High schoolers research the Islam and Christianity through the use of newspapers or magazines. They discuss the life of Kahlil Gibran and his work in which he was an political activist .

Learners investigate the life and artwork of Estelle Ishigo. They use a timeline and primary sources in order to understand the influence of living in a relocation camp during World War II. The instructional activity includes an...

Students describe the complementary relationships between pollinators and the plants they pollinate, identify adaptations that flowers have developed to "encourage" pollination, and create and draw their own "designer" flowers.

Students participate in multiple hands-on activities to explore reproduction and pollination. In groups, using a cotton swab and powder, students simulate being pollinators and plants. They name the parts of the flowers and the function...

Students study black history, examine portraits and portrait making and create their own portraits, and  investigate their natural environment. This humanities lesson provides a text that can be used to teach lessons in black...

Students bring in rocks and minerals from home. They observe them and describe them carefully, completing a worksheet. Finally, a classroom exhibit is created.

Students bring rocks and minerals from home to investigate in the classroom. In this rocks and minerals lesson plan, students observe all the rocks and minerals brought into the class and answer 7 questions about the features of the...

Students research the repercussions of the development of the atomic bomb.  In this history instructional activity, students read, reflect and discuss nuclear warfare and how it affected the population when it was introduced, as...

High schoolers confront fear through literature. In this literary elements lesson plan, students discuss fear and what they know about the horror genre of literature. High schoolers then examine the painting "The Scream," by Edvard Munch...

Students discuss the war in Iraq, Adam Michnik's essay "We, the Traitors," and the notion that we bear a collective responsibility to rise up against oppression, within a modern geo-political context. They each write a research report on...

Students view artworks that make a statement about social conditions. They discuss the artworks, write about them and present their ideas to the class. They create socially conscious art pieces of their own.

Students design a plan for a housing development in their city. In this house development lesson plan, students observe pictures of land use, research lawmaking, and develop a plan for an environmentally friendly housing development in...

Fifth graders connect reasons for coming to the New World with identity. The create identities and place them in one of three settled regions. They refer to prior study notes in their Colonial Notebooks to establish their identities.

Fifth graders research their assigned regions, complete regional guide and prepare presentations about the New World colonists. They refer to "Everyday LIfe: Colonial Times" as well as searching marked internet sites.

Students study women aviators and act out a talk show-style interview with one of them. They plot Amelia Earhart's flights on a map.

Learners examine the role of Supreme Court justices. In this judicial branch instructional activity, students consider the civil rights and civil liberties as they investigate Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940) and West...

Fifth graders compare and contrast two early colonies and make a T chart. They list examples of worked well and what did not, and significant historical events. They use higher order thinking skills by deducing how different scenarios...

Students explore the Underground Railroad.  In this U.S. history and technology lesson, students research an assigned topic related to the Underground Railroad, such as "abolitionist," "conductor," or "station houses." ...

Young scholars analyze Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy" War Address. Students read the original first typed draft of the speech, and compare handwritten changes with the original to determine whether the changes strengthened or...

Students work in groups that represent a Japanese family who have received orders that they will be evacuated. Students read the "Civilian Exclusion order." They have 15 minutes to decide what they will carry. Choices must be justified...

Middle schoolers examine WWI topics and answer questions about them. In this WWI propaganda lesson plan, students examine cartoons used during WWI and answer questions about the propaganda. Middle schoolers then read letters about...

“We alone regard a man who takes no interest in public affairs, not as a harmless but as a useless character.” Pericles’ comment, part of a funeral speech, sets the tone for a unit study of Ancient Greece. A series of activities...

The Harlem Renaissance brought forth many American art forms including jazz, and the writings of Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. Using a carefully curated set of documents from the Library of Congress, pupils see the cultural...

Kids make big artistic gestures, just like the abstract artist, Lisa Signal. They use her work as inspiration for making simplistic, abstract, statements in an artistic way. They analyze her work, then walk through an unfamiliar...