Learners empathize with the colonists. In this lesson on the Declaration of Independence, students collaborate to problem solve a school dilemma that enables them to understand the issues and difficulties that occurred in the creation of...

The Crusades sounds like a glamorous time period in the Middle Ages full of glory—but was it? Scholars find and review the truth of the Crusades' influence on the world through the resource. The study guides, separated individually by...

Here is an excellent set of five short lessons and activities intended to help learners not only gain an understand of current issues in Africa, but build critical thinking, synthesis, analysis, expository writing, research, and...

A cross-curricular lesson combines poetry and history for your middle and high schoolers. The class critically examines Kipling's poem, "White Man's Burden" as historical evidence of the Imperialist ideology popular during his time. The...

If your language arts learners have a hard time determining the universal theme of a written work, use a straightforward learning exercise to help them find it. After reviewing a list of common themes, kids note the title, character,...

High schoolers conduct a series of experiments to investigate density, buoyancy and climate. In this math lesson plan, pupils design and build a hot air balloon to demonstrate convection. They research and write a paper about solar...

Students closely examine a column written by the late Ernie Pyle, a famous war correspondent. They engage in a class discussion about whether Pyle's style of war reporting would be effective in today's electronic media. After reading his...

Students examine the difference in politics in the North and South during the Civil War. Using that information, they discuss how politics and ideologies led to the war. They explain the causes and effects of the war and evaluate the...

Fifth graders explore the effect of World War II on the lives of children in America. In this social studies lesson, 5th graders read My Secret War and discuss the events that occurred.

Incite your historians' curiosity with forms of warfare used during WWI. An anticipatory set has learners considering life in a trench, leading to a trench warfare discussion. A lecture is complemented by images (linked) and the...

In groups, learners they look for key words to help locate a cause and effect relationship. They create a t-chart with the information they discover and share it with the class.

Students describe Woodrow Wilson's concepts for peace and the League of Nations and efforts to foster American support for it.

We need the help of your history detectives! After giving them a set of questions to answer, reading groups must create their own timeline of the events. Then, as a class, have each group present their timelines. What is different? Why...

Designed to be used with a showing of the 1951 version of The Red Badge of Courage staring Audie Murphy, this learning guide includes discussion questions, suggestions for activities, and topics that can be discussed with parents.

Students examine an image of civilians affected by the Vietnam War. They research and discuss the reasons the Vietnam War began, why America became involved, and what some of the long-term effects of this war have been.

How did the second world war begin? A presentation first looks at the political climate that led to WWI and the effects of that war. Then, it describes the reason Hitler was able to take hold of Germany after WWI and prior to WWII. The...

Understanding propaganda is very similar to understanding advertising's influence on an audience. Teach learners all about effective propaganda tactics by analyzing posters from World War I. Pupils work together to make their own posters...

The presidencies of John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan were defined by the Cold War. Using primary source documents and scaffolded analysis questions, pupils explore the effect the Cold War had on these presidencies. A...

Pupils classify information regarding American involvement in wars. For this classification lesson, students examine the causes of the war in which the United States has been involved, and classify them as mainly political, social,...

Students use a map to show the causes and effects of the Revolutionary War. In groups, they decide what were the main causes and effects of the war.

Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage provides the text for a reading comprehension activity that asks class members to develop questions based on the novel.

Once the class learns about the hero's journey, they'll find it in every story and movie they see! Take characters from their humble beginnings to their atonement and apotheosis with a set of lessons about the hero's journey...

Learners view a video clip from Frontline. They discover the characteristics of three postwar reconstruction plans. They identify the goals and actions of each plan and compare and contrast them. They discuss the effectiveness of each...

How did the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act contribute to the growing tensions that led to the Civil war? To better understand the events that led to the Civil War, young historians engage in a...