Did the Declaration of Independence really intend to grant liberty for all? Get your class thinking about historical perspective with documents relaying the experiences of women, white men, and African-Americans during the Revolutionary...

Young scholars explore lodge construction as a representation of culture. In this cultural diversity and Native American history lesson plan, students listen to a narrative explaining the origin of Native American painted lodges. Young...

In this engaging activity involving close analysis of abstract expressionist art, your class members will not only discover more about artist Friz Scholder's Native American art, but they will also have the opportunity to consider...

"No taxation without representation!" While many have heard this rallying cry of the American colonists prior to the Revolutionary War, rarely is time given to hear the British reasoning behind their implementation of the Stamp Act. This...

How did Colonists react to British rule prior to the American Revolution? Give your high schoolers a taste of oppression with this role-play activity, then let them come up with a revolution of their own. This excercise is intended to...

Students view and analyze various artists' representations of slavery. They create their own illustrations of slavery.

After reading a Native American legend about dreamcatchers, why not make some. This resource provides several good links that explain the legend of the dreamcatcher and step-by-step instructions for making them with the class. Tip: If...

A well-designed table is here for those who are studying Native American history. They choose an Indian tribe, then conduct research which enables them to fill in each of the blanks in the table.

Students explore tribal sovereignty. In this American Indian lesson, students learn about tribal sovereignty, watch a movie, take notes, and complete a reaction paper.

Students study the ideas and experiences that shaped the founding fathers' perspective about government. In this the government lesson plan, students examine the Articles of Confederation as they relate to the power of government....

A reading of “Gatsby’s Green Light Beckons a New Set of Strivers,” a New York Times article by Sara Rimer, triggers a discussion of the American Dream and what it means to strive for something. Following the discussion, class members...

After reading a Whose Buffalo? fact sheet, learners will contrast the nature of hunting buffalo from the perspective of the Native American and the commercial hunter. This graphic organizer is intended to be used as a part of a...

Elementary and middle schoolers examine and evaluate different perspectives concerning events leading to the American Revolution. In this case, they hone in on the Stamp Act. They research controversial bills, laws, or events of the time...

Practice the native concept of weaving with traditional classroom items. Using assorted colors of construction paper, your class will simulate how to weave. This is a great activity to connect to a Native American, Mexican, or other...

How do novels differ from plays? Explore with your class the text features of fiction and drama by reading The Hidden One: Native American Legend and then performing a reader’s theater script based on the story. Class members create a...

Helpful for an American literature or history unit, this lesson prompts middle schoolers to examine slavery in the United States. They read slave narratives that were part of the Federal Writers' Project and then conduct their own...

Building an argument with supporting evidence is a vital skill. Learners engage in a debate over the annexation of the Philippines after the Spanish-American War. They take on the perspective of an individual from that time period,...

Is, as Walt Whitman contends, America’s “almost maniacal appetite for wealth,” the heart of the American dream? Class members grapple with this question as they read David Brooks’ article “The Commercial Republic,” and quotes that...

Gather information about various business leaders in this graphic organizer. Pupils fill in information about Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Frank Woolworth, John Jacob Astor, John Rockefeller, and William Randolph Hearst in...

Amanda Gorman, the United States's first National Youth Poet Laureate, is featured in a resource from the Academy of American Poets. Class members first read Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech and note what King wanted...

Physicists Herman Branson and Tannie Stovall provide young scholars with two very different perceptions of the status of African American physicists in the 1960s. After reading and comparing the bios of these two men, class members read...

An art history detective; I want to be one of those! The class puts their heads together to hone their deductive and critical thinking skills in order to determine which Native American tribe created and used parfleche boxes. They'll use...

Has equality always existed as an unalienable right in the United States? Use this worksheet to chronicle the history and progression of equality in major documents and speeches throughout American history. The graphic organizer asks...

Bridge subjects ancient history and English language arts together with a unit all about the Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations. Eleven lessons begin with a read-aloud followed by a whole-class discussion in preparation for practice by...