How does a trial begin without a lawyer for the defendant? The 1963 Supreme Court case Gideon v. Wainwright serves as the backdrop for the study of the rights of the accused. Scholars use a short video along with paired discussion and...

President John F. Kennedy bought 1,200 Cuban cigars the night before he enacted the Cuban trade embargo in 1962. Should the United States maintain the embargo? Using the website, pupils explore the topic to prepare for a class debate or...

Why should classes care about the First Amendment? An engaging lesson serves as a powerful tool for answering just that. As all four cases in the lesson relate directly to freedom of expression in schools, young scholars explore the...

The first ever minimum wage in America was set at 25 cents per hour in 1938 and has been steadily, if slowly, increasing ever since. Using the provided website, pupils decide if the United States should further increase the federal...

The music and literature of the Harlem Renaissance defined American culture, including its poetry. Using a poem from the period, individuals explore its musical qualities and how it is reflective of the period. Then, they use what they...

While the Industrial Revolution may have fueled America's rise to the top of world markets, the child laborers often faced dangerous conditions. Using primary source images and other information, scholars consider what these children...

What was it like to enlist as a soldier in the Civil War? By using enlistment papers, young scholars consider this question. After they've looked at the primary source and discussed it, they create a short story of a fictional soldier to...

Eschew obfuscation!! High schoolers learn techniques that permit them to listen critically, sort through verbiage used to hide meaning or mislead listeners, and determine the message's validity.

Students explore U.S. history by researching famous Americans. In this Benjamin Franklin lesson plan, students read portions of a biography about Franklin and identify his position within U.S. politics and as a leader in the battle for...

Students explore shopping vocabulary. In this ELL speaking lesson, students guess words that would be on a shopping list, identify or define words related to shopping, take a shopping survey, and read related text aloud.

Students investigate writing a school newspaper. In this writing a school newspaper lesson, students choose topics that will be included in the school newspaper. Students view online sites about writing articles and break into groups to...

Students explore the first Thanksgiving. In this holiday lesson, students create a KWL chart on what they know about the first Thanksgiving and conduct Internet research on this topic. Students use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast...

Students explore the environment by completing environmental problem worksheets. In this pollution lesson, students identify the biggest threats to our environment such as deforestation, global warming, and pollution. Students utilize...

Students explore farming by creating visual demonstrations. In this agriculture lesson, students read assigned text about a farmer's duty and identify the events that have taken place in the history of agriculture. Students collaborate...

For this literature circle role descriptions worksheet, students identify the role they play in the literature circle. The different roles include: summarizer, vocabulary finder, questions writer, story mapper. Each role has three to...

Second graders compose friendly letters. In this writing lesson, 2nd graders read the text Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez and discuss the rights of farm workers. Students brainstorm things at school they would like to change...

In this ESL/ELL reading and listening comprehension instructional activity, students read or listen to an article entitled, "Children Into Computers Younger Than Ever." They complete discussion activities, and matching, true or false,...

In this historical events worksheet, students analyze political cartoons by Theodor Geisel. Students respond to 2 talking point questions.

Students answer questions to consider before they read A River Runs Through It.  In this anticipation guide lesson, students complete a worksheet responding to declarative statements and then discuss their responses in...

Students understand the importance of physical fitness as part of a healthy lifestyle.  In this health lesson students create a display and presentation about what they learned. 

In this ELL/ESL worksheet, students work with a paragraph about the "Live 8" concerts of 2005. They complete activities in which they write lists of famous people, give opinions about "Live 8", complete true and false questions, and...

Safety in a cyber world is complex but important. Scholars review ways to stay safe online by first writing words given by the teacher. Learners analyze the words to guess the topic of the lesson plan. They then read an online safety...

Tornadoes, blizzards, and hurricanes, oh my! In this lesson, meteorology majors compare stories of historical storms written by two or more different sources. As a result, they understand how the media portrays such catastrophes and...

Grizzly bears can be up to 600 pounds and require a great deal of food, especially to survive hibernation. Comprised of multiple games, the third lesson of five only uses one setup. Pupils run around a large field, sorting and collecting...