While cities had only a small fraction of the population in colonial America, they played a significant role in pre-revolutionary years, and this was certainly true for the largest city in the North American colonies: Philadelphia. Your...

Introduce your class to the Everest expedition to reenact a 1924 climb by George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. Discuss and show pictures of the types of clothing worn at that time and compare it to today's state-of-the-art climbing gear....

The devastating changes happening to the Native American inhabitants of an island off the coast of Louisiana are the topic of an informational lesson. After scholars break into groups to explore particular topics, they come back together...

First graders investigate the past and present by analyzing a group of images. In this community history instructional activity, 1st graders read the story Sarah Morton's Day by Kate Walters and discuss the time frame of the story....

Get an idea of how your learners are feeling now that they are back in school with a quick activity. Kids complete 12 sentence starters in order to express their thoughts on the new year. Why is it fun? Why is it stressful? The final...

Students look at schoolhouses from the past. In this comparative analysis lesson, students visit a one room school house and look at the tools used for learning. Students then compare the schoolhouse of the past to the schoolhouse of today.

Students compare and contrast their community to what it was like 50 years ago. They research various aspects of their community and compare and contrast with what it is like now. Students present and discuss their findings.

After looking into the life, art, and social contributions of artist Emory Douglas, learners analyze several social art pieces. They use Emory Douglas as an example of social art, then consider 10 other pieces. They write a paper...

What did medicine look like a hundred years ago? Two hundred years ago? Invite small groups to conduct research on the history of a chosen medical advancement before reading Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science....

Through a series of activities, children discover the differences between their lives and the lives of children in the 19th century. They research and compare roles and responsibilities (in general and among genders), forms of education,...

Students listen to a story about school in a one-room schoolhouse.  In this cause and effect lesson plan, students create a Venn diagram to find the similarities and differences in schools then and now. Students discuss how past...

All Together Now is the theme of this series of extra support lessons. The collection aids the instruction of blending sounds and reading high-frequency words through writing and reading sentences. Support also engages pupils...

Young scholars examine cultural assimilation. In this Native American history lesson, students read and analyze "The Spirit Survives: The American Indian Boarding School Experience: Then and Now." Young scholars identify how American...

For scholars who need a challenge in the classroom, here is a unit for you. Learners explore topics such as animals, sports, helpers at home, the past, and funny things that have happened in their lives. Youngsters also engage...

If you give your teacher a book, she'll probably want an activity guide to go with it. Have fun learning with a wonderful selection of hands on activities created for the book, If You Take a Mouse to School. Each activity focuses on...

All Together Now is the theme of this series of ESL lessons. Provide support to your language learners through games, role play, stories, and discussions all about greeting others, giving commands, telling about themselves, and...

Young scholars explore the concept of philanthropy. In this philanthropic heroes lesson plan, students read Kate Shelley: Bound for Legend and discuss the Industrial Revolution. Young scholars consider Kate Shelley's contributions to...

Does your bank pay you for allowing them to hold your money? Class members research three different ways they can earn money using money already in the bank. Topics include certificates of deposit, statement savings accounts, and...

Couches, carpets, and even computer keyboards now advertise they are spill-resistant, but what does that mean? Scholars use physical and chemical methods to coat surfaces with thin films to test their hydrophobic properties. Then they...

Students develop imagery in literary and art works. They discuss Jacob Lawrence's painting, the "Tombstones, 1942", which conveyed overcrowded tenements and families living in Harlem (New York, New York). They design picture stories...

Scholars read newspaper articles relating to a longer school day and complete note-taking organizers as they read. They then form opinions and complete outlines before writing essays supporting their point of view. 

How are fact and opinion different? Middle schoolers explore fact and opinion and write articles pertaining to a football match, eliminating all opinion statements in order to focus on the facts. Then they discuss bias in the media....

Describe yourself or a character from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with a biopoem activity. Using the provided format, kids write their own characteristics or the character traits from the novel to create a poetic portrait.

Establishing classroom rules within the first two weeks of school is important. But what do you do with the rules after they've been created, and how can you establish them so that they have a lasting effect all year long? Use an...