Eighth graders, after working with the software Decisions, Decisions: The Constitution, become face to face with the dilemmas, compromises, and struggles of writing the American Constitution. Each student is evaluated on how well they...

Fifth graders research, examine and study about the three branches of the government and the contents of the Constitution including both the Articles and the Amendments. They create their own classroom constitution at the end of the unit.

Students research James Madison and create a table of his strengths and weaknesses. In this James Madison lesson plan, students read Jean Fritz's, The Great Little Madison, while developing their research skills, vocabulary strategies,...

Students examine the concept that the constitutional government guarantees that our government is not all-powerful and analyze the purposes of our government that are listed in the Preamble. They assess that equality under the law and...

Fifth graders conduct Internet research about the governmental balance of power. They create Kidspiration projects demonstrating the workings of the three branches of government. They compare U.S. democracy with other forms of government.

Students create a map illustrating the three branches of goverment. They identify the branches of government and the shared or exclusive powers of each. Students use mapping as a prewriting stategy. They discuss our national...

Students create a virtual exhibit. In this gold rush lesson, students watch a movie about the California gold rush, view a virtual image of the gold nugget that started the gold rush and examine the sources. Students research and...

What constitutes a good soap bubble? In the second installment of a nine-part series, scholars apply their understanding of surface tension to soap bubbles. They experiment to determine the best solutions to use for the...

Help your classes feel like they can walk on water! An engaging inquiry-based instructional activity has young scholars experiment with different surface coatings. They make observations about their properties and how they relate to the...

Utilizing computer software, learners demonstrate the color spectrum. They investigate the life of the artist Piet Mondrian and define his style of artwork. Then they use Photoshop to recreate some of his designs while discovering the...

Sixth graders explore, analyze and study our constitutional government and become aware of the purpose of our government. They assess the basic rights that are protected by the United States Constitution through graphic organizers and...

Middle schoolers research and examine about voting turnouts in the United States and around the world. They assess about various aspects of the so-called "youth vote," and have an opportunity to consider the meaning of the vote in a...

Second graders investigate rain forests by reading a habitat checklist.  In this environment lesson, 2nd graders read the book The Great Kapok Tree, and discuss what characteristics make up a rain forest.  Students explore a...

Fourth graders investigate the Civil War by researching the state of Virginia.  In this US History lesson, 4th graders identify Abraham Lincoln, James Chestnut and Fort Sumter, and discuss their roles in the start of the Civil...

Students experience original works of art through an online tour of the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. They assess the value and unique architecture of the building as well as develop an awareness of its design and relationship to...

Sixth graders explore, discuss and explain why George Washington is called the "Father of our Country" and James Madison is called the "Father of the Constitution." They view and create a graphic organizer after discussing a variety of...

Second graders explore world history by writing newspaper articles. In this Greek history lesson, 2nd graders investigate the geography and society of Ancient Greece by utilizing the Internet as a research tool. Students collaborate with...

Second graders identify what constitutes as a desert by reading a habitat checklist.  In this environment lesson, 2nd graders read a nature website to discover facts about the desert and where they are located.  Students...

Students investigate the world of Television by contrasting specific programs.  In this visual storytelling lesson, students compare and contrast the differences between comedy and drama by making a Venn Diagram.  Students...

Learners study the chemical elements in a computer generated cartoon format. For this computer animation and chemistry lesson, students learn how to animate using computer programs. Learners use animation to learn about the Periodic...

Students share opinions about whether a series of statements from the internet constitute facts or opinions. They read and analyze blogs published in on the web in order to understand the use of fact, opinion, and tone of voice when...

Sixth graders explore, analyze and identify the ideas of George Mason and Thomas Jefferson as expressed in the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom. They list and declare the responses stated in...

Students choose and animal about which to research or compose a riddle. They organize and develop a slide show in which they create a background, import graphics, clip art, kid pix stamps, photos, and type their riddle.

This USS Constitution Museum resources allows young scholars to become ship builder and create their own version of the USS Constitution.