Seventh graders examine music examples to investigate a conflict in history about Hitler's invasions during WWII. In this music analysis lesson, 7th graders discuss vocabulary and the history for the Holocaust and Hitler's invasions....

Students go to the computer lab to engage in this thoughtful instructional activity on our national symbols. Students access the internet, and solve an on-line puzzle of a national symbol of freedom. The symbols are the Eagle, The Statue...

Class pairs examine eight runaway slave advertisements from the mid-1800s to develop an understanding of the conditions slaves faced and of race relations.

Students research online and in books city statutes regarding posting signs on utility poles, interview appropriate officials about ordinances and how completely it is enforced, explore what has happened elsewhere when citizens decided...

Students create a lesson to present to the rest of the class about current laws, including expressing killing the president as a joke. Students research past events and current laws. Students present to the class using mult-media, oral...

In this verb usage worksheet, students determine if ten rules are true or false and if false change the underlined verb so that they are true. Students match five laws that were put into practice with the time period that they were...

Explore how the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation affected everyday individuals in the Civil War era. Learners are given the opportunity to read and evaluate primary and secondary source material, and then to compose a writing...

Fourth graders present research on war. In this debate instructional activity, 4th graders create a power point presentation debating for or against the American Revolution. Students share their presentations with the class.

Develop an understanding of universal human rights, particularly the freedom of expression, with the questions and activities that analyze the conflicts of Vaclav Havel. Learners define, interpret and rephrase the human rights article in...

Learners examine democratic values. For this current events lesson, students watch video clips about rebellions on Tunisia and Egypt. Learners respond to the provided discussion questions and participate in a critical thinking activity...

When do people ask for anonymity? Why? After reading the New York Times article "For a Reporter and a Source, Echoes of Broken Promise," young readers participate in a roundtable discussion focusing on freedom of the press and the use of...

Learners investigate the use of cloth-based art forms intended to pass down traditions and history. They research types of quilts, quilt characteristics and then identify how Freedom Quilts were historically used in the US.

Who else had a dream other than Martin Luther King, Jr.? Pupils explore civil rights leaders in a fourth lesson plan out of a series of five about people who paved the way to freedom for African Americans. The inquiry-based unit has your...

Facing Risk is a powerful film that urges journalists who are committed to reporting from the world's hotspots to engage in difficult but essential conversations with their families before leaving on assignment. Interviews with...

Students explore ways to volunteer. In this volunteerism and philanthropy instructional activity, students brainstorm how the early Americans benefited from philanthropy, then discuss how others benefit from our philanthropy and how we...

Students study slavery from the perspctive of an American slave. In this Frederick Douglass lesson, students complete the suggested pre-reading and post-reading activities included for Douglass's autobiography, Narrative of the Life of...

Students use a New York Times article about the first free election in Indonesia in over four decades as a tool for learning about the government and politics, economy, religion, international relations, and people of Indonesia in the...

Learners examine the concept of freedom of speech as it applies to music. They watch and discuss the video, "VH1 Storytellers: Pearl Jam," participate in a class discussion about free speech, conduct research, and conduct a debate.

In this current events worksheet, students analyze political cartoons that feature the free exchange of ideas and government criticism. Students then respond to 2 short answer questions.

High schoolers study how Frederick Douglass uses language to describe a realistic picture of slavery in his writings which are primary source documents. They examine his use of word choice, imagery, irony, and rhetorical appeals and use...

Students watch a short video on colonial rule. They discuss how lives were changed once independence was granted in India. They create mock interview sessions acting as political figures involved in an independence movement. They...

Learners, using a New York Times article as a springboard for discussion, investigate and debate the complex issues of First Amendments Rights and censorship for Hate Groups using Websites for propaganda.

Young scholars research different branches and special units of the United States military. They create and present performances that synthesize their research and demonstrate their understanding about the roles that these groups play in...

Students analyze primary sources to investigate the Civil Rights Movement. In this Civil Rights lesson, students explore the passage of Voting Rights Act of 1965 and how photojournalism impacted the passage of the legislation. Students...