Students examine the role of the Geneva Convention. In this world history lesson, students investigate primary sources that prompt them to consider the evolution of the Geneva Convention.

Eleventh graders analyze primary sources.  In this US History lesson, 11th graders interpret written information.  Students evaluate arguments and draw conclusions.  Students develop and defend a position. 

Students examine fairness in relation to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. In this equality instructional activity, students watch a video "Rabbit in the Moon" and discuss what happened to the Japanese Americans during...

Scholars explore U.S. Foreign Policy and Cold War ideologies adopted after WWII. They conduct Internet research on a topic or issue related to the Cold War Era, watch two films, and compose a time line and a multimedia presentation to...

Track the transformation of Malcolm Little into Malcolm X and then into El Jajj Malik El-Shabazz with the second part of Make it Plain, a documentary on the famous civil rights activist. Viewers consider not only how events shaped and...

Reading snail mail is a great way to go back into history and to understand others' points of view. The resource, the second in a five-part unit, covers the Dreyfus Affair. Scholars, working in two different groups, read one letter and...

Pupils create multimedia speeches of introduction which focus on women and Hispanics. They introduce their famous person and, using a video camera, video tape their speeches. 

Introduce your class to photography by asking them to construct their own pinhole cameras. After putting together their own devices, pupils take and develop pictures and analyze the results. The plan provides step-by-step instructions...

Launch a discussion of the creative process with a short video that features the daily ritual of Slobodan Dan Paich, a San Francisco artist. Slobodan models his approach to tea painting and shares his reflections on the...

The length of Queen Victoria's reign, surpassed only by Queen Elizabeth II in the modern era, stretched through much of the 19th century and into the 20th century. Explore the many social, industrial, and political shifts that occurred...

Students list the five best films of the year, in their opinion; brainstorm a list of criteria for a "good" film. They compare their own lists with the nominees in this year's Academy Awards; consider patterns in Academy Award winners of...

Fifth graders become familiar with the role of African Americans during WWII.  In this WWII lesson, 5th graders watch a newsreel and discuss its use as a primary source.  Students answer questions about the newsreel.

Middle schoolers observe and evaluate evidence of Alaska Native cultural symbols and artifacts. They research historical data from a variety of primary resources, including the Harriman expedition journals, related web sites, oral...

Students view and discuss a video about the challenges facing wildlife on the planet Earth. They define key terms, watch the video, and answer discussion questions about the film.

Students research the prehistoric earthworks site at Poverty Point, Louisiana. They compare the Louisiana artifacts and structure to the remains and knowledge of other ancient cultures. They present their research to the class.

Learners examine crimes against human rights. In this world history instructional activity, students watch a segment of a video about the Armenian Genocide. Learners reflect on the crimes of the Ottoman government in classroom...

Students identify navigational tools. They describe and label seven of the nautical advances that enabled European explorers to travel to Africa and America thereby initiating a new era of exploration.

Students acquire a working knowledge of the geographical concepts: absolute location, relative location, longitude and latitude. They analyze primary sources that shows the physical and human characteristics of the places along the 1899...

Students analyze selected pieces of art and infer how they reflect a sense of disillusionment, and/or cynicism in American society in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and Watergate scandal. Then they identify and place cultural attitudes...

Fifth graders create a video. In this historical presentation, 5th graders watch a video clip of a dramatization of a historical event in American History. Students discuss how this video was put together. Students divide into small...

Students watch and discuss the Johnny Tremain video. They discuss the actions of citizens during the American Revolution and describe these actions as patriotic and/or philanthropic.

Students consider the classification of people. In this race studies instructional activity, students examine the concept of race as it relates to U.S. history and trends. Students research racial discrimination and prejudice in order to...

Students act out stories based on lives of famous people from Harlem. In this memoirs lesson, students compare the life of the people in Harlem in 1930 to the people of today. Students explore how "home" is different for different...

Students appreciate how families are important to the expansion and progress of a country. In this biographies lesson, students read a biography and write their biographies including photos. Students create family trees.