Pupils explore the meaning of the ancient Greek word aretê and the place of virtue in historical athletic competition and modern sports. They begin by reading an informational text on the goal of sports in education, and then...

High schoolers explore the teachings of Confucius. In this Korean culture lesson, students watch segments of the A and E video "Confucius: Words of Wisdom." High schoolers read handouts regarding the Asian education system and discuss...

Relate literary works and authors to the major themes of English literature from the Anglo-Saxon period through the 20th century. Working in groups, high schoolers will evaluate period philosophy, religion, and politics that influenced...

Henry David Thoreau and Linda Ronstadt? Ann Tyler and Pete Townshend? Joyce Carol Oates and Pearl Jam? This richly detailed plan pairs classic literature with contemporary music and asks learners to analyze how the theme of conformity is...

Shocking! After viewing a short clip from the 1931 movie, Frankenstein and reviewing electricity references in Mary Shelley's novel, class members examine Luigi Galvani's and Alessandro Volta's observations on electricity and muscle...

Students explore protest songs. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students examine issues-based music by summarizing lyrics and revealing inferences, generalizations, conclusions, and points of view found in the songs.

Students take a closer look at a memory play. For this American drama lesson, students read Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie and analyze it as a memory play. Students discuss the linear and non-linear aspects of the play prior to...

Students recognize that in the book The Republic, Plato described the ideal society. They adopt, modify, or reject Plato's views as they describe another, smaller ideal society: Utopia High School. In addition, they summarize the...

Students examine the poetry of Emily Dickinson and the diction in her poetry. For this poetry analysis lesson, students read Dickinson poetry and analyze the diction in the poems. Students journal about the poetry and rewrite their own...

Learners investigate zen. For this design lesson, students use ideas from zen to create a study area. Learners understand how different environments affect work habits. Students research how learners in other countries study and write...

Students read and discuss excerpts from the writings of Henry David Thoreau, Frederick Douglass and Sarah Parker Redmond. They compare and contrast the views of the three abolitionists concentrating on the experiences and reasons for...

Students examine the various philosophies that form the foundations of political systems of major world countries.

Learners examine what it means to have wealth-a concept that turns out to be philosophical as well as economic-and examine the importance of music. They examine the concepts of wealth in Mali and in the United States and consider the...

Students explore Nazi Germany by completing several worksheets. In this Adolf Hitler lesson, students identify Hitler's role in the holocaust, his role in the German community and his mindset. Students read the poem "The Hangman" by...

Students investigate Greek contributions to modern America. In this ancient Greek influence lesson, students watch videos, listen to lectures, and conduct research regarding ancient Greek ideals in order to analyze and trace Greek...

Students investigate the dramatic elements of The Crucible. In this drama lesson, students explore the elements and themes of the Arthur Miller play as they read the play and watch performances of some of the acts. Students then...

Students examine the leaders of the Middle East. In this Middle East lesson, students read biographies regarding featured twentieth century leaders of Egypt, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, and Yemen. Students...

Students reflect on the lives of older people they know, then research and debate the key issues surrounding scientific experimentation in anti-aging. They write a short story that reflects their own philosophical beliefs on aging and...

High schoolers discover the ideas of enlightenment by reading historical poetry. In this philosophical lesson plan, students read poems by Sir Walter Scott and Sergeant Joyce Kilmer while discussing the themes of the writing with...

Students research the economies of countries in the Group of 8 and present how their economies have changed over the past five years and how the relationships among these countries affect each other in light of world events.

Students explore parts of speech by collaborating in groups. For this verbs lesson, students examine several boring sentences with their class and define verbs which can spice the sentence up. Students collaborate in pairs to enhance...

Pupils examine an author's philosophical look at life through anecdotes he describes as a teacher in Uzbekistan. In this Uzbekistan lesson, students analyze a literary passage in order to identify, then practice using, similes, allegory,...

Students identify artists of the Neoclassical period and how they were influenced by major historical events during the Enlightenment as well as identify the Neoclassical style.In this Neoclassical art lesson,...

Students explore the concept of non-violent resistance. In this political philosophies lesson, students study the political tactics of Mohandas Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau, and Martin Luther King, Jr. in order to discover how each of...