Discover the challenges in educating immigrant children at the turn of the 20th century. Reforms that New York City schools used are described here and data is included for your class to analyze, in its evaluation of the effectiveness of...

Fourth graders explore African American contributions to New York City. In this antebellum New York lesson, 4th graders research the accomplishments of Thomas Downing. Students explore primary and secondary sources about Downing's oyster...

Students study the life and musical work of Leonard Bernstein. They examine the history of New York City using three Broadway musicals in a web based activity. They create a portrayal of their own town in this multi-activity activity.

Explore connections within and between informational texts with this lesson about encyclopedia articles. Middle schoolers write encyclopedia articles focusing on topics in American history. They discuss how to determine credibility...

Explore the history of immigration through photographs. Scholars will view and discuss photographs depicting the culture and lifestyle of late 19th and early 20th century immigrants. They take pictures of current examples of culture in...

Jazz, Blue Grass, Hip Hop, Swing. Gospel, R&B, Ragtime, Disco. So many music genres born in the USA. After reading an article about the fate of New Orlean's Jazz after Hurricane Katrina, class members investigate the life cycles of...

Examine ways in which historic places and landmarks represent significant themes and events in American history. Then create theme-based travel guides for related historic locations. This lesson plan requires informational reference...

Fourth graders read the provided documents about the Erie Canal to discover the impact that this transportation systems had on the New York community. In this history lesson, 4th graders first analyze the documents and answer the...

Students discuss New York City architectural developments.  In this architectural history lesson, students create Reader's Theater scripts based on imaginary conversations between two women who contributed to New York City's...

Eleventh graders examine the role African Americans played in the expansion of New York.  In this American History lesson, 11th graders compare and contrast the images of a wealthy, free black against a black who was poor and...

Students discover details about political machine bosses. In this political cartoon lesson, students use the provided political cartoon analysis worksheet to analyze cartoons of Boss Tweed. Students then compose essays about the...

High schoolers are explained that they are going to consider why cities are built and what needs they meet for their residents. They view a video "The Building of New York City." Students work in small groups to plan imaginary city. ...

Students hypothesize about the origins of the Incan lost city of Machu Picchu. They examine archaeological methodologies used by researchers to piece together the history of the site and create an audio tour of the location for visitors...

Examine the historic election of Pope Benedict XVI and reflect on the challenges he faces as the new leader of the Catholic Church. This New York Times instructional activity investigates how other world leaders are chosen in different...

Can word choice affect a candidate's likeability? Use a New York Times lesson to explore how a presidential candidate's likeability factor can fluctuate in public opinion polls. Young readers choose a presidential election from...

Middle schoolers may be surprised to learn that before the American Civil War there were more slaves living in New York than there were in Kentucky! Young historians examine maps and census data to gather statistics about...

Learners investigate historic events through the eyes of people who were their age when the event happened. Through personal interviews, students gain insights on the impact of these events on these people's lives and on the world at large.

Young scholars use primary documents and film to explore the role of Coney Island recreation for New Yorker's at the beginning of the 20th century. They compare the lives of the people in their research to their own.

This six-week unit encompasses all subjects with a focus study on world history and the development of ancient civilizations. As gifted and talented students dive into the interesting yet challenging topic of Egypt, they...

Get a global perspective and examine the challenges facing Mahmoud Abbas, the newly elected president of the Palestinian Authority. Thoughtful classroom citizens write letters to Mr. Abbas, asking him questions and suggesting advice....

Students study immigration, Ellis Island, and tenement life from 1890 to 1924. Each student create an identity of an immigrant and write an essay in the first person. Essays describe what they found when they arrived in New York City.

Have your class engage in critical-thinking activities using this resource. Learners discuss a variety of topics they think get too much, or too little, attention from the press. They analyze why these topics are over or underrated....

Students explore the immigration wave that hit the United States in 19th century. In this immigration instructional activity, students examine primary and secondary sources to determine what the immigration experience was like for new...

High schoolers read passages from Shakespeare and have a Town Hall meeting in which they defend Shakespeare as part of American culture.