Americans wanted to fulfill Manifest Destiny, and this pattern continued with the Mexican War. The resource specifically teaches about the Mexican War through a variety of exercises including a research project, group work, brainstorming...

Fifth graders use the internet to research the history of cultures throughout the world. In groups, they disucss the meaning of various symbols and view Tenochtitlan as a center of power and wealth. They use everyday materials to...

The Massacre of Tlatelolco is the focus of a discussion-based lesson. Civil-minded learners consider the nature of student movements that have ended in violence based on over-reaction and government oppression. They discuss the social...

The city of Los Angeles' 1979 Special Order 40 states: "LAPD officers shall not initiate police action with the objective of discovering the alien status of a person." After reading a fact sheet that details the history of Special Order...

Young scholars identify three celebration activities participated in Cinco de Mayo and explain their significance.

Integrate geography with literature in this interdisciplinary activity. Begin by reading a poem such as The Time We Climbed Snake Mountain by Leslie Marmon Silko. On a large map, place push pins in the cities or states mentioned. An...

Learners read a news article from the New York Times related to the construction of a fence between Mexico and the U.S. and its impact on the lives of the people living on both sides. They read and discuss a variety of scenarios, answer...

Students view (or read) The Ponder Heart by Eudora Welty. They discuss other literary pieces that include the misleading first person narrator. They role play fictional characters from literature and present a short anecdote in a...

After locating Latin American countries on a world map, children read about how microbanks are loaning money to help start small businesses. Involving both current events and economics, the teacher introduces the article with a map...

It's time to hear about some adventures in travel! The Transcontinental Railroad changed life and travel in the United States during the 1800s. Practicing online research skills, pupils discover the features they would like to visit on...

Young scholars discover how a zip code is used. In this zip code lesson, students use the parts of a zip code to find where a letter is going, then find the first number of zip codes based on geographic regions.

Students explore how the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has impacted the people and economies of North America and Mexico.

Students express their opinion on issues related to Central America. After reading an article, they discuss the relations between the Presidents of Mexico and the United States. Using the internet, they research a part of the party...

Young scholars investigate the uncontrolled development of the world's major cities. They define key vocabulary terms, view and discuss video excerpts, and complete a project that involves drawing a "perfect city," developing a plan to...

Students examine the United States electoral college system as it applies to the 2004 presidential election. They investigate the impact of the twelve battleground states in the 2004 election and develop informative pamphlets on the...

Students who live in the inner city are introduced to the four corners region of the United States. In groups, they examine how the region differs compared to where they live and their culture. They develop maps of the area and locate...

A carefully crafted, logically organized, 128-page packet is an excellent addition to your unit on expository writing.

Learners use the classroom atlases, the Internet or textbooks to draw a freehand map. They work in groups using the maps in the book The Broken Spears (Portilla) and The Conquest of New Spain (Diaz) to draw a freehand map identifying...

Students create a map of Mesoamerica using construction paper, clay or by drawing it.  In this World Geography lesson, students determine the location of Mesoamerica, make a map, then present their map to their class.

Students examine what goes into hero worship and establishing unlikely friendships. They probe the deeper meanings in "'Magic' Pablo" through small group dialog and use a variety of ways to process the story's meaning. They see the...

Sixth graders study how erosion affects archaeology sites. In this investigative lesson, 6th graders construct a model of a pyramid using sugar cubes. They will investigate in groups how water, wind, and sunlight affects their model...

Students define culture and explore elements that are part of the custom or culture of a place.  In this holiday lesson, students identify the cultures they participate in.  Students identify the differences in people's...

Analyze the process of printmaking and explore how prints reflect an artist's view of society. After viewing and analyzing the prints of Elizabeth Catlett, class members create an inner tube and a linoleum block print. They then research...

Students research primary sources to construct an outline of a border city's history.