Young scholars act as either Democrats or Republicans to debate plans to alter Social Security. For homework, they consider whether Social Security has become too politicized and propose their own solutions.

Eighth graders complete an Interdisciplinary Unit on the Muckrakers and the Progressive Movement. Students describe life in America and how Progressive Reformers changed it. identify specific problems and propose solutions. Students...

Students complete a research project.  In this American History lesson, students work in groups to research reasons that people wanted to settle in America.  Students record the information, share what they found and write down...

Students take a closer look at local government in Britain today. In this current events instructional activity, students visit selected websites to discover a history of county councils and neighborhood authorities. Students...

Students examine two advertisements, both of which claimed a 2007 immigration reform bill would provide "amnesty" to illegal immigrants. They research a bill and check the accuracy of advertising claims. Afterward, they write their own,...

Tenth graders identify causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution, analyze the benefits and negative consequences, describe the operation of British government, and identify British social and political reforms resulting from the...

Students use Using specific examples, compare and contrast how President Hoover and President Roosevelt responded to the Great Depression through relief, recovery and reform. They evaluate whether their attempts were successful.

Seventh graders create a multimedia, image only ad campaign on a contemporary controversial issue. They base their public service announcement, Powerpoint presentation, Web page, or video on methods used by Martin Luther during the...

Learners examine the life of Elizabeth Fry and her contributions to prison reform. They participate in a visualization exercise, listen to a guest speaker, create a quilt as a community service project, write journal entries, and...

Students study Tudor England. In this English history instructional activity, students research bookmarked Internet sources in order to learn about the 6 wives of King Henry VIII and the Reformation.

Students explore Italian politics and warfare of the Renaissance. They explain the origins and effects of the Protestant Reformation and contrast Renaissance and Medieval attitudes.

Students research Catherine Blaine by navigating websites to investigate her ideas on reforms for women and the challenges of western settlement.  In this Catherine Blaine lesson, students view grade appropriate materials and...

Students examine the history of the Populist Party as it relates to its reforms and economic plight. In this Populism and the People's Party instructional activity, students explore why farmers experienced financial difficulty at the end...

Students identify that a system of feudalism similar to that of medieval Europe developed in Japan by 1300. Students identify the social hierarchy of feudal Japan. Students identify what the cultural basis for the relationships among...

Connecting social studies and American literature, students study the Great Awakening and draw comparisons between its impact on England and on parts of Colonial America. They research the lives and experiences of people who lived during...

Students describe the many contributions Jane Addams has made to America. They identify problems in their community concerning the homeless and the hungry and learn from a social worker what progams are available to help these people.

Students discuss the importance of effective leadership in a democratic society. They study the significance of the contributions of Frederick Douglass to America. They compare the effects of political, economic, and social factors on...

Eleventh graders explain the methods that social critics advocated to improve society. They examine efforts to help the urban poor and critique a variety of pictures that depict both the rich and the poor in different time periods and...

Students analyze how people solve conflicts. For this conflict resolution lesson, students look at Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King's nonviolence movements. They see the reasoning behind nonviolence and how it works. 

Learners investigate African-American author Frances Ellen Watkins Harper by analyzing her life and poetry. They explore the reformist messages communicated in her writings and evaluate the potential impact of her work.

Students consider the need for term limits. In this U.S. government instructional activity, students read selected articles about the pros and cons of term limits. Students then survey their class regarding their opinion of term limits....

Want to teach your pupils about debate, effective speech techniques, propaganda, and the women's movement? The first in a sequential series of three, scholars analyze real propaganda images from the the historic women's movement, view a...

Students discuss purpose of law enforcement, its relationship to the community it serves, and ways to combat police misconduct.

Students examine the anti-lynching campaign sponsored by the NAACP in the 1930's. In this social justice lesson, students study the history of the anti-lynching campaign and determine why it was not successful. Students conduct research...