Facing History and Ourselves
American Idealist: What Is an Idealist?
Students explore the concept of idealism. In this Sargent Shriver instructional activity, students watch segments of "American Idealist" and discuss the attributes of Shriver and of idealist thinking.
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"Children of Loneliness": Understanding the Immigrant Experience
Students research and enhance the Jewish immigrant experience to that of contemporary immigrants to sustain a connection to their personal family stories. A story is shared with the class and then a discussion follows on the possible...
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Martin Luther King Jr. and Christianity
Students analyze the influx of Christian principles in nonviolent resistance. For this Civil Right Movement lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s interpretation of Christianity and the...
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Results In On Mock Election
Students examine the two presidential candidates in 2000, and identify their own stance on campaign issues. They create fictional candidates that represent their beliefs, and write campaign speeches from their point of view.
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Comparing Covenants
Fifth graders investigate what a covenant was and how they relate to contemporary government ideals. In this comparing covenant lesson, 5th graders examine primary source documents that are examples of covenants from 18th century New...
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Islamic Art
Students examine the various forms of Islamic Art. Using the art, they identify the basic elements and research its history and style of calligraphy. They create a piece of art based on information they collected and demonstrate...
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Buddhism - Buddha Day, Make your own Origami Crane - Part 1
In this Origami crane worksheet, students create a crane to recognize Buddha Day. The visual art helps students illustrate their knowledge of the Buddhist religion.
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Political Ideological Spectrum
Students explore the ideologies of the American political spectrum. In this American politics lesson plan, students examine the characteristics and platforms of liberals, conservatives, libertarians, and moderates. Students complete the...
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A Country Is Born-The American Revolutionary War
Seventh graders construct a historical timeline of events leading up to and during the Revolutionary War. They give a speech pleading the cause of independence and compare and contrast today's news media with the ideals of the...
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Lesson Plan: Early Political Parties
Students examine the platforms of early political parties in the United States. In this political parties lesson, students discover details regarding the attributes and ideals of the federalists and the democratic-republicans. Students...
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A Personal Reflection on the Canadian Parliamentary System and Its Delivery to Secondary Students
Students develop a newspaper portfolio of "Canadian Democracy At Work" and find examples of events/decisions/people from media sources to reinforce the concepts of Power and Authority in the Canadian context.
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Rome Comes to Third Grade
Students explore the world of Ancient Rome in this thirteen lessons unit. the rise and fall of the Roman Empire is probed. The ideals that inspired the people's sense of purpose are developed in these lessons.
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Realism In Chinese Art
Students examine the artistic terms realism and idealism through the study of Chinese art and artifacts in this lesson plan for the Social Studies classroom. Evaluation is accomplished through an in-class essay.
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Cross Cultural Transportation and Resources Exchange
Students examine various modes of transportation. They explore regional transportation options and discover options available in their area. Students survey types of transportation people use in their area. Using spreadsheet data,...
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Lincoln is in the House! ("Name-Dropping" Poems and the Power of Connotation)
“What’s in a name?” Just about everything. Barack Obama, Vincent van Gogh, Justin Bieber. Famous names evoke a multitude of reactions and poets often use the names of famous people in their works precisely because names carry...
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F.L.A.S.H. Introduction
F.L.A.S.H stands for Family Life and Sexual Health, it's a program specifically focused on providing special needs learners with vital information regarding personal and sexual health. This is an overview of the program, complete with...
New York City Department of Education
Learning about Lunar New Year
Rich in images and information, a teacher's guide to the traditions of Lunar New Year's celebrations in various cultures addresses celebrations of Buddhism and Daoism. It includes background information about the origins of the...
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Mapping the Mediasphere
Students compare/contrast the media messages they see in two different communities in their city. They list the elements of art and the principles of design in the photographs they have taken in those two different communities. They...
Global Oneness Project
Repairing the Fabric of Democracy
During elections, headlines constantly lament the issue of low voter turnout. Help class members understand why this is such an important topic with relevant articles, a discussion of both sides of the issue, and a reflective essay.
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US Constitution
Think about the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence with your budding historians. They analyze the importance of historical documents by examining several famous documents, and then they complete activities that check...
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Welcome to the Blogosphere
Create a blog spot for your classroom and promote online discussions. There are several blogging websites listed here, and you can create one specific to each class or one collective site. Teach your learners how to post on the blog, and...
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Anticipation Guide: Life of Pi
Create an anticipation guide with your class for Life of Pi. They will have likely heard of the novel and maybe even seen the movie, but provide them with this guide to get them thinking. Eight statements are given, and your class...
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Catharine Blaine
Students research Catherine Blaine by navigating websites to investigate her ideas on reforms for women and the challenges of western settlement. In this Catherine Blaine lesson, students view grade appropriate materials and participate...
Facing History and Ourselves
The Nazis in Power: Propaganda and Conformity
The Nazis used the power of propaganda to encourage confirmative views and the discrimination of Jews. A social studies resource illustrates these issues through discussion, image analysis, and a writing exercise.