Step into history and step out with a new understanding of events. These strategies bring a new level of understanding of key events by asking viewers to engage in and respond to projected images. Complete directions for the activity, a...

Using an online internet simulation, learners will role-play various members of a family living in rural Haiti. The objective is to increase global awareness by requiring them to consider poverty as an obstacle to education in Haiti....

Second graders study the criteria for biographies and the vocabulary that is specific person and time. They take notes, write e-mail and gather information on a famous person.

Reading, writing, and rings! A lesson plan from NASA combines space science with authentic reading and writing tasks. Included in this lesson plan are pre-reading activities, four mini informational booklets on Saturn, a...

Five segements from Ken Burns' documentary series Prohibition, easily accessed on the PBS website, are at the center of a terrific short unit on the roots of America's ambivalent relationship with alcohol. Engage your secondary...

Students identify types of teeth, tools for teeth, the people and behaviors associated with dental care. Then, they create a list of ways to take care of their teeth. Students also create a chart of dental care using key terms and...

Students investigate Wales. In this Wales lesson, students do Internet research for facts about Wales. Students are given a list sentences about Wales and decide if they are true or false. Students listen to an audio file and take...

Students examine the life span of various currency denominations from Australia. They analyze a diagram of the life cycle of Australian currency, and complete a worksheet that involves describing how an Australian $5 note is passed from...

Students simulate working on an assembly line in a shared culture. In this consumerism lesson, students participate in a lecture and note-taking session before working on a simulated assembly line. They work in a timed situation to...

The class explores and debates, from multiple perspectives, a petition to allow Hopi Indians to take golden eagle hatchlings from a federal wildlife sanctuary for use in a religious ceremony. Pupils defend their personal views on the...

Investigate ethical issues surrounding the Decode project in Iceland. Middle and high schoolers take the positions of the Icelandic government, scientific researchers, and citizens and defend or refute the Decode project in a Reykjavik...

Space explorers take a virtual trip around the sun right within your classroom! They stand in a circle facing away from the "sun" (a lamp) in the center of the room. As they move according to your instructions, they view different...

Here is an astounding series of lessons, designed for high schoolers, on environmental policy. By studying water conservation in rural India, the role of the government, and the reaction of the people, learners begin to formulate...

Students share a bowl of goldfish crackers. In this instructional activity on sharing, students see how a limited resource goes furthest when it is evenly shared. Students are allowed to take as many crackers as they would like, and then...

Elementary schoolers explore the concepts associated with comparison shopping, and the concept of need versus want. They also look closely at the power of advertising and become more aware of the messages that ads present. After taking...

Students explore the history of major American music genres. Then, through mock radio shows, students examine the distinguishing features of each genre and how each has changed throughout the years.

Students read about a protest in France, led by students against the government's labor laws targeting youth. They research student-led protests over the past 50 years and role-play student protesters, reporters, and government officials.

Students research key people, places, organizations, and nations involved in Iraq's "transition." Then they present their research in a lesson format to fellow classmates at a teach-in.

Young scholars consider the purpose of talk radio and examine its importance in the new democratic Iraq. They enact mock talk shows based on current events and reflect on the value of free speech and the role audience members play in...

The Vietnam War and World War I were two very important—and different—wars. To understand the differences, and similarities, class members watch videos, examine primary source documents, and then create a newscast that examines the...

Social Studies and role-playing can go hand in hand. Learners use supporting evidence found in primary and secondary source material to develop a character from the Five Points neighborhood in the 1850s. Each student takes on the role of...

Build a historical perspective from four different points of view. Young historians take on the role of a slave-owning white person, non-slave owning white person, slave, or free African-American person and imagine what life would be...

First graders listen to the book, Sheep in a Shop, that leads them to think about making financial decisions, trading, and the barter system. After the book is read aloud, a discussion ensues about some of the things that the sheep...

After completing the activity, "Kinesthetic Astronomy: The Meaning of a Year," zoom in on Earth's rotation using the same simulation setup and this outline. Each class member dons a map of the Western Hemisphere and plays the part of...