SAC is a specific approach to discussing history and controversial issues. Rather than adhering to an either/or debate-style paradigm, it fosters speaking and constructivist listening to enable learners to build consensus through...

Here is an online quiz, complete with answer links. High schoolers respond to nine short answer questions about Joan of Arc, her battles, and even the voices in her head. The best part, they can check their own answers.

Host a fishbowl discussion to help your class recognize and articulate the relationship between words and the character traits they describe. They analyze Holocaust survivor testimonies and apply the character traits they observe. No...

The Seneca Falls Convention was an amazing outlet for the female voice during the time of women's suffrage. Learners will read a short, but powerful excerpt from the Declaration of Sentiment, as spoken at the convention. They'll answer...

How much did the King of Siam value education? Why did he believe haste was important? How do his views compare with modern views of education? These are the questions your class will answer after reading an excerpt from the "Royal...

The included excerpt would be a perfect contrary follow-up to reading, Rudyard Kipling's White Man's Burden. Journalist E.D. Morel composed the statement against imperialism in 1920. Black Man's Burden is a wonderful primary source...

Consider the words of Cecil Rhodes after reading this short excerpt from his publication, Confession of Faith. Upper graders read the excerpt then answer two questions analyzing the view of Africans toward his praise of British...

After learning all about World War I, middle schoolers can delve into this writing exercise. They complete three short answer questions that ask them to describe the role of women in WWI, the role of technology in WWI, and four causes of...

Good writing can come from personal places. Budding online authors read an excerpt from a narrative-style newspaper article and then respond to several related writing prompts. They compose blog responses that use vivid imagery to...

Desiccate, despoil, devise, descry! You would be remiss if you did not use this sentence completion worksheet to challenge even your best pundits. The SAT level words and the beautifully detailed explanations key would help to ameliorate...

How do we know so much about the past? A student-crafted presentation provides viewers with images of artifacts from St. Augustine, Florida that give historians and archaeologists clues into lives already lived.

Not only is Wassily Kandinsky fun to say, his art contains tons of angles. Learners discuss Kandinsky's music-inspired abstract art and four types of angles. They search one of his paintings for obtuse, right, straight, and acute angles,...

There is a difference between actions, motives, and the appearance of a character in a narrative text. Fourth graders explore character analysis through the dramatic arts. They create a series of movements, tableaus, and pantomimes to...

Are you in need of a new way to teach learners sequence of events and how to interpret a character's external motivations? Why not engage them in dramatic play? The class will use tableaux to convey the sequence of events in a familiar...

This can be used as a critical thinking exercise in congruence or as a teaching tool when first introducing the concept. Four octagons are arranged in such a way that a square is formed in the middle. With this information, geometry...

Young historians will consider the causes of the collapse of communism and the Soviet Union, as well as the impact Lech Walesa had on Poland. They compose three responses in short essay format.

Identify the author's organizational pattern for expressing ideas. After reading an article on the California Gold Rush, middle schoolers determine the author's purpose for writing a passage of informational text. A full list of...

Students work in groups to create a storyboard about their video. They shoot a video designed to teach others to connect the computer and camcorder and how to capture video in Adobe Premiere Elements editing program.

Was the Titanic advertised as an unsinkable ship, or was it just what the public believed? For this analysis activity, historians examine both primary and secondary sources to determine the answer to this question and the reliability of...

High schoolers study the legal battles involving same-sex marriage. They examine primary sources and a video regarding the 14th amendment and its implications for gay marriage. They analyze a report of a California case that was sent to...

Familiarize young analysts with the relationship between words, meaning, and visual images. They consider the relationship between the painting Beach Poetry and the poem Sandpaper. They compose and illustrate an original a...

Take a closer look at the impact of war in this language arts and social studies lesson. Middle schoolers use primary sources to conduct research as they relate to the effects of war on children. They compare and contrast the effects of...

Students investigate the water wars taking place in Ethiopia. In this global issues instructional activity, students research the water shortages in East Africa. Students participate in a discussion that requires them to put themselves...

What is the League of Nations, when did it begin, and what is it's purpose? Young political minds can explore the answers to these questions through political cartoon analysis. Included are several political cartoons, an analysis...