Students explore the effects of culture through the story Running by Peter Hessler. In this geography and cultural lesson plan, students act as newspaper reporters covering the story of the race. Students write newspaper articles as...

America's presence in Alaska and the Caribbean are the focus of this short presentation. Two detailed maps help to illustrate America's growing influence in the regions past its continental borders, which could supplement a more thorough...

Students explore the dynamics, the challenges, and the rewards of adjusting to a new culture through the reading of "Help! My Father is Coming" and "The Visit to Vijay's". In this social culture lesson, students carousel brainstorm about...

Students understand the basic political events of the French Revolution, broken down into four stages, and the shifts of power during each stage. They examine how the members of the Third Estate gained not only political but also...

Students explain the ways in which current American system of government both resembles and differs from the system of government in Rome form about 510 to 264 B.C.

Experience the birth and rise of the Roman Empire with these slides, which include explanatory maps and pictures. Details of the Roman government draw an easy parallel to the American government, which could start an engaging discussion.

How did early Americans ensure expansion while also securing the rights of citizens? Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, two of our early leaders, considered the problem of faction to be the "mortal disease" that created unstable...

Students investigate why and how certain historical figures became famous in relation to the Texas Revolution. They view and discuss a variety of images, then in small groups record the names of individuals involved in the Texas...

Learners investigate reasons why James Madison is called the "Father of the Constitution." They discuss three events during his presidency that raised constitutional questions and look at Madison's opinions of those questions. They...

To conclude a study of the French Revolution, young historians adopt the voice of critics of Napoleon Bonaparte and lay charges against him. They then craft a memoir in Napoleon's voice that details his motives and what he sees as his...

Students investigate some basic facts about the Supreme Court by examining the United States Constitution and one of the landmark cases decided by that court. The operation of the Supreme Court forms the focus of the lesson.

In order to understand the complicated nature of slave laws during the Civil War, learners compare and contrast an abolitionist poster and a runaway slave ad. They use an attached worksheet to consider each primary source document, then...

Fourth graders brainstorm about methods of communication that existed in Texas in the 1830's, leading them to comprehend that handwritten letters were the major means of communications. They write to a member of the current Texas...

Using Google Earth, Google Docs, and other Google Tools, collaborative groups of seventh graders research and then create and share online newspapers reporting on the early development, geographical features, political issues, and...

Seventh graders apply absolute and relative chronology through the sequencing of significant individuals, events, and time periods related to the history of the Texas Republic. They review and evaluate several letters of K.H. Douglass...

Explore early American documents that qualify as primary sources. Tenth and eleventh graders use the provided worksheets to analyze the texts of the Articles of Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation,...

Young scholars use a map of the Missouri Compromise to explain the geographical changes it brought to the U.S. and why the changes provoked a debate over the expansion of slavery in the U.S.

Student research legalities of downloading music from Internet, gather information on citizens who have been charged with downloading/copyright crimes, find out who is working to create new laws dealing with this technology, explore what...

High schoolers examine the controversies over slavery's expansion and how the federal tariffs further entrenched the dividing line between northern and southern interests.

Sixth graders pretend to be the oracle warning Caesar about March 15th. They write a letter to Julius Caesar warning him of the consequences of going to the Senate building on March 15th. Students identify three causes and effects that...

Twelfth graders discuss the creation of the United States, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. Through a class debate, role-playing Federalists and Anti-federalists, they identify the reasons for and against ratification...

The Vandals, The Goths, and Saxons - sounds like a line-up for a punk show. But it's not! These are some of the Barbarian tribes that moved into Europe at the fall of the Roman Empire. This clear presentation describes several key...

What educational opportunities were available to women during the colonial era in American history? How did the opportunities available to women differ from those for men? To answer this question, class members examine a series of...

An excellent resource for a unit on the French Revolution, this informative presentation   guides your class through the events of the Reign of Terror and the events preceding and following it. The slides could be easily broken up...