Mercy! It's a wise teacher that knows their own students and what they need to appreciate Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. A 28-page tool kit ensures that every scholar will play a part. The kit is divided into 20 sections, each of...

Here is a complex lesson plan that interweaves the history of the Jim Crow South and the Great Migration with the study of poetry, art, and blues music from the Harlem Renaissance. The plan helps young historians develop a deep...

The Harlem Renaissance if the focus of a carefully crafted, interdisciplinary unit designed to introduce middle schoolers to the contributions key figures made to American art and culture during the period. Class members select...

Introduce your seventh graders to the Harlem Renaissance with a unit that explores this dynamic period's music, literature, and ideas. The 160-page guide includes a unit calendar, an introduction to the unit, 10 richly detailed lessons...

Mark Twain, the famous American author, is often studied in the school system. Use "The Prince and the Pauper" to analyze the differences between the text and its video version.  This lesson includes several culminating project...

Students are introduced to the Renaissance by viewing a PowerPoint presentation. In this Renaissance lesson, students locate the important countries and cities of the Renaissance. Students compare how it was in England from the rest of...

Take poetry off the page and put it into terms of movement, physical space and, finally, music with this series of three lessons from the Smithsonian Institution. This resource introduces students to two poetic forms that originated as...

Panel 58 from Jacob Lawrence's "Migration Series" of paintings provides middle schoolers with an opportunity to sharpen their observation and analytical skills. After engaging in a warm-up activity that introduces the concepts of...

Students work with an online multimedia show to study the life of Leonardo da Vinci in Renaissance Italy. They explore different writing systems and create an advertisement for one of Leonardo da Vinci's inventions.

How did literature evolve in America? This presentation briefly covers the transition from Puritan American all the way until today's Contemporary Period. Key figures from each time period are introduced, and a brief overview of each...

You might not be able to put a girdle around the earth in forty minutes but you can generate interest in A Midsummer’s Night Dream in that length of time. As an introduction to Shakespeare’s comedy, pairs of students assume the roles of...

Students explore Italian politics and warfare of the High Renaissance. They explain the effects of the Protestant Reformation and the Counter Reformation.

Students research explorers and explore how exploration affected the Western Hemisphere; students demonstrate competency in using multimedia encyclopedia and information software, and present PowerPoint presentation to class with two...

Students, after researching/analyzing the movement "Harlem Renaissance" and Africa as well as reading literature from that time period, create lists of the major characteristics of the movement and its important writers. They bridge the...

Examine the work of contemporary authors who use their writing to express opinions about the struggle against prejudice and oppression in our society. A short lesson on the Harlem Renaissance introduces learners to the most prominent...

Learners investigate the Middle Ages and it's relation to the theater.  In this acting lesson, students read Arthurian stories form the Middle Ages and practice using vocabulary words from the Medieval Times.  Learners write a...

Students read the novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God". While reading the novel, they identify and discuss the figurative language used and use a passage of interest to them and analyze it in a written paper. They also discuss events...

Students are introduced to the concept of cultural diffusion. In groups, they identify the culture of Mali, Nigeria and Ethiopia and work together to research how cultural diffusion has changed the country. To end the lesson, they...

What were the early Greek myths? Have elementary young scholars examine the Persian Wars and read various Greek myth in order to identify the cause and the results of the Persian Wars. Myths, activities, simulations, and a unit plan are...

Students study the life and times of Shakespeare. In this William Shakespeare lesson, students research the noted Web sites to discover details about Shakespeare's life and the times he lived in. Students also virtually visit the Globe...

Students research the dress of the 40's/50's in Harlem and create a multimedia presentation of at least 15 slides. They present a Fashion Show for the class.

Designed originally for higher education, this PowerPoint could also be used to introduce your high schoolers to the semicolon, colon, and comma splice. The texts do not contain pictures or graphics; instead, they present information in...

Learners are introduced to the various museum functions. In groups, they create a traveling exhibition based on Gutenberg's invention and the first printed book. They share their exhibition with the class and answer any questions presented.

Learners use the Internet to research one of Shakespeare's plays. They read two myths and create their own script for the play. They also examine the history of Ancient Greece.