Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Cambodia, is the focus of a lesson that asks class members to consider factors that could result in the destruction of these archeological treasures. Pupils listen to a...

Students practice basic Internet navigation skills, find and summarize information on a Web site, and explore tenement life in the 19th and early 20th Century.

During the 1800s the United States was expanding westward; land was there for the taking.  Kids explore how some early photographers used their photography to influenced the US Congress to save areas like Mirror Lake. They...

Learners discuss the characteristics of the Goldilocks Principle. They discover the pressure and chemical composition of Venus and Mars. They discuss how the Earth's temperature is affected by the atmosphere.

Seventh graders gain a better understanding of the canal period in U.S. History, and more specifically, discern the importance of the Illinois and Michigan Canal on the development of Illinois as a state and Chicago as a prominent city.

Students conduct inquiries and research-acquiring, organizing, analyzing, interpreting, evaluating, and communicating facts, themes, and general principles operating in American history. They use the Declaration of Independence to...

Eleventh graders utilize a painting to explore the effects of the railroads on the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They discover how art can reflect the mood and spirit of the time in which they are created.

Students explore the policies of the "Save the Indian" reforms. Working in groups, they review the motives, methods, and effects of the "Save the Indian" campaign of the late 19th century. Through discussion and writing, they form an...

Students research and learn about the Underground Railroad. In this Underground Railroad lesson plan, students take 2 weeks to research an individual, complete journal writings, read passages in small groups, list major events, and more.

Students explore the architecture of New England by identifying geometric shapes.  In this architectural lesson, students examine photographs of classic building architecture and use a transparency to trace geometric shapes they...

Fourth graders experience pioneer life on the Oregon trail. In this pioneer lesson plan, 4th graders research the reasons for moving west and what life was like on the trail. They create a map, complete an oral presentation, and write...

Fourth graders research pioneer life. In this pioneer lesson, 4th graders read the book Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder and discuss what life was like for early pioneers. They research pioneers and show what they...

Students identify ways that a society promotes assimilation and examine areas where it still occurs in our present culture. They assess the value of assimilation.

Going green? Scholars investigate the creation of the US National Park program. Through diary entries as well as expert testimony, they synthesize information and analyze the need for conservation and preservation. Finally, they display...

The strategies civil rights activists Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois proposed for blacks to achieve racial progress is the focus of an activity in which class groups identify the strategies as well as the benefits and drawbacks...

Students view and discuss "The Transportation Revolution," a lecture by Peter A. Coclanis. They read and respond creatively to brief descriptions of railroad workers and their job responsibilities.

Students examine transportation. In this train design lesson, students study how trains work and how to efficiently design a track by working with an electric train set. As a class they compare various types of trains and work...

Students discuss what it would be like to be new to a town. They are then asked questions related to the immigrants coming to America. Extensions of this lesson are available.

Eleventh graders study the history of immigration from 1850 to the present.  In this American History lesson, 11th graders compare the 1924 and 1965 immigration acts and give a reasoned opinion on each.  Students research,...

Eleventh graders examine a picture of John Gast's, American Progress to determine what they know about American growth between 1877- 1900. By working through thirteen center or folder activities, they study the economics,...

Students study whale migration and their natural history.  In this migration lesson students plot whale migration on a map and describe their ecosystems. 

Students discuss contemporary situations in which governments mistreat people. They examine real-life instances in which people break the law for what they believe is a higher good. They role play a variety of human rights injustices.

Students discern a map of Texas and it's forts in the early to mid-1800's. From this map they analyze movement from the moment Texas became a state to its involvement in the Civil War.

Students draw three cattle trails that passed through Indian Territory, using a written description of the trails and will create a diary of trail life. Students research a historical trail as assigned. Students share their information...