To begin this instructional activity, class members examine Antonius Hockelmann's painting "Tree Flowers II," record elements of the painting that they notice, and share their observations with a partner. Next, pupils do a close reading...

What makes an event newsworthy, worth a reference in a news magazine or textbook? Who decides? These are questions Marilyn Nelson asks readers of her poem "Making History" to consider. To begin, class members list details they notice in...

Marilyn Nelson's poem, "1905," asks young scholars to compare and contrast George Washington Carver and Albert Einstein. After studying images of the two scientists and listing their observations, class members listen to several readings...

The greenhouse effect and climate change are hot topics in today's news. Young scientists may be surprised to learn that the concept is not a new one. In fact, Eunice Newton Foote, scientist, inventor, and suffragette, discovered the...

After a brief introduction to the history of women's colleges in the United States and a discussion of the resistance such institutions faced, young scientists investigate seven traditionally women's colleges and their physics programs....

Public art, especially monuments and memorials, are designed to celebrate and honor those who have made significant contributions to a community or even an entire nation. Here's a lesson that asks scholars to consider who is represented...

There was more than one Rosie the Riveter. To learn more about the contributions women made to the World War II war effort, groups become expert on different "Rosie" and share their findings in a Jigsaw activity. The lesson concludes...

Britain was and is a stratified nation. History sleuths investigate the Georgian Era (1714-1830) of British history to gain an understanding of how the roles women played during this period were influenced by class, race, and religion....

It is pointed, powerful, and painful! The first of three lessons about laws and practices that support inequality looks at how government policies created and reinforced segregated communities. Young social scientists read excerpts from...

"How did the slavery system undermine the United States' democratic principles?" This question launches a study of how the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence, Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, and Article IV,...

Young historians watch a video of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivering his "I Have a Dream" speech and answer questions that test their knowledge of the event. After discussing the fact sheet, they reread the speech, select a phrase or...

To understand why the topic of reparations is controversial, young scholars gather background information by reading articles, watching videos, and examining cases where reparations were made. Learners consider the lasting repercussions...

Sit-ins and boycotts, marches and speeches, songs and demonstrations were hallmarks of nonviolent protest of the civil rights movement. Young scholars research primary and secondary source documents to determine what made nonviolent...

The 2018 film Anna, One Woman's Quest for Freedom in Early Washington, D.C., offers high schoolers an opportunity to examine the sacrifices one woman endured to gain her freedom from slavery.

High schoolers research the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, as well as other primary source documents, to determine Reconstruction's impact on the North and South. The 34-page inquiry-based lesson includes a staging question and...

Women today may not have heard of Madame C.J. Walker or Wilma Mankiller, and a few may not be aware of Emma Watson's current role; however, they have certainly benefited from their efforts. Using questions supplied by this guided...

Young historians examine a 1778 letter from Abigail Adams to John Thaxter and another from Abigail to her husband John Adams, written in 1776, that reveal her views on the perceived role of women and the laws that governed women's roles....

Young historians analyze a letter 17-year-old Abigail Adams wrote to her cousin and identify the aphorism Adams used. Participants select a line from the letter and create an illustration of the aphorism.

People deal with grief in different ways. The series of Abigail Adams' letters in this lesson reveals how she dealt with losing her mother, father, and community members. The included worksheet helps young scholars identify the tone and...

The 10th lesson in this series has researchers examining a packet of letters from Abigail Adams to her sisters. Scholars note examples of the themes that appear throughout the letters.

Scholars examine three letters from Abigail Adams to Mercy Otis Warren, compare them to previous letters in the series, and note the change in tone in these letters she writes to her friend.

In addition to her letters to her husband, family members, and friends, Abigail Adams also wrote to key political figures of the time. For this lesson, scholars examine letters Adams' wrote to and received letters from Thomas Jefferson...

In part one of a two-part series, scholars compare two of Abigail Adams' letters: one to her son and the other to her daughter. Researchers use the provided worksheets to contrast evidence of the tone and themes in the two letters.

Middle and high schoolers consider the characteristics that make for a great leader. For example, they investigate Wilma Mankiller, the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Researchers read a short biography, watch a...