Students read an essay by George Orwell's life in Burma and place it in its cultural and historical context. They identify the main points of the essay and Orwell's use of symbolism in the essay. They explain how each persuasive tool...

Eighth graders conduct research on the Anza Colonizing expedition utilizing the Web de Anza website. They read diary entries, answer questions, and create a poster highlighting an event that symbolizes the Expedition.

Students examine portraits for different images they project, cite three purposes a portrait can serve, analyze portraits of historical figures, and relate biographical research to portraits.

Seventh graders examine different pieces of Dutch Art. They identify its social and political meanings by using cultural and historical information. They examine maps of the time period as well.

A lesson plan originally designed around the short story "Mr. Saito of Heaven Building" by Yamanokuchi Baku, this resource provides historical background, discussion questions, and brief writing assignments that help your class explore...

“What is the role or function of controversial art? And, should children, our children, be required—forced—to study certain works they may find painful or humiliating or offensive?” Robert Zalisk’s question, found in his article, “Uproar...

What does the author believe about his topic? Why did he write in the first place? Challenge your class to figure out the answers to these questions as they read through informational texts. The resource provides a breakdown of the...

Students research how childhood was depicted in art in the 17th through 19th centuries. In groups, they research pieces of art and write a paper explaining how the portrayal of students in art changed at the end of the 18th century.

Students review the concepts they were introduced to in a telecast on judicial review. After reading an article, they answer discussion questions and repeat the same procedure for another article. They participate in a debriefing session...

Eleventh graders use technology as a tool to research authors of literature being studied. Then students use a presentation program to make final presentations. This lesson allows them to create an understanding of the context related to...

Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. In this civil rights lesson, students examine the civil rights struggle from a Native American perspective. Students analyze documents and write journal entries that...

Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this Korean War lesson plan, students examine and analyze primary sources regarding U.S. involvement in the Korean War.

A Novel Study is the focus of this Literature PowerPoint. A class is about to have author Chris Paul come speak to their class about his novel, The Watson's Go to Birmingham - 1963. Before his appearance, the class is directed to do an...

Have you used the directed reading thinking activity in your classroom? Doubling as either a prereading strategy, or a during reading strategy, it helps readers connect the historical background of the text to the text itself. As the...

Guided by close-reading questions, groups examine the similarities and differences between the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. In addition, they look at how the principles are presented in these two foundational US...

Students research the Comox Band's system of government and report on what kind of government they think would work for them. In this government lesson plan, students decide between a hereditary system or an election system of...

Using Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, guide your class in the process of identifying unknown terms using context clues and formulating text-based answers. The lesson plan includes a useful worksheet incorporating scaffolding questions on an...

Students research the history of paper money using the Internet in order to answer questions and create their own bills.

Students chose Latin authors, their birthplace, life and works. They examine pictures of an Italian city and decide which Latin author it could be related to. They answer questions in Latin.

Students describe geographical places through art, music, writing, and math. They compile information in booklets which may be published.

Propaganda is an important topic that most high school social studies teachers address. Here, learners compare and contrast methods of public persuasion during WWII with those used in the contemporary War on Terror. Research, discussion,...

In this home activity worksheet, 3rd graders will focus on their own town or city's history. Students will answer 4 short answer questions pertaining to research about the given area.

Students listen to a story read by their teacher and identify the pictures inside it to be real or make believe. In this fiction and non fiction lesson plan, students also write a real or make believe story of their own.

Many learners have a tough time picking out pertinent information from a text or in class. Sometimes, all it takes is a study/reading guide to show them the way. The learning exercise here focuses on taxonomy and classification,...