Eleventh graders examine the purpose of Franklin D. Roosevelt's chats.  In this American History lesson, 11th graders collaborate with their group members on becoming an expert on a specific chat. 

Students analyze 11 posters from wartime and complete a worksheet. They discuss the similarities and differences between the posters and where the posters might have been posted. Student volunteers from each group present the posters to...

Students examine the Korean nuclear escalation. In this current events lesson, students explore the nuclear arms race in Korea and the science that explains nuclear weapons.

Middle schoolers discuss the role of the military in acquiring territory in the Pacific Northwest. Using a map, they locate the areas in which the Nez Perce were prominent and the routes used by the military to chase them. They discuss...

Students read and discuss articles about the current condition in Iraq. In groups, they role play as field generals for the coalition forces and they must create and present a visual defense plan for assigning 20,000 troops to protect...

Students define value of an object. In this value lesson plan, students identify reasons for collecting objects, compile a personal inventory of items they find valuable, and then define why those items are valuable to them. In step two...

Students investigate radiant energy by completing discrepant events and identify various temperature changes through absorption and how radiant energy can be used for solar panels. They experiment with different color fabrics in order...

Students study Rube Goldberg machines.  In this investigative lesson plan students design and build a machine that uses several steps to move an aluminum can. 

Get artsy with this WWII group activity, starting with a whole-class assignment. Create a map of Europe, Northern Africa, and the Pacific using geometric shapes cut from construction paper and placed on the floor. Consider splitting the...

After learning about the causes and closure of WWI, hand out this resource on that outlines the differences between Wilson's 14 Point Plan and the Treaty of Versailles. The class reads the information provided then analyzes two political...

Need an online resource to supplement the paper textbook in your classroom? An all-encompassing website covers historical events throughout the last half of the second millenium, leading right up to the third. From the pre-Columbian...

The Gettysburg Address may have been four score and seven years ago, but its message is still as relevant today. Young historians explore the context of the famous speech, as well as its central theme and argument, before discussing the...

Five lessons display the art created by Germans under the Weimar Republic. The focus of these lessons is to help learners understand the role of art in politics, government censorship, and Nazi tactics. Web links are included.

How did Europe transition from a period of conflict to a period of sustained peace? As class members continue their study of the history and development of the European Union, groups examine the events in six time periods, from the...

An empowering lesson explores the causes and complaints that led to the American Revolution. Young scholars, starting in fourth grade, complete hands-on activities, role play, and create cartoons to understand the American Revolution and...

By first defining the characteristics and ideology of fascism, this presentation makes it easy for viewers to contextualize the rise of Mussolini in post-WWI Italy. Not only thorough and informative, the pictures and concepts featured in...

Supreme Court justices debate the meaning of the US Constitution, but we expect teachers to explain it to scholars with far less training and experience. A daunting task for sure, but it's not insurmountable with resources that simplify...

Stereotyping and discrimination based on religion catalyze many atrocities in the world. Explain the awful treatment of Jews and the lies Nazis spread by using an informative yet sensitive resource. Learners participate in a warm-up and...

A mix of scientific details and background information about the well-known sites of radiation attacks or accidents. This topic may open up details that you may consider as sensitive, and could be upsetting to some pupils. This is a...

Scholars analyze the role of bystanders during the Holocaust. The investigation explores the roles of the bystanders, upstanders, and rescuers with primary and secondary resources to determine actions taken—or not—and their implications...

Building a realistic understanding of the trials Jews suffered during WWII isn't always easy. This plan employs student constructed dramatic freeze frame scenes to help build a deeper understanding of Jewish Ghettos, concentration camps,...

Students examine the military campaigns of the Pacific theater, tracing the path of the Allied offensives. The instructional activity presents what the Allies were trying to accomplish and why.

Many of us read our history books and take each word as truth. Show learners that history can easily be altered depending on who writes it. Your class will watch a series of videos, read a first person testimony, and discuss the...

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs provides the lens class members use to analyze and evaluate the motivations of the characters in Sylvia Plath's "Initiation" and scenes from Mean Girls. Readers then select a character from A...