Lesson Plan
PBS

Sojourner Truth: Abolitionist and Women’s Rights Activist

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Scholars dive into the life of former slave, abolitionist, and women's rights activist Sojourner Truth. Using video evidence, speeches, and primary documents, class members complete a project on a current "Truth-figure" they see in...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Exoplanets through Kepler’s Laws

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The majority of all confirmed exoplanets relied on Kepler's laws to discover their locations. Scholars learn how to apply Kepler's laws and then practice using data to discover exoplanets. They benefit from NASA video footage, NOVA...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Data Plots of Exoplanet Orbital Properties

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Scientists discovered the first exoplanet in 1995 and by early 2018, they confirmed the existence of more than 3,700—that's a lot of data! As part of the PBS 9-12 Space series, scholars interpret data about exoplanets. They compare...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Experience a Solar Eclipse

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Didn't catch the last solar eclipse? Now every day can be eclipse day, thanks to an interactive lesson from PBS' Space series for middle schoolers! The well-rounded multi-media experience includes video clips, an interactive, and...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Making a Difference in the Midst of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What can individuals do to give peace a chance in the Middle East? Through a series of activities including viewing segments from a PBS video, class members learn about the complex history of the conflict and about efforts to promote...
Interactive
PBS

Why Isn't There an Eclipse Every Month?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Searching for an eclipse activity that sends scholars over the moon? Try an interesting interactive to get their minds active! The resource, part of an extensive Space series from PBS Learning Media, uses modeling and data analysis to...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Rain Shadows

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Satellite images from NASA help scholars focus on the similarities on the planet rather than the differences. The photos from the installment of a larger PBS series exploring weather and climate compare geological formations in the...
Interactive
PBS

Mountain Weather: Orographic Lift

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Why do so many mountain ranges exist next to a desert? As part of a larger series, PBS 6-8 Weather and Climate answers this question. The presentation offers diagrams and photographs of the development of a rain shadow. From Oregon to...
Lesson Plan
PBS

The Landscape of the Pacific Northwest

For Teachers 6th - 8th
The Pacific Northwest includes four mountain ranges and one rain forest. Explore the breathtaking scenery using a lesson from a larger series from PBS covering climate and weather. Starting with photographs taken from the international...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Latinos at the Ballot Box

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Latinx people have had a profound effect on voting patterns, going back to the 1950s. Using video clips from the PBS series "Latino Americans," scholars work to assemble a timeline of the interesting history. Then, pupils consider the...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Stories of Arrival

For Teachers 4th - 12th Standards
While every family's immigration story is unique, patterns emerge when looking at individual narratives. Using clips from the PBS video series, "Latino Americans," learners look at commonalities among immigrant experiences. A chart helps...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Puerto Rican Perspectives

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Puerto Ricans are wholly American, but their history with the United States has been one of tumult. Using clips from a PBS documentary, viewers consider the history of the island and Puerto Rico's contributions to the mainland United...
Interactive
PBS

Satire, Parody, and Humor in Catch-22

For Students 11th - Higher Ed Standards
Laughter is the heart of dark comedy. It makes the unbearable bearable. Joseph Heller crafted his dark comedy Catch-22 to enable readers to laugh at the painful realities and underscore the absurdities of a war where people you...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Harriet Beecher Stowe: Author and Abolitionist

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Scholars use primary documents, video clips, and legal decisions to uncover Harriet Beecher Stowe's motives for writing Uncle Tom's Cabin. They create a 21st century book jacket for the novel to capture the purpose behind Stowe's...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Frederick Douglass: Orator, Editor, and Abolitionist

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Imagine the task of designing a national memorial for a former slave, orator, editor, and abolitionist! Scholars research and analyze the impact of the life of Frederick Douglass. Incorporating primary and secondary sources as well as...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Amelia Earhart: Aviator, Record-Breaker, and Activist

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Fly through the gender barrier! Scholars investigate the impact Amelia Earhart had on American aviation and society. After watching a brief biographical video, learners take a look at primary documents to gain insight into her intriguing...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Organizing the Farm Worker Movement

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
The food on young scholars' tables was likely harvested by hands that fought for fair wages and working conditions. By examining the life of Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, learners connect their daily meals with the struggles of those...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Plotting Pairs of Coordinate Points in all Four Quadrants to Construct Lines

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Here is a lesson on coordinates that has pupils view three Cyberchase video clips illustrating the definition of "point" and "line." Along the way, learners will discuss what characters from the videos do, and where problems lie in...
Lesson Plan
PBS

NOVA Evolution Lab Lesson Plan

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
It doesn't matter if you look on land, in the air, underground, or in water—evolution is everywhere. Scholars complete worksheets with multiple question types as they progress through six online missions creating phylogenic trees. 
Lesson Plan
PBS

NOVA Sun Lab Lesson Plan

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Looking for a sun-sational multi-lesson plan full of videos, simulations, and discussion? Introduce your young scientists to all things solar with a four-part hands-on adventure. Pupils learn the basics of solar anatomy, space weather,...
Interactive
PBS

Map a Model Solar System

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Creating a solar system map is a snap thanks to a hands-on activity! Science scholars explore the solar system by building it wherever they choose during an interactive from PBS's Space series. Users pick both the location and scale for...
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PBS

Malcolm X: Minister and Civil Rights Activist

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Any study of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement would be incomplete without an examination of the life of Malcolm X. Class members view a short biographical video and analyze primary source documents to gain an understanding of the...
Lesson Plan
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PBS

Martin Luther King Jr.: Civil Rights Leader

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Expand class members' appreciation of the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A powerful resource examines King's speeches, writings, and actions that reveal his deep commitment to a nonviolent approach to Civil Rights. Learners watch a...
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PBS

Muhammad Ali: Boxer and Civil Rights Activist

For Students 3rd - 7th Standards
Many young people today know Muhammad Ali as the aging boxer who lit the torch at the 1996 Olympics. Introduce young historians to Ali the boxer, the Civil Rights activist, the war protestor, and the humanitarian with a powerful lesson...