Here is an excellent set of five short lessons and activities intended to help learners not only gain an understand of current issues in Africa, but build critical thinking, synthesis, analysis, expository writing, research, and...

Fifth graders understand the people and events associated with the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence and the document's significance. They identify the Founding Fathers and their affiliations. As the lesson...

Students read excerpts of the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution. Using the documents, they identify the ideas of how the government should be run. In groups, they develop a skit that encourages people to be...

Students examine laws that have affected women in history: the 1780's, following the United States independence from England; the 1880's, the time of westward expansion, the silver/gold era, and the coming of the Industrial Revolution.

Students study Benjamin Franklin including who he was, what he invented and his experiment.  For this inventive lesson students follow the steps of Ben Franklin and build a Leyden jar.

Look for 11 words associated with Thomas Jefferson and his life in a simple Jefferson-themed word search. It includes words like Monticello, Louisiana Purchase, George Clinton, and Thomas Jefferson.

Reinforce U.S. Constitution facts with a crossword puzzle. Scholars show what they know by completing the 53 prompts. 

In this Independence Day instructional activity, students complete activities such as reading a passage, phrase matching, fill in the blanks, correct words, multiple choice, spelling sequencing, scrambled sentences, asking questions,...

High schoolers examine slavery in the revolutionary and colonial eras of the United States. In this slavery instructional activity, high schoolers investigate the presence of slavery in early America, the language of the Constitution,...

If you're looking for a description of the major happenings of the presidencies of both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, then this is the resource for you. Similar to a textbook reading, this activity offers a great deal of...

High schoolers research the passage of the 19th Amendment as an illustration of the mutual influence between political ideas and cultural attitudes. They also read the Seneca Falls Declaration and explore the cultural shifts it both...

What factors go into a decision to enter a war? Use a collection of primary source documents and images to prompt a discussion about the American Revolution and the reasons for entering a war against Britain.

Although this is part of a series, lesson plan nine has your class take a break from their close study of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) text to read the firsthand account “Teaching Nepalis to Read, Plant, and...

Is a 1040EZ tax form really easy? Scholars investigate the complexities of the United States taxation system with an economics lesson. Using a wide variety of web sources, they interpret IRS taxation rules and regulations to better...

Students identify important arguments for independence made in Thomas Paine's Common Sense. They explain why these arguments helped persuade American colonists that independence was necessary. Students describe the importance of Common...

Students examine excerpts of Thomas Paine's Common Sense. In this early American history lesson, students read Paine's pamphlet and analyze the information according the rubric provided.

Sixth graders complete activities about colonial history through an examination of art from the American Revolution period. In this history and art lesson, 6th graders define an iconic image, sing the song 'Yankee Doodle,' and analyze...

Students make their own Statue of Liberty. In this Statue of Liberty lesson plan, students research the symbol of the United States, create a KWL chart for it, and cut and paste their own Statue of Liberty.

Young scholars explore the Bill of Rights. In this U.S. Constitution lesson, students consider the individual liberties outlined in the Bill of Rights as they read the provided handouts and complete the provided worksheet activities.

In this reading comprehension worksheet, learners read a historical passage about the British American war. Students then answer 10 true/false questions based on their reading.

Eighth graders investigate historical documents of the United States by reading the Mayflower Compact.  In this U.S. History lesson, 8th graders analyze the wording of the original Mayflower Compact of the first U.S. settlers and...

Give your class a deeper understanding of the context and meaning behind early American song lyrics. By reading the lyrics to "Yankee Doodle" and  "Revolutionary Tea," high schoolers will practice analysis by examining the...

Fifth graders study the national archives through both images AND visiting the site. This is meant to provide them with an understanding of what documents are important to the U.S. and why (i.e. Declaration of Independence, etc...).