Celebrate inventions such as lightning rods, bifocals, and stoves with a Ben Franklin Day. Young historians conduct research and write a paragraph about an accomplishment of Benjamin Franklin including an illustration...

Pupils view a documentary on Thomas Jefferson. Statesman, scientist, architect, president-he was America's dashing Renaissance man. After viewing, students discuss what they saw then write their own version of a biography of Thomas...

Fifth graders research the thirteen significant events that lead to the start of the American Revolution.

Students identify important Americans from the colonial, revolutionary and slavery periods who are noted for standing up for their beliefs in the face of peer disapproval. They identify the importance of music in motivating and...

Students examine the rule of law and government in this civics lesson. They discover the origins and how it impacts them on a daily basis. They also analyze its role in the judicial system.

Students explore and identify the power of national and state governments. They discuss the concept of federalism and the distribution of governmental powers. As a class, they examine the balance of power between the federal and state...

Studnets learn about The Constitution and The Bill of Rights through a series on Internet pages that include such things as the framers, court cases and games.

Eleventh graders explain the structure and function of the United States government established by the Constitution. They set up a make-believe scenario: the 3 volunteers have been friends for a long time and have formed a club (the...

Students examine the story for use of balanced sentences and parallelism-two literary devices-and then practice using those devices in writing of their own. They combine the simple sentences grammatically into one correct sentence. A. I...

Learners analyze primary sources about black soldiers in the American Revolution. They apply independent conclusions to create a piece of historical fiction. Students come to understand that as soldiers, scouts, or spies,...

Analyze the use of balanced sentences and parallelism in a narrative. Included in this resource is a narrative about serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan titled, "The Train Ride Home". Middle and high schoolers review...

Eighth graders identify the reasons why colonists were fed up enough to want to break free of colonial rule and create their own government. They complete an in-dept analysis of the pamphlet Common Sense and it's role in fueling the...

Fifth graders discuss leadership, citizenship, symbols for a nation, how to create peace after reading "The Iroquois Constitution," "The Declaration of Independence," and "Letters from An American Farmer." They create their own nations...

Students experience famous historical documents that were initiated and propelled by signatures such as Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution. They create a school amendment using the information gathered.

First graders examine and discuss the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere, Redcoats, Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence. They conduct an experiment done by Benjamin Franklin, solve a word puzzle written in code by Ben...

Students discuss the character trait of "courage of convictions" and apply this to their daily life. Using the internet, they research the life and work of Thomas McKean and discuss the courage needed to sign the Declaration of...

Students explain the Sacking of Rome as a major event marking the culmination of the Renaissance Papacy. They explain the divorce of Henry VIII from Catherine of Aragon as the beginning of the English Reformation.

"Ballad for Americans" was a song written for performers participating in the Federal Arts Project, during The Depression. Learners will analyze the lyrics of the song and then create informational posters about other Federal Works...

Is a 1040EZ tax form really easy? Scholars investigate the complexities of the United States taxation system with an economics instructional activity. Using a wide variety of web sources, they interpret IRS taxation rules and regulations...

How have groups struggled to have their unalienable rights recognized in the United States? Acting as a research team for the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, your young historians will break into groups to research...

Students use the Constitution and Declaration of Independence to investigate the apparent contradictions between slavery and freedom. The activity looks at the reasons for the incorporation of slavery into early colonial life even with...

Students explore the Constitution, bill of rights, framers, Supreme court cases and educational games.

Students compare the Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights. In this historical comparison lesson, students examine primary sources of three significant historical documents. Students create a chart in a compare and contrast format, then...

Learners report facts found on Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of American Independence. Students find the original words on the epitaph that Thomas Jefferson wrote for placement on his grave upon the time of his death. Learners...