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The Gold Rush Experience: Create Your Own Exhibit
Students create a virtual exhibit. In this gold rush lesson, students watch a movie about the California gold rush, view a virtual image of the gold nugget that started the gold rush and examine the sources. Students research and...
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Civil War Photographs: The Mathew Brady Bunch
Students examine the photographs of Mathew Brady. In this Civil War activity, students analyse primary source photographs from the Civil War. Students will be able to describe specific events and what life might be like during the Civil...
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Teaching Acting Technique and Building a Character Through Cinema
Students review the style techniques related to the American Method Acting and practice using them in groups. Using various scenes from films, they try to recreate the scene using props. In groups, they discover the proper way to get...
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The Other Side of Paradise
Eleventh graders explore the life and writing of F. Scott Fitzgerald. They examine the youth culture of the 1920's and compare it to their own. They practice using some of the biographer's or archivist's tools for studying a person.
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Historical Episodes
Students choose a historical book set in the Civil War. They create a flow chart of the steps involved in producing a film. They select one scene and prepare props, costumes and setting for the scene.
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Our Country
Second graders study about being a citizen in a democracy. They also study about the important American symbols and the process for electing the President. Students develop a creative writing story and create a drawing of a room....
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Literature: Porgy and Bess
Young scholars examine the various portrayals of African-Americans in literature, focusing on the opera, Porgy and Bess. They conduct Internet research on African-American culture between the two World Wars. Students write fictional or...
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Lesson Plan for Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 (1938)
Young scholars study the life and music of composer, Samuel Barber. In groups, representing trees, water, and stars they use interpretive dance to tell the story of the musical composition, 'Adagio for Strings, Op. 11' by Barber.
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Las Vegas: We Are Just Like You
High schoolers practice making multimedia documentary films by investigating cities of America. In this U.S. geography lesson, students examine Las Vegas and compare the state of Nevada to 15 other states and discuss their main...
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Where Are The Dinosaurs?
Students study the existence of dinosaurs as a precursor to learning about extinction. In this dinosaurs lesson, students watch dinosaur video at assigned web sites. They discuss what they observed in the videos including how the...
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Flag Wars
Students consider how zoning policy shapes the character of neigborhoods. They see how zoning and loan policies have been used historically in the U.S. to benefit some people and discriminate against others. They examine tensions between...
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Asylum Talk Show
Students investigate the case of a German ship containing Jewish refugees seeking asylum from Nazi persecution in the late 1930s. They conduct Internet research, watch a video, and role-play passengers from the St. Louis on a simulated...
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The Education of Shelby Knox Lesson Plan: The History of Teaching About Sex
Young scholars examine the current debate over sex education. They examine a variety of sex education approaches and determine which one is use in thier school district.
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Confronting Genocide
Young scholars discover what the term genocide means and are assigned to groups to reasearch an act of genocide in order to answer each question from their worksheet. They then compare their results making special notes of patterns they...
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Celebrating Benjamin Franklin
Middle schoolers explore various websites featuring the life and achievements of Benjamin Franklin. They investigate Franklin's roles in colonial society as well as pictures of his various inventions. They view excerpts of historical...
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Japan: Images of a People
Students learn the geography of Japan and its location in reference to the United States.
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The Overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy
Eighth graders discover details about the overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani. In this Hawaiian history lesson, 8th graders watch "Hawaii's Last Queen," and read Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen. Students reply to discussion...
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Observing Elections Around the World
Students examine elections in countries around the world. In this elections lesson, students watch a video segment regarding election observations and then access selected websites to research specified elections. Students prepare...
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High School Sikh Lesson Plan
Students examine post 9/11 backlash. In this hate crimes lesson, students watch "Dastaar," a documentary featuring Sikh discrimination. Students discuss their impressions of the documentary.
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Twain: Icon and Iconoclast
Students examine work by Mark Twain in the context of pre- and post-Civil War America. In this cross curricular lesson plan, students gather biographical information about Twain, use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast him with...
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Miracles of the Heart
Students watch a movie. For this cultures lesson, students read A World Without Black People and then discuss segregation. Students watch the video Partners of the Heart or Something the Lord Made and then reflect on the video in their...
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Auschwitz Episode Guide: Corruption
Students examine life at the Auschwitz concentration camp. They watch and discuss a PBS documentary, analyze reasons for prosecuting perpetrators after the war, and develop criteria for recognizing Internet sites developed by Holocaust...
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Perspectives on Paraguay
Students locate the country of Paraguay on a world map. As a class, they brainstorm how their lives might be different from someone living in Paraguay. After reading an article, they compare the two cultures and compare it with their...
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Brown v. Board: Where are We Now?
Students explore the concept of resegregation. In this civil rights instructional activity, students research the impact of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling in their community. Students define and...