Young scholars demonstrate an understanding of the relationships of the Fibonacci Sequence. They apply the Fibonacci Sequence and find its relationship to a piano keyboard. They explore various relationships between music and the...

Students explore and document historic elements of Horatio's journey by creating a fictitious journal in Jackson's voice.

Students investigate push and pull factors. In this population trends instructional activity, students examine primary sources that help them comprehend how push and pull factors have changed over time. 

Learners explore the life and times of Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley from the Wild West days. They critique their performances on stage and brainstorm various reasons for the shows popularity with Eastern audiences. Each student is also...

Learners investigate the impact of the Transcontinental Railroad. In this Transcontinental Railroad lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding the effect of the railroad on Chinese immigrants and American...

Students read and write an analysis of The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn and write a paper on another Twain literary piece. In this Mark Twain lesson, students select a Mark Twain literary piece to write an analysis paper for the work....

Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this Lewis and Clark lesson plan, students conduct research about the expedition and present their findings to their classmates.

Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. In this Civil War lesson, students examine the service of African Americans in the Civil War and consider their plight to secure the rights and...

Students visit the park to observe signs of spring in the forest and pond environments.  In this field trip lesson, students explore the park for various items

Students use maps to locate information on Egypt, then create their own maps to display knowledge gained from the activity and Web sites. They recognize, create, and describe the pyramid's geometric shape in three-dimensional forms.

Eighth graders read Across Five Aprils and correlate it to a unit on the Civil War. They culminate the unit by writing a a piece of historical fiction in the first person entitled "Brother Against Brother."

Students debate the key issues dealing with women's rights and the rights of African Americans during and after the Civil War. They analyze the women's rights movement in relationship to the desire for suffrage. They utilize the...

Students investigate the historical person of Alexander The Great. They view a video in order to create the context for the lesson. They read some biographies and conduct research using a variety of resources. Then students create their...

Second graders explore Louis Armstrong's music. For this language arts lesson, 2nd graders research different resources so that they can write a report on Louis Armstrong and his music. Additionally, students create illustrations of...

Students experience demand-pull inflation while gaining insight into three major sources of the '''too many dollars" which chase after the "too few goods and services. Students participate in an auction to experience inflation firsthand.

In his time, Mark Twain was considered the funniest man on earth. Yet he was also an unflinching critic of human nature, using his humor to attack hypocrisy, greed and racism. In this series, Ken Burns has created an illuminating...

Ken Burns and his collaborators have been creating historical documentary films for more than forty years. Known for a signature style that brings primary source documents, images, and archival video footage to life on screen, these...

The companion website for a documentary film about jazz is home to a storehouse of resources and unique features about the historical, cultural, and artistic significance of jazz. With a timeline of key events in the history of jazz,...

At this site explore Jefferson's spirit of Enlightenment thinking. Follow journeys of photographers as they seek the meaning of "Pursuit of happiness." "Explore Jefferson's most important and controversial writings."

Find assets by location and call up specific item information including films, connected themes and related classroom resources. A wealth of primary source images from events in American history.

Using excerpts from Ken Burns' fabulous jazz series documentary, jazz rhythm is explored. This is a well designed lesson plan!

This extensive lesson used in conjunction with the Ken Burns documentary "The Congress" is designed to develop an understanding of how the U.S. Congress functions by examining its evolution. Links and downloadable materials are provided.

Part of the larger site, Jazz by PBS and Ken Burns, this page highlights the life of Teddy Wilson, one of the first black musicians to play with prominently white artists. Biographical information is from the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz.

Online companion to Ken Burns documentary about boxing legend Jack Johnson. Very extensive site that gives you the life story of Johnson and the challenges he faced. Can be used as a companion to the PBS documentary.