Learners discover competition and trickery by participating in a class game. They participate in a role-playing game called "Survivor" in which students utilize critical thinking skills to identify who is the "Bad Guy." Students win the...

Help young historians personally engage in the stories of African Americans during the Great Migration! Assessing a migration route map, learners create a migrant character's experience, adding details while studying primary sources. A...

Use this presentation as a means to spark discussion and promote critical-thinking skills in your classroom. Learners read and discuss a series of questions such as whether animals can talk. This presentation provides a good way to have...

Here is a cool way to use a slide show presentation. Each slide provides a document or excerpt and a critical-thinking question. Information is focused on the traditions and lifestyle of the Aztecs. A good way to review for a test.

The presentation kicks-off with a challenge for upper graders to come up with a peace plan to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict. The causes and effects of the conflict are presented only briefly. Refugees and terrorism are two example...

Middle schoolers can analyze primary source documents to answer the question, "Why did the Aztec and Inca civilizations disappear?" They will read the provided excerpts then answer 11 different questions to uncover the ultimate answer.

The move West was greatly effected by the first transcontinental railroad. Present your class with well-organized information regarding major causes, players, and effects the railroad had on the face of an expanding America. Note: A...

Have your class practice problem solving and critical-thinking skills. Learners read a long story about an adventure involving a haunted house, make decisions about what the character should do, and evaluate the storytelling process.

Compare and contrast the ideologies of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle schoolers conduct research regarding civil rights and rhetorical strategies used in political speechs. They examine the strategies that both men employed...

The class reads the description of the "Drawing of an African Burial Ground Grave In Situ" then completes a work sheet. They act like archaeologists and answer a series of critical thinking questions to better understand the historical...

Supplement a lesson on the Inca with this worksheet. Highlighted are 2 image documents which are analyzed to answer 5 fact or opinion questions. Pupils need to provide examples and evidence to support their answers.

Each of the three questions on this learning exercise include a clue to the answer. Seventh graders will read a each clue, tell what or who the clue was referring to, and then provide evidence from their readings. This is a great way to...

The class conducts a simple experiment to demonstrate the Bernoulli Principle. After completing the experiment, they will discuss their findings. To prep for this activity, appropriate resource material on the Bernoulli Principle will be...

Kindergartners learn who community helpers are and what contributions they make for the community. They will hear a story outlining various community helpers, their jobs, and tools, create a graphic organizer connecting community...

Explore the difference between man-made and natural features in nature with your students. While not an in-depth look at this topic, it would be a way to introduce this communities in your classroom.  

Students are given a description of a scenario of Professor Fink searching for a group of children. When he finds them, he states that he can express their location as a function of his hand. Students analyze the scenario and determine...

Young scholars transform literature into musical productions. In this integrated arts lesson, students discuss how musicals are written and produced. Young scholars then select literature they are familiar with to adapt into musical...

Young scholars analyze sculpture, poetry, and music to gain an understanding of historical events. In this critical thinking skills lesson, students take a closer look at African-American history as they examine "Lift Every Voice and...

Students explore critical thinking by conducting a reaction time experiment. In this human brain instructional activity, students utilize a timed Internet worksheet activity to research how fast their brain works when answering...

High schoolers create a "back story" for a character from Measure for Measure.  In this Measure for Measure lesson, students read the text closely as they look for clues about where the character came from and how he or she became...

Students read books by the author Keiko Kasza and complete critical thinking skills, and connections to different subjects. In this language lesson plan, students connect the books to language arts, social studies, science, math, health,...

Students consider the influence of the Greeks on American architecture. In this American Greek Revival architecture lesson, students identify the attributes of architectural style as they compare the Parthenon with the Lincoln Memorial....

Students stop action and determine how history may have been altered. In this historical perspectives lesson, students consider how the Cherokee Removal, the Transcontinental Railroad, the Immigration Act of 1924, and the dropping of the...