To understand why the topic of reparations is controversial, young scholars gather background information by reading articles, watching videos, and examining cases where reparations were made. Learners consider the lasting repercussions...

Students study the legislation and Amendments of Reconstruction period in America. In this Reconstruction lesson, students work in groups to dissect the Black Codes, an article in the US Constitution, as well as the 13th, 14th, and...

Use a traffic light to model a very basic paragraph plan. The Go, or topic sentence, is written in green and expresses an opinion about the topic. Information that supports the opinion of the Go sentence is written in yellow and the...

Students examine the role of John Jones and his fight to repeal the Black Laws of Illinois. Using the text of the law, they explore his reasoning for repealing the laws and the arguments he used to support his beliefs. They draw their...

Students explore slavery by reviewing the written laws intended to keep African Americans subservient. In this U.S. slavery lesson, students analyze a time-line of the history of African Americans. Students discuss the patterns of the...

The Civil Rights Act of 1866, which granted citizenship to all males in the U.S., resulted in the first African Americans to be elected to Congress. Class members research 11 of these men, the challenges they faced, and craft...

After generating research questions rated to segregation, groups are given a primary source document (Jim Crow Laws, Black Codes, Plessy v. Ferguson, etc.) and craft a presentation that details the key elements of their assigned...

Tenth graders use color-coded annotation or text-marking to analyze a passage from Richard III. In this text analysis lesson, 10th graders read a passage from Richard III and use colored pens to analyze the text. Students then devise a...

The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Confederate states. The Thirteenth Amendment banned slavery in the United States. However, neither document defined freedom. The second lesson in the Reconstruction Era series examines...

As part of the study of segregation in U.S. schools, scholars research and create a timeline of events that led to the historic Supreme Court case, Brown V. Board of Education. Groups research a topic or event that led to the decision,...

Eleventh graders gain an awareness and an appreciation of slave spirituals as part of their American Literature/American History heritage.

Students view a movie about ethical journalism and Stephen Glass' rise at The New Republic. In this news ethics lesson, students view "Shattered Glass" and explore Glass' descent into an ethical black hole. Students complete...

Students explore the concept of slavery and manumission through a variety of activities. In this civil rights lesson, students gather information from primary sources, then analyze the politics and historical context of the time....

Students identify, summarize and present facts about cultural, educational and political inequalities of Reconstruction, explain hidden codes of slave spirituals and their importance in slaves' communication, and create poetry based on...

Students examine the role of signal corps during the Civil War and explore the technique of 'wigwag.' In this Civil War lesson, students discuss the way they communicate long distance today, they research how a civil war soldier...

Students discover the multicultural contributions to New Orleans gumbo through participation in cross curriculum activities. In this multicultural diversity and New Orleans history lesson, students shade regions of a map according to a...

Should police officers wear body cameras? Scholars consider the question as they use the resource to conduct independent research about the debate topic. They read a brief background and peruse the main pros and cons about the issue....

Students research and retrieve information from the Internet. They participate in an online quiz. They identify areas of cultural diversity in United States history.

Students discuss the different biomes of Africa. They create a list of biomes of Africa. They color code a map of the biomes of Africa. They research interesting facts about Africa.

Students cite evidence gathered from magazines about how much Blacks are accepted into the mainstream of American life. They support their conclusions by writing an answer to an essay question.

Learners research and describe the contributions of African-American men and women. They write their notes in a Microsoft Word document. They present their information to the class.

Students study the Reconstruction Era after the US Civil War. In this Reconstruction lesson set, students examine the problems that were encountered by the South after the Civil War, look at different plans for Reconstruction, and...

Students utilize knowledge and understandings of the Civil War to look at the reconstructive era that followed. In this reconstructive era lesson, Students gain understanding of the definition of reconstruction by building, taking apart...

Here is a phenomenal lesson plan on place value to the thousands place.  Learners construct numbers and identify the value of each digit, investigate building numbers using craft sticks and paper plates, and complete other...