National Endowment for the Humanities
Mark Twain and American Humor
“The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” is famous, in part, because it established a uniquely American form of humor. For this famous story, Mark Twain combines the tall-tale, the dialect story, and satire. Here is a resource...
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Jazz in America Lesson Plan 2
Students explore jazz's primary elements. They identify the basic definitions of terms associated with jazz. In addition, they listen to Song for My Father.
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Nellie Bly's Newspaper Club: Introducing the Science of Writing
Students evaluate a video about Nellie Bly, a famous reporter from the 19th century. They consider what makes a high-interest news article, write an essay in pairs and present it a literary tea.
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All The Bell & Whistles
Young adults are so eager to get that first cell phone. And, cell phones have so many cool extras! Learners conduct real-life research to determine which cell phone carrier offers the best deals on things like wall paper, ringtones, and...
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Trade Wars: the Candidates Take a Stand
Students research topics related to trade, and develop a graphic organizer. They debate and discuss topics related to trade.
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Experiencing the Civil War
Eleventh graders examine the Civil War. In this American History lesson, 11th graders investigate the causes, effects, and the lives of people during the Civil War. Students develop a research paper using various...
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Young Voters Make A Difference
Students research recent statistics on voting by those 18 to 24. They survey senior students to determine their intent to vote in the next election. Students display the data in charts and graphs. They write the results and share it with...
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The Amazing Race -- Africa
High schoolers conduct research and gather information regarding various cities in Africa. They discover what it would take to travel to and through Africa and plan a trip through various regions of the continent. They present their...
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Poetry Cyberbook
Emerging poets design a website and then post seven original poems as well as their written critique of these poems. Although the resource mentions Inspiration and FrontPage technologies, any software could be substituted.
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Introduction to the Maya Civilization
Students investigate the Maya civilization. In this Maya civilization lesson plan, students view a PowerPoint presentation and record notes. Students explore several important landmarks, such as the "Magician's Palace" at Uxmal.
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"You Decide" Companion Lesson
Young scholars research capital punishment and discuss different views on the death penalty. They complete a web based activity and express how certain acts of terrorism can challenge people's views on the death penalty.
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The First American Party System: A Documentary Timeline of Important Events (1787-1800)
Students conduct research on the events of the end of the 18th century in order to identify critical factors leading to the development of the Federalist and Democratic-Republican political parties. They summarize the key positions of...
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Seasons Culminating Activity
Students develop a PowerPoint presentation as the culminating project in a unit on seasons. They complete a KWL chart, conduct Internet research, take an online quiz, and create a PowerPoint presentation using text, video clips, and...
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Deportation of the Acadians
Students use an online atlas to identify the presence of Acadian culture in the Maritime provinces of Canada and explore the deportation.
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Religion in Politics and Daily Life
Students examine various aspects of religion in ancient Rome including the role of mythology, polytheism versus. monotheism, the treatment of Jews and Christians, and the spread of Christianity.
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History of the Telephone, Radio, and Light Bulb
Students research and discuss the history of the telephone, radio, and light bulb. In this invention history lesson plan, students access Internet sites to explore the inventors and the invention of the telephone, the radio, and the...
National Endowment for the Humanities
"Old Southwest" Humorists and George Washington Harris
Young scholars discover the work of George Washington Harris and his influence on American humor. For this George Washington Harris lesson, discuss cultural differences in the United States and read Sut Lovongwood stories by George...
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Laurence Yep's, Dragonwings
Students discuss vocabulary words and compare definitions. They read chapters 6-9 of the novel, Dragonwings, and discuss point of view, and complete a plot diagram. Then they review the four types of conflict and identify the conflicts...
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Mapping an Empire
How did the expansion of the Roman Empire during the first century contribute to its downfall? Using a map of the Roman Empire in 44 BC and one of the Roman Empire in 116 AD as references, class member use critical reading skills to...
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Nouns and Verbs and Proper Nouns, Oh My!
Second graders identify nouns and verbs in written communication. They distinguish between between nouns, proper nouns, and verbs. Students discuss the difference between these parts of speech. In partners, 2nd graders write a sentences...
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Fraction Puzzle Problems
Fifth graders design a fraction word problem PowerPoint presentation. In small groups they complete a storyboard graphic organizer for their word problem, evaluate another group's word problem, and create a PowerPoint presentation of...
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Graphing Sea Ice Extent in the Arctic and Antarctic
Learners graph sea ice data and predict long term trends in the data. In this climate change lesson, students use sea ice data from the Arctic and Antarctic to construct line graphs. They use their graphs to predict the effects of global...
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Lincoln's Legend and Legacy
Students evaluate Lincoln's impact on American History. For this Civil War lesson, students view a film clip of writings about Lincoln. Students take notes and compare how the writings define his legacy. Students write their own poem or...
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Penguins: Sensitive Indicators
Students examine how penguins are affected by climate change. In this climate change lesson students research the impact of climate change then create a poster to call awareness to it.