The outcome of 90 percent of criminal cases in the US is determined by plea bargains. Clips from the documentary Better This World create the backdrop for an investigation of the benefits and drawbacks of the plea bargaining process....

Mission Possible: Your task is to design a new highway route from Tunis, Tunisia to Cape Town, South Africa. If you accept the challenge, you must create a small map of the route that has already been rejected, a...

Are opioids the most abused drug after marijuana? How hard is it for young people to obtain painkillers without a prescription? Middle and high schoolers explore the growing epidemic of opioid addiction with a lesson that prompts them to...

Students use text and photos to visualize the delivery of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s historic "I Have A Dream" speech. They analyze Dr. King's speech for examples of imagery and allusion and create original poetry and illustrations...

Students access the Library of Congress's collection of Broadsides (printed material with news, entertainment, advertisements, etc.) and explore their impact on events leading up to the Revolutionary War. They create a timeline with...

Young scholars research types of technology available to Americans at the beginning of the 20th century and compare the style of living to modern times. They identify Thomas Edison's contributions to technology and their own current...

Young scholars explore Aboriginal storytelling traditions through the spoken word and through visual culture. They listen to stories of the Dreamtime told by the Aboriginal people and investigate Aboriginal storytelling in contemporary...

Your class members will take on the roles of jury members in this exciting simulation. After reading a detailed script and reviewing pieces of evidence, they will determine whether Honda violated copyright and copied James Bond.

The Nashua River serves as the focal point of an investigation of the treatment of and care for natural resources. A reading of A River Rand Wild: An Environmental History by Lynne Cherry, launches the study and class members consider...

Sixth graders study the food web in a bay. In this food web lesson, 6th graders investigate the SAV- submerged aquatic vegetation of a bay including their predators, and how the organisms eat, have proper living space and water. They...

What if the jury is not made up of people from your ethnicity or background—are they still considered your peers? Scholars analyze the impact the Supreme Court case Hernandez v. Texas had on jury selection across the nation. Paired...

At what point does the right of privacy end and the government begin? Scholars research rights under the Ninth Amendment to the Constitution. Using the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case as a starting point, along with small group work...

Fifth graders explore historical fiction. In this genre study lesson, 5th graders go on a text feature scavenger hunt to identify the parts of a historical fiction text. Additionally, students read the book, My Secret War and discuss...

Bar graphs are used as a way to study voting patterns in the United States. A variety of statistical data is presented in the graphs, and pupils must interpret the data in order to make a report to the class. Three excellent graphs,...

Arkansas ranks first in the entire world in the production of bromine! Here is a lesson which guides middle schoolers through a study about the formation and history of Arkansas' bromine reserves. They also looks at the many uses of...

Do research projects at your school look like a class of eighth graders staring at a blank screen? Use the Big 6 research method to guide middle schoolers through the process of finding a topic, searching for and evaluating sources,...

Why was the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) formed, and what is its mission? Learners discuss NATO's participation in various events throughout the Cold War and work in groups to analyze whether those responses were appropriate.

The court of last resort. Historians research, using current cases and issues, the impact the Supreme Court of the United States has on how our nation operates. They analyze recent decisions made by the nine judges and determine how the...

How can visual aids enhance understanding of a complex topic? With the third of four lessons from the Introduction to the Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) set, scholars view illustrations online from the book We Are All Born Free and...

Fourth graders locate and evaluate websites about the state of Michigan. In collaborative groups they create a web page that includes lessons and links appropriate for other fourth grade students to study information about the state of...

Pupils use "Cotton Journey-A Field Trip In A Box" kit to relate the significance of cotton to the Civil War period and to study the cotton industry in general.

Student demonstrate understanding of both sides of the argument between Jefferson and Marshall that led to the strengthening of the Judicial Branch through the creation of judicial review. Unit is comprised of five lessons and fits into...

Sixth graders study Canada's northern territories and four settlements above the Arctic Circle. In this northern Canada lesson plan, 6th graders maps and timelines to locate physical, political, and economic features of northern Canada....

Learners study the Tibetan situation. In this global issues lesson, students listen to a lecture regarding Tibet, its location, and its ties to China. Learners then create political cartoons or write letters to their Congressperson about...