Eleventh graders explore slavery and the civil war. In groups, 11th graders discuss and slavery and identify reasons for its beginning. In groups, they role-play a character for a talk show. Students determine what slavery was like in...

Students investigate religious freedom in the U.S. They watch and discuss a Bill Moyers NOW video, take a Freedom of Religion quiz, write an essay, and participate in a mock trial and debate.

Students study the presence of Coca Cola in India and what it has done to the water supply there. Students research web articles. They compare and contrast diverse cultural points of view. Students participate in a mock trial to...

Students investigate reasons why people sought freedom to worship in the United States and some of the difficulties and issues facing them in their immigration. As immigrants, they write letters to family members in the old country.

Students explore how human rights are different in each part of the world.  In this freedome lesson, students define human rights, research how human rights in one country ultimately affect other countries, and share their findings...

Students watch a short video on colonial rule. They discuss how lives were changed once independence was granted in India. They create mock interview sessions acting as political figures involved in an independence movement. They...

Use this cross-curricular history lesson to work on your students' informational writing skills. After listening to songs and stories related to Sultana, they engage in a several activities to boost their understanding of slavery and...

Students complete a Web quest about Biddy Mason's journey Westward to California as a slave and her ultimate rise to one of the wealthiest and generous woman of the Westward Movement. They present an exhibit of their research.

Ninth graders examine how modern issues of the world affect their lives. They listen to a lecture about the differences between developed and developing countries, act out physical representations of charts and pictures on the overhead,...

Students analyze film clips in class. For this democracy lesson, students identify the differences between civil liberties, democracy and freedom. Students view a video regarding Japanese internment and answer study questions as well as...

Students play 'telephone' to simulate communication difficulties. In this media analysis lesson, students read and analyze newspaper articles related to religious tensions between the Pope and Muslims. Students  evaluate the...

Fourth graders investigate slavery by reading a book with their classmates. In this abolitionist movement lesson, 4th graders read the story The Patchwork Path, and discuss the creation of the Underground Railroad. Students create...

Young scholars study the social, economic, and political environment in Canada before 1837.

Taking on the roles of a fiery Boston patriot, a Philadelphia merchant's wife, and a prominent abolitionist, your young historians will consider the reactions of these early Americans to the creation of the Declaration of...

Students consider how colonial citizens chose sides in the American Revolution. In this Revolutionary War lesson, students role play Loyalists, Patriots, and undecideds in a classroom simulation. Students research their positions so that...

Learners, working in small groups, role play different kinds of governments--oligarchy, monarchy, dictatorship, and democratic republic. They portray their form of government in a skit, while other groups guess which kind of government...

Fifth graders write journal entries and a story based on the Mayflower era. They identify the roles of both the Pilgrims and Wampanoags in their writings.

Students simulate the creation of their own business. Using the internet and database exploration, they research community profiles and select a business. Pupils define the target market and investigate a business location. In...

Students explore lives of African-Americans in Iowa. Students will examine biographies and discuss perspectives of African-Americans. They will then create posters illustrating elements of those lives finally, putting on a five act play...

Students discuss the invention of barbed wire and how it affected various groups of peoples in the U.S. after its invention.

Students examine the causes of the American Revolution. For this colonial America lesson, students read handouts regarding the sequence of events that led to the commencement of the war. Students complete the provided worksheets and...

Students research the history of the Statue of Liberty and the symbols associated with it. They read and discuss Emma Lazarus' poem and why it should persuade people to donate money to bring the statue to America. Students role-play as...

Twelfth graders explore the basic principles of the US free enterprise system. They examine the basic principles of the US free enterprise system including profit motive, voluntary exchange, private property rights, and competition.

Students examine the history of St. Patrick's Day by creating characters and dialog reflecting Irish culture. A major part of the lesson is the construction of a float for a St. Patrick's Day parade. Also, students research and answer...