Sixth graders will listen to Dr. Martin Luther King's speech, I Have A Dream in order to discuss rhetoric, word choice, and how the author conveyed his ideas and perspective. They discuss key points and how literary devices were used to...

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...

Projects like this are interesting for kids and engage active learning. Sixth graders research and compose a 2-3 minute oral presentation, PowerPoint, or diorama that expresses the first person historical perspective of an individual...

Explore current events through multiple lenses by comparing social media coverage with a national news article. Although you can easily apply this to a more recent event, this analysis focuses on the 2012 shooting in Aurora, CO. Learners...

How can there be three different accounts of an event if no one is lying? That's the central question class members are asked to ponder as they consider conflicting reports given to the principal of a lunchroom fight. A great...

Explore multiple perspectives through a jigsaw activity that will improve your pupils' understanding of the characters in Esperanza Rising as well as their understanding of strikes and human rights. Tapping into prior knowledge, and...

Point of view, purpose, and tone: three concepts readers of primary and secondary source materials must take into account when examining documents. Class members view a PowerPoint presentation and use the SOAPS strategy to identify an...

Differentiate between a simple conflict and true bullying. A chart listing key differences between bullying and normal conflict acts as a template for your class to create similar charts. The lesson provides scenarios, which students...

Use primary sources to delve into seven different perspectives of the Boston Massacre. Here, historians read and examine images taken from the Boston Massacre's witnesses and participants. Then, they answer questions dissecting each...

Bring the multiple cultural perspectives of a state to life in a lesson designed to challenge assumptions. Learners develop criteria to evaluate different cities, looking to find the one that should be "the heart of Florida capital." A...