Context for Exploration

What motivated Europeans to explore the New World, and what effects did their exploration have on Native American populations? The second installment of a 16-part American Passages series prompts pupils to watch a video and read several...

In this expository writing worksheet, students answer several questions in an expository fashion. Students derive their answer using the historical context in the article about the Great Depression.

How do nineteenth-century texts by African American and Native American writers contribute to the country's ideals of freedom and individuality? Learners explore the topic by watching and discussing a video, reading biographies, writing...

Discover how writers express identity in their writing. Learners explore how issues of identity surface in the literature of minority writers. Scholars watch a video, read and discuss biographies, conduct research, engage in creative...

Learners explore shipping through song lyrics. They delve into the world of water transportation as they analyze the lyrics from the song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." Plenty of web resource links and background information are...

Students complete a unit of lessons examining the cultural context of the novel, 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.' They write a critique of the novel, compare/contrast two published critiques, and explore various websites.

Young scholars analyze a work of art.  In this historical context lesson plan, students research the time period in which the art they observed was created.  Young scholars consider differing opinions about a work of art. 

Students analyze the significance of Jamestown in the broader picture of colonization and analyze a historical document to determine the effects of previous explorations on the expectations of the Jamestown colonizers

Young scholars examine the historical, social, and cultural context of modernist poetry. They explore websites, complete a chart, compare/contrast rural and urban life, watch a video of early New York, and complete a writing assessment...

Students explore the connections between natural disasters and poverty. In this economic lesson students examine worksheets and activities for each level.