As Ken Jennings said, "There's just something hypnotic about maps." Certainly, the longer you look at them the more you can learn. In this project-based learning lesson, individuals study both historic and present-day maps of...

Is it really that big of a deal if the global climate undergoes a little change? Young environmentalists consider this very question as they discuss in small groups the impact of different climate change scenarios on their lives,...

Students design tiles that represent their community. They discuss ideas with another class through email. They then create the tiles, fire them, and attach them to a masonite board to create a community mural.

America has always been seen as a melting pot to the world. Scholars research the concept of blending cultures in the United States and how it is changing over time. The final activity of a four-part series analyzes the changing...

Discuss as a class some problems that you would like to see changed in your school or community, and then take action! After your young citizens determine the appropriate steps they should take to accomplish their objectives, they will...

How can both individuals and governments respond to climate change and take responsibility to reduce its effects on our environment? Here you will find three lessons filled with discussion, debate, and role-playing...

Everyone has the power to change their own lives. Young historians learn how they can become agents for change in their own lives and the community. The lesson focuses on positive role models and what motivates individuals to promote...

Motivate young scientists to stand up and take action with this environmental science lesson. To begin, the class works in small groups brainstorming actions that support the conservation of the earth before creating and implementing an...

Twelfth graders construct a timeline to show changes and trends in the future of urban and community forestry. In this forestry lesson, 12th graders discuss the importance of trees. They read a timeline and add future events to show...

Fifth graders brainstorm the relationship between trees and humans to determine how humans benefit from trees and how they benefit from us. They discuss oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange, soil stablization, animal habitat, shade, medicine...

Four projects enable class members to show what they have learned about ways they can stand up for democracy. to begin, individuals review their identity charts and craft a mask that represents themselves. Next, groups create a short,...

Who keeps animals safe? Who keeps us safe? Discover the helpers that make learning and growing possible through a medley of activities that focus on habitats—ours and those in the rainforest. Scholars are asked to identify one...

A person in the US uses 20 times more energy than a person in India—that's a drastic difference! The final instructional activity in the 12-part series goes back to the initial energy audits, analyzes which room showed the most...

Students discuss issues of concern to their communities and explore the variety of avenues available for concerned community members to address these issues and effect change.

Young scholars study nonviolence and the values associated with nonviolence. In this social science lesson, students identify the six steps of nonviolence and the six principles of nonviolence as put forth by Martin Luther King, Jr....

The film American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs introduces viewers to the differing philosophies of and strategies employed by 1960s civil rights leaders such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. and the debate over...

Students explore the concept of 'sense of place' through journaling and class discussion. In this community lesson, students discuss what makes them feel like they belong. Students give three speeches that develop the sense of place...

Second graders discuss change in cities over time. They view pictures of a city as it has changed over time and then compare city pictures of the past to those of a modern city today. In preparing for a guest speaker who will come and...

Students effectively operate a digital camera and conduct basic interviews with Spanish speaking people in Spanish. They conduct in-depth interviews with interviewees in English, if possible, and transcribe all or portions of the...

In order to understand how the land changes over time because of the people who live there, learners interview an elderly person about the past. Children ask an older family member to describe what the local area was like when they were...

An interesting resource addresses the role of youth in civic participation and community events. It also explains the role of the justice system in creating boundaries and how citizens play a part in the judicial process.  Pupils...

Self reflection is an important skill to reinforce in our children, and it's especially helpful to help them realize who they are in the context of their environment. A collection of lessons about self image and community encourage...

Third graders discuss how their major life roles change as they get older and fill out a worksheet.

Students identify those freedoms most important to them and identify characteristics of a "good" rule. They then develop "good" rules for the world and identify how decisions or rules made today might affect the future.