Not Just a Corny Idea

Introduce various perspectives of the civil rights movement to your middle schoolers by having them take on roles in groups. They read a projected excerpt describing a house (linked) from either the perspective of a real estate agent or...

Explore writers of the civil rights movement through a focused lesson on the Langston Hughes poem I Look at the World. Learners listen to the poem, then complete episodic notes in a graphic organizer. They focus on specific parts of the...

Task 2 of the large unit on justice in the world engages learners in speech analysis. They hear the Martin Luther King Jr. speech, I Have A Dream, then consider how the author's craft and use of informational text helped him convey his...

Slavery in India, Sudan, and Mauritania? What about in the United States? Groups research modern slavery in these four countries, collecting factual evidence (What), determine their feelings about this evidence (So what), and consider...

This is a great idea for any social studies classroom to incorporate throughout the year as an ongoing project! Line your walls with a continuous strip of butcher paper to design a large timeline that you can add to as you cover...

Poetry is not just for romance. Teach middle schoolers about soldiers' experiences during World War I with poetry written by the soldiers themselves. The lesson includes a simulation activity, a graphic organizer activity, and a...

An executive is not just a leader of a company; you can also use the term to describe the president of the United States. The ninth part of a 20-part unit teaches high schoolers about the importance of the executive branch and the...

Comparing and contrasting Capitalism and Socialism, this lecture outlines many nuances between the two economic systems, including the ideas of meritocracy and "fairness." A discussion about the effects of either system gone "unchecked"...

Did you know that the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 2, 1776? Did you know that five men, not just Thomas Jefferson, are credited with writing the Declaration? Did you know that references to slavery were excised from the...

Encourage your learners to explore the differences between hard news and news analysis. They outline a complex news analysis about the upcoming presidential election, then endeavor to write an analysis of the same topic, using local...