"Words, words, words." Despite Hamlet's opinion, words can be significant. In this inquiry lesson, middle schoolers learn how the words in Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, in the view of many, lead to the American Civil War. To...

Young historians may be surprised to learn that the Constitution of the United States includes provisions that protect the institution of slavery. Groups examine four clauses of the Constitution, as well as other primary sources, and...

Students map local places and learn to use scale and distance.  In this mapping lesson, students map their school and a favorite place.  Students recreate their maps showing distance and scale sizes. Students locate their...

Students measure and write specific metric distances. In this archaeology lesson, students are given specific artifact locations on a map and measure the distance using millimeters.

The lesson guides young academics through the steps in producing a 10-page research paper on any topic in American history. Historians begin by formulating a thesis and gathering resources, then move on to creating an outline, and end...

Young scholars think about their neighborhood and get a mental picture of their community. They then interpret aerial photography, learning how to use shapes and patterns to describe urban, suburban and rural communities.

Students investigate the purpose of map scale and how it is used to measure the distance and the size of objects.

While this lesson focuses on a study of the Hudson River, it could be used as a template for a discussion of map skills, converting measurements, and plotting a route. The lesson includes vocabulary and other resources to make it a...

Picture someone's excitement of seeing a horse for the first time. How about a cow? The Columbian Exchange changed life for not only Native Americans, but also for Europeans and the entire world. The second lesson of a 22-part series...

Pupils discuss the validity of using the internet for learning. They compare and contrast the various strategies for learning when done online and in class. Students prepare a lesson plan for an online class and write a paper...

Students create a map. In this direction and distance lesson, students come up with familiar places in the community and calculate the distances from these places to the school. Students create a map that displays these places and their...

Students study the contributions of Jackie Joyner-Kersee. In this service learning lesson, students explore the work of Jackie Joyner-Kersee as an Olympic athlete and philanthropist.

How do you read a frame? How do you read a shot? Here's a resource that shows viewers how to read films. As part of the study, class members examine the camera angles, lighting, movement, and cinematic point of view in Mr. Smith Goes to...

Four thought-provoking questions encourage readers to develop and support their opinions about strategies to end a friendship after exploring excerpts from a New York Times article. The reading is brief so this could be a lead-in to...

Learners explore the concept of philanthropy in historical context. In this Westward Movement instructional activity, students read Our Journey West and explain examples of settlers working together for the common good.

Class members consider how people steal online identities as they discover the essential elements of identity theft and consumer fraud. Pupils demonstrate learning by creating a poster or video about how to avoid identity theft. 

A cross-curricular lesson for middle schoolers that covers language arts, social studies, geography, and math, this is a great extension activity if your class is reading The Diary of Anne Frank or learning about the Holocaust....

Fourth graders reserach the state of Missouri. In this Missouri History lesson plan, 4th graders plan a vacation to a region of Missouri. Students work in collaborative groups to determine all aspects of the trip. Students use math...

Fifth graders throw darts, collecting data for distance traveled. In this data analysis lesson, 5th graders throw a dart using an atlatl. They calculate the speed for each throw and determine the best dart length for distance throws.

Students investigate global positioning systems. In this technology and mapping lesson, students view a PowerPoint presentation in which they identify the features of a GPS, state its uses, and follow steps to find a waypoint.

Students discover and practice how to calculate the circumference of the Earth. They measure the length of their shadows and use the distance they are away from the equator to complete the calculations. They discuss winter or summer...

Students participate in a demonstration in which they examine the effect on temperature by carbon dioxide. They discuss the effects of carbon dioxide on the environment. They also examine summer safety rules to end the lesson.

Beginning with a brief history of our 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt, then followed by a discussion of his interest in nature, young scientists take to the outdoors to locate and observe local plants and insects....

Turn your students into flocks of migratory birds for this fun lesson on animal migration. Prior to the activity, the teacher creates four different migration routes in the classroom or any available open space, labeling nesting...