Eighth graders explore the question "What Counts as History?"  In this Philosophy lesson, 8th graders pretend that they are going to interview a historian.  Students read a primary source and answer the questions that follow.

Examine everyday life during the Great Depression, as well as the effects if the Depression on American population, society, and economy. Learners write who, what, where, when, and why summaries of a person who relocated to California...

Why did the Populist Party fail to ally itself with African American farmers? To answer this essential question, class members investigate the Populist Era (188-1900) and read an article written by Tom Watson, a Populist leader.

Students are be able to analyze primary sources (photographs and speeches) and write a definition of American Democracy. They are shown a photograph of Martin Luther King Jr. by Ben Fernandez, students are asked what is happening in the...

Pupils explore integration of Major League Baseball, identify important individual baseball players who played key roles in integration, and analyze historical information through charts, graphs, and statistics.

Bring a lesson about Negro League Baseball to your Black history unit, or any other research unit throughout the year. While the lesson plan itself is simplistic, there are several good ideas that you could use, such as creating trading...

Ninth graders begin the activity by discussing and locating the trade routes in the Mediterranean. Using pieces of pottery and coins, they discuss how it shows the culture of an area and create a chart showing the value of the coins. ...

Young scholars complete research projects. Students research the achievements of various African Americans and their contributions to the world. They use various resource links on the Internet to become more knowledgeable about the topic.

Pupils create an American History Hall of Fame for various cultures that have been forgotten in American History.

High schoolers investigate upper class black society during the Jim Crow era by reading primary resources (newspaper articles, census data, photographs). They summarize and organize information on specific citizens in chart form.

This lesson enables teachers to use blues music to explore the history of African Americans in the 20th century. By studying the content of blues songs, students can learn about the experiences and struggles of the working-class...

Students enter the classroom, half of them are given die-cut stars. They are told to keep the star for later. At the start of the day, the students with stars a piece of candy. Students brainstorm how it feels to get/not get a piece...

Learners explore the Harlem Renaissance to discover where, when, and why it took place and who was associated with the experience. They decide what are the most informative facts, interesting people, and events in this lesson.

Students identify African American and their contributions to American Society. They describe what African Americans did and explain how it positively changed our way of life. In essence, this lesson plan increases children's self-esteem...

Students investigate what life was like during Middle Ages in Europe for nobles, merchants, and serfs. They examine economic and political feudal system, and explore how people lived, what conditions of their lifestyles made them...

Students fill out a form which asked the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and WHY about the person they were assigned to research, they gather their information from different web sites on Lightspan and Yahooligans. They create a HyperStudio and...

In this history worksheet, students participate in a voter registration simulation where their trying to get Black Americans registered to vote in Mississippi in 1961. Students create a "memory trunk" that documents their experiences.

Students examine the history and geography of Martinique and Algeria, with an emphasis on broader issues of race and colonialism. They list some reasons that violence is or isn't a legitimate force in the struggle for people's freedom.

Students examine the life of Prince Hall who became a member of the Free Masons during the time period of slavery. Depending on the grade level, they are shown pictures or read a reference guide listing the characteristics of each...

Students compare/contrast the Afro-American and Puerto Rican experience as they migrated and assimilated in the U.S. They research and discuss the reasons for migration and the historical significance of economic autonomy and oppression.

Students discuss the fact and fiction of slavery in the South. After viewing a video on two New Orleans plantations, they determine the accuracy of the facts presented. In the computer lab, they visit various sites and examine which ones...

Students learn how to read and interpret various primary and secondary sources and how to use them to draw conclusions about the issues that the authors faced during the nineteenth century. They read historical narratives imaginatively...

Students make pottery in the same evolutionary order as archeology indicates. They begin with simple pinch pots and then move to plain coil pots, manipulative decoration, and surface decoration. For each type of pot they discuss the...

Eighth graders examine the Civil War. In this Civil War lesson, 8th graders analyze various images about the Civil War. Students write an essay in relation to the images of the Civil War.