Five segements from Ken Burns' documentary series Prohibition, easily accessed on the PBS website, are at the center of a terrific short unit on the roots of America's ambivalent relationship with alcohol. Engage your secondary...

Use this exceptional resource to examine the discourse and debate that occurred at the start of the War of 1812 with your class. Learners will first consider their own position on the war in a silent journal writing activity. Then after...

Students investigate the significance of the Zimmerman Note. In this World War I lesson, students use the provided analysis sheet to analyze the contents of the Zimmerman note and discuss how the note led to U.S. involvement in World War I.

Introduce your class to Spain and liven up the class period with some Spanish pop music! Learners view a presentation about Spain and take notes on the information before watching a couple of music videos in Spanish. They use listening...

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, considered by many to be a seminal piece of American literature, contains many complex literary themes that carry through United States history. Use a series of discussion questions and classroom...

Learning about research can be as important as learning about the topic itself. As ninth graders continue their guided research projects from Temple Grandin's Animals in Translation, they discuss their possible inquiry paths with group...

Students use a note card to record a direct quotation from a collection of famous speeches. The top right-hand corner should contain the name of the speaker, and the top left-hand corner should contain the name of the speech.

Students answer "essential questions" to establish background and prior knowledge of the book, "A River Ran Wild." For this language arts lesson, 3rd graders complete a graphic organizer of vocabulary words and read and take notes at...

What are terms, factors, and coefficients? This slideshow provides definitions and examples of various parts of algebraic expressions, and provides guided practice problems in writing and identifying parts of algebraic expressions for...

Why do we have CliffsNotes? SparkNotes? Middle and high schoolers examine arguments for and against the recent influx of book notes, or study guides. They stage a debate in which they represent Advocates For or Critics Against the use of...

The murder of Emmett Till is the focus of a guided inquiry that asks scholars to research the events, the trial, recent attempts to reopen the case and the effect of the murder on people today.

Arranged as an interactive lesson, this presentation focuses on the six world biomes. Upcoming biologists click on a specific biome and a slide lists its location, description, native plants, and animals. A quiz provides learners with...

This presentation is a gem. It begins with 20 questions aimed at guiding note taking and focusing student attention. Each slide or topic covered ties to one of the 20 questions. The class will learn about European conquest and need to...

What important facts about Dr. Seuss influenced the Read Across America movement...? This is the driving question of a research project that requires scholars to find information about Dr. Seuss' life and work. Class...

What is the difference between an adjective and an adverb? Encourages scholars to explore the answer to this question while building a foundation of the English language. The lesson comes complete with an attention grabber, notes, and a...

Though beautiful, William Shakespeare's prose can be inhibiting for learners who are new to his works. A instructional activity based on The Tempest guides high schoolers through the paraphrasing process, including noting the...

Test takers stressing out over the upcoming exam? Help them prepare for the AP Physics i exam with this fast-paced video that includes a complete guide to everything related to kinematics. Also included are some common errors...

The right to vote was hard-won after decades of organizing by women and their allies. Using a series of video clips featuring women's historians, class members consider the efforts behind the Nineteenth Amendment. Possible extension...

Eugenics philosophy takes survival of the fittest to a whole new level. With a research-focused lesson, young scientists examine the history of the eugenics movement and its impact on society. Pupils engage with a video clip, primary...

Many things in life take the shape of a polynomial curve. Learners design a polynomial function to model a riverbed. Using different strategies, they find the flow rate through the river.

Study heart health and math in one activity. After measuring their resting heart rates by finding the pulse in their wrists, learners build a stethoscope to listen to their heart rate, and note the differences between the two methods.

What can a quarter possibly teach young learners about desert ecosystems? More than you might think. After displaying and discussing the included picture of the Arizona state quarter, the class participates in a series of...

Begin a full lesson on climate change by demonstrating how carbon dioxide gas contributes to increased temperatures. Be aware that pressure inside the antacid-containing bottle in Activity 2 may cause the lid to fly off; keep viewers at...

Students complete guided notes while learning about the earth's seasons.