Names come with all sorts of nuances and can influence how we see ourselves and how others see us. To gain insight into the power of names, class members journal about their names and then read a short essay about a girl and her feelings...

Scholars find out how primary and secondary sources help us learn the past. Beginning with an anchor chart, class members discuss and write the differences between primary and secondary sources; a card sort is added to the anchor chart...

The boarding school era is "a history that all of us need to know about," says Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. Here's a lesson that examines that history. High schoolers examine video interviews of Native Americans who detail...

This outline introduction for a college course covers the idea of humanities and various language forms and literature genres. Beginning with the human species and our influence on the world around us, take a very thorough look at the...

Simulate the Situation Room and analyze the US's relationship with North Korea. The plan starts off with a quick review and an examination of a online timeline that updates as the situation continues. Next, the class reads an article and...

What fate befell the city of Berlin after World War II? The lesson shares two speeches from US presidents regarding the Berlin Wall and the Cold War. Pupils read primary sources, work in groups, and complete written activities to better...

How have things changed economically since the end of WWII? Thoughtful writers will consider three questions and compose responses for each. They'll discuss Cold War science and technology, US involvement in the economic recovery of...

Political change in Latin America is the topic of these writing prompts. Critical thinkers will use what they know about Latin American history and politics. They'll respond to three prompts focused on the role of Juan and Eva Peron in...

The effects of changes in the Latin American government are the topic of this writing exercise. Challenge your class to read and respond to three prompts that describe the Sandinistas of Nicaragua, Latin American immigration to the US,...

Do our childhood circumstances significantly shape us? As the close reading of “The Palace Thief” continues, groups examine how the results of the first "Mr. Julius Caesar" competition influenced the development of the characters in...

Our teacher told us the formula had one-third, but why? Using manipulatives, classmates try to explain the volume formula for a pyramid. After constructing a cube with six congruent pyramids, pupils use scaling principles from...

Are we interested in crime stories because we either identify with the victims or enjoy watching the rich suffer? Do we feel guilty and want someone to take our blame and let us feel innocent? Groups investigate how the author of "How...

How can matrices help us solve linear systems? Learners explore this question as they apply their understanding of transformation matrices to linear systems. They discover the inverse matrix and use it to solve the matrix equation...

Show how exponential growth can look linear. Pupils come to understand the importance of looking at the entire picture as they compare the US population to the world population. Initially, the populations look linear with the same rate...

Pictures and photographs help build background knowledge about a topic. Scholars participate in a gallery walk to learn more about the Jim Crow era of US history and the desegregation of schools following Brown v. Board of Education....

How do incidents in A Mighty Long Way provoke the author, Carlotta Walls LaNier, to make certain decisions that shape her story? Scholars engage in a close reading of the memoir, analyzing events in US history and Carlotta's personal...

Using the Jigsaw protocol, scholars study chunks of text from a speech given by former US presidents following a devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti. As they read the speech in small groups, they build background knowledge and share...

In this reading and writing analysis instructional activity, students assess from another student's letter the ways in which the novel gave that student "wings." The instructional activity challenges kids to read a letter written by...

Here is an interractive, on-line lesson plan which allows learners to test their knowledge of the states. They have the opportunity to take quizzes on any of the 50 states. These quizzes determine the students retention of important...

To conclude an eight-lesson study of the events that occurred in the early colonial period in Deerfield, Massachussetss, class members evaluate the point of view and bias found in late 19th and early 20th century retellings.

Here is a wonderful way to introduce your learners to the Fifth Amendment of the Bill of Rights. There are 16 questions designed to generate thinking and discussion questions about the Fifth Amendment. This lesson is extremely...

High schoolers focus on the 14th Amendment of the Bill of Rights to decide whether or not racism denies citizens of their rights under the amendment. They watch a movie, Every Two Seconds and complete a worksheet (included in the plan)...

You won't just get a instructional activity when you click on this resource. As you click on the related resources located to the left of the screen, you'll find, a professional development video, teacher/student notes, lesson plan,...

What does it mean to be American? Explore the constitution and what it really means to be a citizen here. First, learners of all ages will investigate different primary source documents. Then, they establish each document's...