Students identify and analyze land use changes over time with historical aerial photographs. They classify different land use into categories.

Gathering information, distinguishing between arguments, preparing an oral presentation; these skills are fostered as 10th graders explore aspects of global trade and politics. They use the Internet to gather information about NATO, The...

How does the Stock Market work, what was Black Tuesday, and how did the Market crass of 1929 lead to the Great Depression? Have your class play this stock market game for two weeks to better explain how the stock market works.

Who is the al Qaeda and what happened on September 11? Older students will explore the political objectives of al Qaeda and possible reasons for the September 11 terrorist attacks by watching a video program and working through evidence...

Middle and high schoolers read and discuss articles about the mussel industry in Arkansas. They pay close attention to the history of pearling and button making industries on the Black and White Rivers of Arkansas. This impressive,...

Twelfth graders learn art is an effective way to convey a political message. They learn how political messages are created to convey a message. They analyze a piece of artwork and then write a short paragraph from the point of view of...

Twelfth graders consider art as a medium to convey information and opinions on social conflict and issues. They analyze images from the Crocker Art Museum, discuss their effectiveness in raising awareness of an issue, and create a...

Scientists participate in studying how new scientific advances have changed the world. They explain how astronomers have changed the way people view the universe, summarize the advances that were made in chemistry and medicine, and...

Third graders describe some of the factors that brought early settlers to Ann Arbor. They read Narrative-A Trip from Utica, New York, to Ingham County, Michigan in 1838. As an added challenge, 3rd graders can use maps to track Silas...

Learners read a case study of one campaign to discover how political campaigns addresses the needs of the voters. In groups, they answer questions related to the case and discuss how the commercials affect society as a whole. They use...

This is a week-long lesson on analyzing the similarities and differences between sources of tension and terrorism in eight locations around the world. The class is divided into eight groups and assigned one of the locations to research....

Examine everyday life during the Great Depression, as well as the effects if the Depression on American population, society, and economy. Learners write who, what, where, when, and why summaries of a person who relocated to California...

To better understand the migrant experience during the Great Depression, pupils analyze two primary resources: photographs by Dorothea Lange and a U.S. Map that shows the Dust Bowl. They compare and contrast Lange's images to Steinbeck's...

Students complete activities where they observe the amount of freshwater in the world as a fraction of the actual amount of water using different mixtures. In this freshwater lesson plan, students brainstorm on how to preserve...

Use this as a quiz or to guide reading. There are five true/false and five multiple choice questions for the class to answer. Topics covered relate to the type of power Congress has and the constructionists movement.

Covering the main topics of the Cold War, including some excellent discussion points on the methodologies of the Soviet and Eastern Bloc nations versus the US and Western Democracies, this presentation is a good way to introduce the...

Here is a fascinating topic: the upwelling of ocean waters. Oceanography pupils learn what mechanisms cause upwelling, types of upwelling, and the effects on marine life. Colorful satellite imagery and informative diagrams bring this...

Here’s a clever way to combine language arts and social studies. Shakespeare’s The Tempest is believed to have been inspired by the wreck of the Sea Venture on Bermuda in 1609. The class views a brief scene from Castaway in which Tom...

Who wouldn't want $20,000 to spend? But, the question becomes, what do you spend it on? Learners discuss loans, interest, and making adult-like financial decisions. They role-play a scenario that depicts the choices of a girl who took...

By the ninth lesson in this soccer unit, learners have studied this sport from many angles. Here they consider the right to play. Take a look at how much money professional athletes earn. Is there a difference between how much men make...

As part of an initiative to strengthen our young adults' financial understanding, this problem explores the cost of bread and minimum wage since the 1930s. Learners are asked to find the percent increase from each year and compare it...

John Ford's 1940 film version of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is the subject of a 23-question worksheet designed to accompany a viewing of the film. The questions not only focus viewers on events, but also ask them to make...

There's a lot to learn about the savings and loan crisis. Start off your learners with a quick reading assignment. Pupils read the brief informational article and respond to three questions about the savings and loan crisis, thrifts, and...

Before loaning a friend money, what factors would you consider and why would you lend it? Your young economists will face questions like these in a lesson on banking, profit, risk, and reward, which includes the reading of the book...