Students study about Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates and how their role affected the Greek culture. They look at a video clip from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and note similarities and differences from the movie and what is in...

Students examine the Apartheid system of South Africa through a role-play activity. The role-play activity ends with a class discussion on how the events affected each individual. A class discussion continues after reading an article...

Students create a presidential campaign story. In this presidential campaign activity, students produce, direct and act in their own campaign story. Stories focus on setting, characters, context, critical incidents, and concluding events.

Students examine the importance and responsibilities of journalists through examination of illegal immigration. In this journalistic ethics instructional activity students analyze scenarios and look at the pros and cons of illegal...

Learners use texts on media ethics and various Web sites  to explore real world examples of media law issues. For this media ethics instructional activity, students examine the Food Lion case using a...

Students build their own neighborhood. In this lesson on community, students are introduced to books about families and neighborhoods. As a class, the students create their own neighborhood, elect a leader for their neighborhood and...

Young scholars discover service learning and how it can help them build character.  In this community lesson plan, students brainstorm ways they can assist their classmates with problems, and write about it in their journal....

Learners explore the Endangered Species Act and the work of scientists who strive to protect species.

Young scholars examine the roles and responsibilites of the president of the U.S. They identify and discuss the three branches of U.S. government, view and discuss a White House Photo essay online, and create a class book entitled, 'If I...

Students research on the Web and in magazines and newspapers what a variety of school districts have decided on student travel during the War in Iraq. Students examine the rationale the administrators or state officials use for canceling...

Middle schoolers research a variety of controversial articles to gain knowledge. They form an opinion and defend their position with supporting data. They evaluate opposing arguments and present their viewpoint both verbally and in the...

Have your young speakers participate in a discussion/debate with their whole class on their prepared argument. They listen and analyze other student's arguments and refute arguments using logic and not emotion.

World religion or social studies classes studying Islam may find this debate-based lesson useful for exploring Islam and its compatibility with democracy. The final assessment is a five-paragraph persuasive essay. Some information on the...

Whether democracy will ever take hold in Islamic nations continues to be a topic of great debate. Here, a series of questions, research, and discussion provide a foundation for class members to come to their own conclusion which they...

For this suffrage worksheet, students investigate the right to vote in the U.K. as they read an article, then respond to 3 short answer questions regarding the topic. Students also read a descriptive selection about prime ministers of...

Students analyze the forces that shape character development, including the role of historical events. Students contrast the ethos of the Ancient Regime with the new ideals awakened by the French Revolution.

Learners explore the meaning of freedom.  In this U.S. History activity, students research the Declaration of Independence and how it relates to American freedom by completing activities and a mock trial.

Students are introduced to the ideas of the American Dream at the turn of the century. They present their ideas on the American Dream at the turn of the century through a person characterized in Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology.

Students research current articles about the influence of religion on the presidential election of 2004.

Young scholars examine the character of George Washington. In this George Washington lesson, students read "Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior,"  Washington's First Inaugural Address, and his Farewell Address. Young scholars...

Fourth graders complete a unit of lessons on the first seven presidents of the U.S. They conduct research, write a four-paragraph essay, and create posters and speeches for a simulated campaign convention.

Students work together to gather information from the internet and print sources about the Ancient Greeks. They discover what everyday life was like in Ancient Greece. They develop a newspaper to share the information they gathered.

For this lesson, students investigate the different platforms of each of the Presidential hopefuls for the 2000 election. Small groups each carefully research the platforms of an assigned candidate and then create a political pamphlet...

Parents and children work together in a community circle to discuss caring for people with special needs. In separate groups, the children sing and listen to a story. They discuss ways people are alike, and ways they are different....