Sixth graders put themselves in the shoes of aborigines who were displaced from their homes in the 1800s by Europeans who came in and took their land from them. They discuss the social injustices suffered by these people, and write...

Should Romeo and Juliet have revealed their engagement to their parents? After reading Acts I and II of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, your class discusses this question with a SMARTboard presentation (though the lesson still works...

Teach your class some strategies for effective searching. Pupils should assess the whole results screen and then determine how to go forward with their searches. A table of strategies is included, as is a challenge. After they complete...

Eighth graders, after viewing a website on Civil War Time, explore and analyze the lifestyles of Civil War times as well as those of the soldiers through the writing of a composition of a narrative letter and story through the eyes of a...

Do your writers have a hard time properly citing their sources in MLA style? Use this SMART board activity to practice these skills in a fun, interactive way. After debating a topic in class (the lesson uses "random drug testing in...

Should organized prayer be prohibited at high school sporting events? Students explore their own feelings about prayer in school-sponsored events, before discussing the recent Supreme Court decision banning public prayer at high school...

Present the facts. Scholars create presentations of their research on DDT using their Cascading Consequences chart and a Stakeholders Impacts chart as visuals. They discuss the term stakeholders and create a Stakeholders Impacts chart...

Students investigate amendments to the Constitution. In this government lesson plan, students research how an amendment is made and amendments that have both passed and failed. They write their own amendment and attempt to have it pass...

Introduce your class members to allegory and propaganda with a series of activities designed to accompany a study of George Orwell's Animal Farm. Readers examine the text as an allegory, consider the parallels to collective farms...

What are the most prominent symbols of the United States? Learn about the bald eagle, the American flag, and the Statue of Liberty in a reading comprehension activity that includes a short passage and five reflective questions.

Is love the strongest force in the world? Delve into the themes of The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas with an anticipation guide that introduces the main points of discussion. Kids mark their agreement or disagreement with...

Learners figure out and discuss the irony of this coin-centric poem. They also practice persuasive letter writing, and identify and count coin/money values.

Fifth graders listen to Lynne Cherry's novel, The River Ran Wild. They work in two groups one of whom represents the native people and the other represents the English settlers from the book. They look at the geography of the settlement...

Eighth graders identify with and analyze through writing various Indian cultural values and how they fit in the modern world. Students organize data utilizing Educational software programs and present their opinions and inferences in a...

Eighth graders read copies of The Declaration of Independence, United States constitution, and the Bill of Rights. They write an opinion about the document they feel is most important in the history of the united states. This is their...

Students write expanded paragraphs about children's rights. In this writing and children's rights lesson, students listen to Caroline Castle's, For Every Child, noting the points about children's rights on each page. They discuss each of...

Young scholars compose a letter, organize a group effort, discuss the idea of patriotic symbols and explain their importance, use visual representations to express feelings and explain the importance of sustained volunteerism.

Learners examine the media by writing a compare/contrast paragraph. For this mass communications lesson, students identify and discuss the main sources of information for Americans in today's age. Learners analyze pictures of people...

Students write a proposal. In this public land lesson, students discuss the difference between private and public property and brainstorm what problems might occur if a citizen changed public property. Students work in groups to write a...

Learners read a story about how cartoon characters are partially to blame for American's obesity problem, and answer vocabulary and comprehension questions about it. In this healthful eating lesson plan, students respond to literature by...

Students recognize the accomplishments of Catherine Blaine. In this Women's Rights Movement instructional activity, students research primary and secondary sources about life for American women in the 1800's. Students trace Blaine's...

Ninth graders create advertising campaigns. In this communications lesson, 9th graders explore the use of propaganda endorsements, bandwagon appeals, name calling, plain folks appeal and generalities in advertising. Students...

Students research the decision to end World War II by dropping the atomic bomb.  For this world history lesson, students explore information on the atomic bomb and the decision of the tactics to use it.  They also watch a video...

Students examine the relationship between a horse and its rider.  In this behavior and interactions lesson students research the Internet to learn about horse behavior and biology then write a paper and present it to the class.