in their history books, write in their journals revolving around the Gold Rush, making crafts such as newspapers, and also play the part of the Forty-niners.

Social media has changed the news publishing process, so how does it affect school news publications? Lesson nine in a 16-part series titled The Social Media Toolbox explores the traditional publishing roles through the lens of social...

Explore newspapers as a form of print media. They examine headlines from newspapers and infer meanings of the headlines. They skim articles for information and exchange articles between groups. They complete charts while skimming the...

Students, while reading and discussing the two texts by Charlotte Bronte and Jean Rhys, compare/contrast the two main characters and juxtapose them as the same character told from two different points of view. They gain insight of how to...

Students participate in a study of short story elements, applying their knowledge and understanding to a selection of short stories.  In this short stories lesson, students read five short story selections, identifying conflict,...

Students analyze the military, business, and political implications of Sun Tzu's book The Art of War. In this literature lesson, students read and discuss the novel prior to interviewing business people about business practices that...

Students read the indicated text and complete several suggested labs and activities. They answer critical thinking questions. This instructional activity is very hard to do without the indicated text.

Did the United States Constitution uphold the institution of slavery, or did it help to destroy it? Young historians study Article 4, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution and evaluate the rights of slaveowners as they compared to...

Learners view various paintings and write down the adjectives that come to mind. Using the painting, they use information from a previous lesson plan to write their own critique or point of view. They share their writings with the class.

Students read and discuss the short story "The Red Convertible". They participate in extension activities related to each of the three parts of the story, planning a road trip, researching the Vietnam War, and writing a paper on their...

Students explore how invasive species can change an environment. In this critical thinking lesson, students study how invasive animals can change an environments population. They will discuss the implications of an invasive species and...

Students explore Native American literature. For this cultural diversity lesson, students read selected Native American books and analyze the themes of the books and familiarize themselves with the vocabulary used in the books.

High schoolers complete a unit focusing on the creation of a student-generated website. They read and evaluate articles about business ethics, critique websites, and develop a student-created webpage.

Pupils examine the structure and elements of a letter to the editor. They identify letter elements, read and discuss newspaper letters, and write and submit a letter to a local newspaper.

Second graders work in pairs and read a primary source artifact. They create a PowerPoint slide that will be part of a "museum" presentation for the rest of their class. Students select artifacts from a group of digitalized artifacts...

Students view films, photographs and engage in an empathy-building exercise to become familiar with Pete Gray, the first one-armed major league player. They read an interview and write an essay about Gray's career.