A silk rank badge was a symbolic emblem worn by high officials during the Qing Dynasty. Your class will get a chance to examine the details, symbolism, color, and design of such a badge as they make their own symbolic trading cards....

While humans have always been on the move, the period between 1400 and 1800 saw vast migrations of people between the East and the West. These migrations—whether through slavery or a desire to colonize new lands—shaped the modern world....

What are diverse media formats? Have your class figure this out on their own through small-group brainstorming. The resource includes two related activities about different kinds of data that will help your class get a grasp of media...

Geometric shapes make great visual models for introducing young mathematicians to the concept of fractions. Looking at a series of four circles, students are asked to determine whether or not one half of each circle is shaded. To support...

More on the fictitious takeover of the Apple Corporation by Microsoft. In this scenario, Microsoft has $28.00 per share to spare, so how many do they need to offer to make an even trade? This is an engaging problem to solve when...

The lesson focuses on slavery in the ancient world and asks academics to decide if it was always about race. Scholars view primary sources, participate in a short discussion, and complete a worksheet to understand how slavery in the...

Acting as journalists on a team to determine the most influential city-state of Renaissance Italy, your young historians will research, discuss, and compare the rise of Venice, Florence, and Genoa, and their influence in shaping a...

Puzzling over what geometry lesson to teach next? Look no further. This simple activity teaches young mathematicians how shapes can be decomposed into smaller figures, and how smaller figures can be assembled into larger shapes. To learn...

Help your class members learn how to use their income wisely with a comprehensive lesson plan on calculating monthly car payments. Using basic math skills and online calculators, your learners will determine the total amount to be...

Combine math, creative writing, and leprechauns in a fun St. Patrick's Day activity! Using a bag of gold coins and marshmallows, kids write a math story about a leprechaun that includes a multi-step equation to solve.

Guide learners through a discussion about Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting with a helpful graphic organizer. As they read through the novel, individuals note their reactions to statements about the book's themes, and fill out...

What a big job for such a small particle. Young scientists learn about the role of nanoparticles in catalytic converters for cars. They conduct an experiment to create alginate-MnO2 catalytic spheres. 

When your class is examining the fishing industry or sustainable practices, you can use this brief activity to demonstrate the global impact our food choices have. Overharvesting, overfishing, and bycatch are important topics to address...

Students describe the environmental conditions that presently threaten Timbuktu. They explain what efforts are being made to restore the ancient mosques, describe the condition of the ancient manuscripts and tell what is being done to...

[Free Registration/Login Required] This ReadWorks passage from the American Museum of Natural Anthropology's website called OLogy provides a brief history of the city of Petra and its importance to ancient trade routes. A paired passage,...

The following is excerpted from a book called Vade Mecum published in France in 1707. Although the book was written to establish basic standards of behavior, punishment, protocol, and procedure on French naval ships, it served as...

This site explains how, as the race for empire gained momentum, the U.S. sought trade relations with China by the late 1800s. Late to the game, the Open Door Policy secured equal trading opportunities for all countries involved. The...

Site provides information on Bin Laden -- his life story and his terrorist organization. Site also relates the trail of warnings that led to 911. Student can play a video of an early interview with Bin Laden.

A look at the relation the Blackfeet had with the British and what their relation with the Americans would be as a result of their contact with the Corps of Discovery. From PBS.

An informative look at the Mandans, the Indians with whom the Corps of Discovery spent their first winter. Read about their villages, ceremonies, and relations with other Indian tribes. From PBS.

This summary of sources is a quick and easy way to explore the contexts for The Merchant of Venice - from early modern ideas about trade and usury, Venice and Jewish culture to 20th-century productions by both Nazis and Yiddish companies...

Students explore energy efficiency, focusing on renewable energy, by designing and building flat-plate solar water heaters. They apply their understanding of the three forms of heat transfer (conduction, convection and radiation), as...