Students learn basic interviewing and biography writing skills. They first identify a senior citizen in their community who remembers the Great Depression.

Students, after brainstorming what summarization is, practice the strategy of summarization to help pick out the important parts of text each time they read. They read and summarize the article, "10 Cool Things About Dolphins," from the...

Students identify the Articles of Confederation and explain why it failed. They explain the argument over the need for a bill of rights in the Constitution and James Madison's role in securing its adoption by first Congress. Finally,...

High schoolers examine how art and music help to define and unify a social movement and also how they can function as symbols of protest. They watch KQED program And Then One Night: The Making of Dead Man Walking and discuss what happens...

Students are encouraged to share, through discussion and writing, their feelings about these and other acts of terrorism, as well related issues such as national security and media coverage of the attacks.

Student examine the theme of man versus nature in art. In this man versus nature lesson, students examine various pieces of art and discuss the theme as it is depicted. They discuss whether the themes shown in the artwork are relevant...

Students discover the art of Georgia O'Keefe.  For this art history lesson, students investigate the influential power nature has on art.  Students create their own works of art by observing local nature.

Students pretend to be Chinese and European immigrants, and U.S. citizens, as they explore immigration in California in the first half of the 20th Century.

First graders explore a folktale from India. In this folktale activity, 1st graders read the tale, Growing Gold and discuss facts about India. Students construct the national flag of India from construction paper. Students also...

Learners use art and images analyze the Civil War. In this lesson on the Shaw Memorial, students engage in 3 activities, discussion, and art analysis to better comprehend the events of the Civil War. This lesson includes web resources,...

Students read accounts of children during the Holocaust and read Elie Wiesel's "Night". Using the internet, they share ideas and discuss topics with peers across the nation. They examine the role of the individual in the Holocaust and...

Students describe the American Indian nations in their local region long ago and in recent past. They research religious beliefs, customs, and various folklore traditions.

Students write a reaction paper on the topic: "Reality shows like 'Fear Factor' are dangerous/nothing to worry about because...." Students respond to the situation Akron, Ohio's First Energy Corporation being labeled irresponsible after...

Did you know that November is Novel Writing Month? In the first of a series of lessons, class members are introduced to the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) project.

Although the second page of this two-page sheet probably won't benefit you much (considering you won't have the materials referenced), you could still use the first page to assess your class's understanding of the symbols used in...

Young scholars examine the significance of the Louisiana Purchase and the journey of Lewis and Clark. They sequence events that occurred on the journey of Lewis and Clark.

Students draw animals and plants that are described to them as they read passages of people who traveled across the Gila Trail in the Southwest. For this Gila Trail lesson plan, students also write a letter describing a plant or animal...

Students read African folk tales to learn about story elements and writing techniques. In this writing and reading skills lesson, students listen and retell African folk tales about Anansi the spider. Students complete four lessons to...

Students consider that many presidential aides now speak "off the record," in essence conveying a message from the president. They examine why most Presidents have fewer press conferences the deeper they get into their terms of office.

Learners read The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and write a friendly letter to Elizabeth George Speare, the author, discussing their points of interest in the novel with her.

Students complete a variety of activities in which the Washington Post Newspaper is used to reinforce concepts pertaining to the history of the Washington, D.C. area.

Here is a fabulous series of lesson plans on four of the most celebrated artists of the Old Western period in American history. Learners study the works of Charles King, George Catlin, Albert Bierstadt, and Thomas Moran. The pack is...

This wonderful art lesson invites students to design and “mint” coins bearing their own symbols. A simple carving andcasting process using Blick Wonder-Cut®linoleum and modeling clay is described in the plan. Coins can be one or 2-sided,...

First graders listen to the book, Sheep in a Shop, that leads them to think about making financial decisions, trading, and the barter system. After the book is read aloud, a discussion ensues about some of the things that the sheep...