Looking for a Thanksgiving week activity? Try this seven-page printable book documenting the story of the first Thanksgiving. Each page (1/2 sheet) has a short text along with a picture kids can color in.

America has always been seen as a melting pot to the world. Scholars research the concept of blending cultures in the United States and how it is changing over time. The final lesson of a four-part series analyzes the changing...

There is a grain of truth in myths. Young historians investigate the truths surrounding the popular beliefs about the First Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts. After reading the information in a study guide, they use what they...

Should the excavation of what is believed to be the cave of the Lone Woman of San Nicholas Island be allowed to continue? As a practice exercise designed to prepare pupils for a timed writing exam, individuals read two Los Angeles...

A set of 14 primary sources provides background for a study of Lorraine Hansberry's drama, A Raisin in the Sun. Featured are images from stage productions of the play, white supremacy protests, a clip from a television interview, and...

Through a careful reading and examination of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, scholars take part in grand conversations about the novel's contents, slavery, and the impact the book had on it. Furthermore,...

A reading of Walter Dean Myers' "Harlem" sets the stage for studying the literature, art, and music of the Harlem Renaissance. The lesson begins with a review of the social, political, and economic conditions of the 1920s and 1930s that...

Your land is my land! Young historians investigate the concept of Manifest Destiny used by the United States government to justify western expansion. Jigsaw groups read primary source documents to gain an understanding of the movement...

A 12-piece primary source packet sets the tone for a study of the role women played in the origins, development, and impact of blues music. Legends like Bessie Smith, Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Mamie Smith, and Ida Cox are featured, as are...

Dig this! Young archeologists discover what objects teach us about the past. The activity uses an image of a Revolutionary War artifact to help historians practice analyzing the past. Scholars study the object and complete a worksheet to...

Young historians use primary source materials to investigate the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and the sinking of the USS Arizona. After reading background articles and studying maps and images of the attack, class members consider whether...

The impressive story of Benjamin Franklin, including his rise from a printer’s apprentice to a statesman, color upper-level scholars’ understanding of the possibilities of life in colonial Philadelphia. But not everyone had the...

The United States of America was founded on firm ideals of both the pursuit of happiness and a spirit of reverence. Through a close reading of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The May-Pole of Merry Mount," you can examine what some consider was a...

Students explore the cultural importance of Native American masks. In this indigenous cultures lesson, students are first introduced to the tribal groups of the Northwest and how they used masks for medicine, religion, and entertainment....

Students research how early colonists lived. They investigate late 17th century colonist's lives from Massachusetts and Delaware. Using their research, students write historical fiction in the form of friendly letters between the two...

Seventh graders explore the religion of Hinduism.  In this Religion lesson, 7th graders illustrate how people from one country adapt to a new country.  Students predict the future status of Hinduism in the United States. 

Fourth graders conduct cultural research, collect oral histories using tape recorders and cameras, and share their ancestral heritage with classmates through family heirlooms and ethnic foods.

Eighth graders study cultures and beliefs about the final life cycle.  In this culture lesson students complete several activities on the origins of Halloween.

Students explore how cultural aspects of their lives are depicted in society. They view a video on Frida Kahlo and identify the cultural elements that she referenced in her work.

Students compare and contrast the ways in which human figures are portrayed in rock art made by ancient Native American artists and in the drawings and paintings of historic European and American artists. They use images to identify...

Students compare the holidays celebrated in the Middle Ages to those celebrated in American culture today. In this cultural tradition instructional activity, students read Internet-linked articles about holidays of the Middle Ages....

Third graders discover that the only inorganic resource available to early cultures for cosmetics was rock and soil. They watch a demonstration showing that rubbing rock on your hand gently doesn't mark the skin very well, but rubbing...

Third graders study the American flag and its importance. In this American flag lesson, 3rd graders practice the Pledge of Allegiance, discuss and learn the meaning of the American flag stripes, stars, and colors, and sing 'America the...

Students examine interactions between Native Americans and settlers. In this Westward Expansion lesson plan, students analyze select passages from Plains Indians by Dana Newmann and The World of Native Americans by Marion Wood....