PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Stars
A Reading Adventure Pack explores the night sky. Reading Her Seven Brothers by Paul Goble and Find the Constellations by H.A. Rey begin the learning experience. Scholars craft a night sky mobile, go stargazing, and write a mythical story...
Mr. Nussbaum
Silk Road
Challenge pupils to read informational text about the Silk Road. Scholars then take their newfound knowledge to answer a mix of eight fill-in-the-blank and multiple-choice questions. Report details appear at the end.
Mr. Nussbaum
Sequoyah
Test scholars' comprehension with a 10-question interactive. Learners read a short informative text about Sequoyah, a Cherokee silversmith, who invented the language Cherokee Syllabary, then answer fill-in-the-blank and multiple-choice...
Mr. Nussbaum
Rainbows
Test scholars' reading comprehension skills with interactive practice. Learners read a short informative text about rainbows, then answer eight multiple-choice questions. A report details their progress after the exercise is complete.
Mr. Nussbaum
Harriet Tubman
Scholars test their reading comprehension skills with a short reading of an informative text about Harriet Tubman. Learners answer eight questions and receive a detailed progress report.
Nemours KidsHealth
Drugs: Grades 3-5
Two lessons take a close look at drug prevention. The first lesson, split into two sessions, challenges learners to gather information from an article, answer questions, then create a poster that encourages others to stay away from...
Mr. Nussbaum
Butterfly
An interactive challenges scholars to read a short informational text about butterflies then answer eight questions. A progress report appears after the last question.
Mr. Nussbaum
Christopher Columbus
Scholars use their reading comprehension skills to answer questions about a short informative text regarding Christopher Columbus. A progress report follows eight questions—multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank.
Bonneville
Probes of Prior Knowledge
A bright future learning about electricity awaits. Future scientists conduct two probes to investigate electrical energy. The first requires them to think about how electricity is made, while the second has them identify appliances that...
Mr. Nussbaum
Buffalo
Scholars read or listen to an informational text about buffalos, then answer 10 questions—a progress report details participants' work.
Mr. Nussbaum
American Revolution
Test scholar's reading comprehension skills with a practice that challenges pupils to read an informational text about the Amerian Revolution then answer 10 questions.
PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Archaeology
Readings of fiction and nonfiction texts followed by a series of activities put scholars in an archaeologist's shoes. Learners read two texts, Archaeologists Dig for Clues by Kate Duke and The Shipwrecked Sailor: An Egyptian Tale with...
California Department of Education
In the Interview Hot Seat
After watching a short introductory video, high school seniors prepare for the interview process by first examining commonly used questions and effective responses. Class members then engage in a series of Speed Interviews to gain...
Center for History Education
The Star-Spangled Banner: Fact or Fiction?
Is the Star-Spangled Banner an actual account of a gripping battle, or is it just a catchy tune? Young scholars compare eyewitness descriptions of the War of 1812 battle that inspired "The Star-Spangled Banner." They also examine images...
Center for History Education
Why is John Adams Standing on Thomas Jefferson's Foot?
Was it a bromance, or were they frenemies? Young historians use a controversial portrait and letters between Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and others to evaluate the relationship between the two Founding Fathers. Examining the primary...
Center for History Education
How Did the Public View Women’s Contributions to the Revolutionary War Effort?
Calling upon the legacies of Joan of Arc, Elizabeth I, and Catherine the Great, Esther Reed rallied Southern women to support the American Revolution. Using a broadside by Reed and other primary sources, such as poetry, young historians...
Center for History Education
Was the Stamp Act Fair?
Pledge your loyalty to the king and the Stamp Act or sign an oath against the tax. After simulating an in-class tax for school supplies, young historians consider the reasons for the Stamp Act and similar colonial policies. The...
Center for History Education
Who Burned the Peggy Stewart?
Not all Patriots were on the same page against the British before the Revolutionary War. While some wanted to use peaceful means, such as debate and petition, others used violence, such as burning ships carrying British tea. Using...
Center for History Education
Runaway Slaves: From the Revolution to the New Republic
Who were the enslaved people in colonial America? Using ads from enslavers looking to recapture escaped people, young historians put faces and identities to them. Primary sources, such as wanted ads, help scholars reconstruct who these...
Center for History Education
Colonial Tea Parties
Most people know of the Boston Tea Party, but it was only one of similar protests throughout the colonies. Using a case study from Maryland, learners explore primary sources, including images and newspaper accounts of similar tea...
Center for History Education
Pontiac's War
Invaders are coming: fight them off or run? Native American peoples had to decide this question after British colonists went west following the French and Indian War. Using a speech from Chief Pontiac, young historians consider if they...
Center for History Education
Native American Gender Roles in Maryland
Toss gender roles out the window—some societies lived in a world where women not only possessed the family wealth but also were the farmers and butchers. Many Native American societies had more gender equity than European societies....
John F. Kennedy Center
Harriet Tubman: An Informative and Impressionistic Look
Informational text and impressionistic art lead a lesson plan about Harriet Tubman. Working in teams, scholars examine a variety of resources. They analyze, compare, and contrast the work. Using their research findings, pupils create an...
Crabtree Publishing
Remarkable Lives Revealed
Six lessons make up a unit all about biographies. Scholars read about a remarkable life while taking notes and identifying characteristics of the biographical genre. Readers examine the tale's obstacles, accomplishments, and sequence of...