Students examine cultural customs and practices in family histories. In this family history lesson, students read the poetry in 'All the Colors of the Race' to analyze the family history. Students complete guided reading activities....

Students explore the sign language alphabet. They examine the difficulties faced by handicapped persons, and are introduced to Helen Keller, Anne Sullivan and The Miracle Worker.

Students explore women's rights by viewing cartoon images. In this women's history lesson, students view several images depicting women in a certain way while discussing the meaning of the imagery among their classmates. Students write a...

Students explore U.S. Geography by analyzing a map. In this state vs. country lesson plan, students utilize a U.S. map and locate the state of Kansas before researching the history and customs of the state. Students collaborate as a...

Learners use Web technology to access immigration history and develop an understanding of the concept of immigration. Then they develop oral history writing skills, including note-taking and conducting an interview and read for detail....

Students explore the idea that progress for some might not mean progress for all. In this Native American activity, students recognize different viewpoints about historical events through the study of primary documents. Students decipher...

Students discover the identities of their classmates.  In this tolerance lesson, students create individual posters showcasing their identity, history, and family background.  Students examine the posters to get a better...

Students explore genealogy by reading a family history book in class. In this family tree instructional activity, students read the story Me and My Family Tree by Joan Sweeney and discuss their own family history. Students identify what...

Students consider the elements that make computer games compelling, then use these elements to develop game 'narratives' based on historic events.

High schoolers read and analyze Jessie Benton Fremont's travelogue of her trip out west in 1849 to identify the gender roles, social attitudes and class distinctions of the time. They then adapt the the travelogue into a film script.

High schoolers investigate the mystery of Stonehenge. In this Stonehenge lesson, students participate in a classroom activity that requires them to research information about Stonehenge as well as information regarding archeology and...

Students examine discrimination and what it was like during WWII and today. In this writing and analyzing activity, students read pasages from Anne Frank's diary and find connections between Anne's life and the life of people...

Students explore the history of Canada by analyzing the First Nations' citizens. In this Native Canadian contributions lesson, students research the geography of Canada and create a book about the First Nations' involvement in the...

Learners analyze sculpture, poetry, and music to gain an understanding of historical events. In this critical thinking skills lesson, students take a closer look at African-American history as they examine "Lift Every Voice and Sing'"...

Students brainstorm a list of news sources. They interview people about today's media and discuss their results. After watching segments of a film about Walter Cronkite, they role play as reporters and subjects from an historic period...

Students listen to an African folktale about an animal character that can walk and talk and retell the main events of the story in their own words. They illustrate the folktale utilizing a relief printmaking method as a replica of an...

Students consider the relocation of Japanese Americans during World War II. In this Japanese relocation lesson plan, students examine photographs by Dorothea Lange, the "Pledge of Allegiance," and a US government flyer from 1942. They...

Students explore the Choctaw Native American tribe.  In this cross curriculum literacy and U.S. history lesson, students locate where the Choctaw Indians lived on a United States map.  Students listen to When Turtle Grew...

High schoolers explore African American history by researching the Jim Crow laws. In this Civil Rights lesson plan, students define the Jim Crow laws, the reasons they were put into place, and how they were ultimately defeated. High...

Students revisit issues of civil rights in the U.S. They use the recent national discussion of retiring Senator Strom Thurmond's 1948 Dixiecrat Presidential campaign as a starting point.

Students examine the Battle of Little Bighorn and its impact on United States and Native American culture through reading current and historic New York Times articles and by creating a research-based exhibit about this historic event.

Students create exhibits about patriotic symbols for a living museum. They write reflective essays exploring the themes and symbols of independence and their influences on social responsibility.

Students discuss the societal roots of music from times of slavery and black spirituals, and compare it to the emergence of Rap and Hip Hop music.

No unit on important women in history would be complete without a lesson on Sandra Day O'Connor. After reading background information about the first female Supreme Court justice, middle schoolers engage in several activities addressing...