We take a steady shower stream and clean drinking water for granted, but in many countries around the world, the lack of water or a clean water supply is responsible for higher sickness and death rates. Taking a closer look at the water...

How did the founding of the American colonies lead to a revolution? Use the essential question and sample activities to guide learners through a series of history lessons. Additionally, the packet includes effective strategies to...

Twelfth graders consider art as a medium to convey information and opinions on social conflict and issues. They analyze images from the Crocker Art Museum, discuss their effectiveness in raising awareness of an issue, and create a...

Students study community organizations and learn about the types of power used to create change. In this community study lesson, students learn about the three sectors at work in a community, public, non profit, and private....

Students explore African American history by researching the Jim Crow laws. In this Civil Rights lesson, students define the Jim Crow laws, the reasons they were put into place, and how they were ultimately defeated. Students write a...

Pupils create a presentation explaining how they can guard against identity theft. Prior to creating the presentation, students research identity theft: how it occurs, how to avoid it, what to do when someone thinks it has happened to...

Young scholars act as either Democrats or Republicans to debate plans to alter Social Security. For homework, they consider whether Social Security has become too politicized and propose their own solutions.

Encourage pupils to design an election plan for the entire school. They participate in a Board of Elections, create polling rules, discuss election controversies, write questions about the issues, run the election through an online...

Debt is a topic that affects everybody: the community, the nation, and the entire globe. Kids take charge of debt by designing a project that informs those in their community about good financial choices, keeps personal debt low, and...

Students discover racism and slavery by completing a role playing activity. In this U.S. history lesson, students analyze documents from the Civil War era and describe the Fugitive Slave Law. Students view a video on YouTube about the...

Eighth graders examine the three branches of government and the system of checks and balances.

Students choose a professional field of interest, consider what modern day or historical figure they would most like to assist, research the economy & its effect on support staff/entry-level jobs in that field, and create a strategy...

Students study the U.S. economic sectors and their philanthropic role in communities. In this civil society lesson, students brainstorm and classify businesses in their community. Students discuss the for-profit, nonprofit, government...

Eighth graders are introduced to the efforts of Reconstruction after the Civil War. In groups, they develop their own plan for Reconstruction and provide a mission statement which they share with the class. They must defend any...

Twelfth graders learn art is an effective way to convey a political message. They learn how political messages are created to convey a message. They analyze a piece of artwork and then write a short paragraph from the point of view of...

Students discuss and construct timelines based on the life of author/performer/Civil Right's activist, Paul Robeson. They view photographs of him at various times in his life and discuss the roles he may have been playing at those times.

Young scholars practice using KidPix to create illustrations. In this visual arts activity, students define key vocabulary words, such as "palette" and "toolbar" to familiarize themselves with the KidPix program. Young scholars...

Third through fifth graders discover the importance of reading and plan a service project to provide books to children. First, they read the book The Important Book and then they brainstorm about the importance of reading. Afterward,...

Students research the five generations of computing devices and computer inventors, and create a virtual museums.

Students investigate the prejudice and racism that has existed in the U.S. for centuries by attending a field trip.  In this equality lesson, students visit the Tolerance Museum and discuss the history of the U.S.  Students...

Tenth graders analyze an issue discussing the rights of citizens. They debate after they have formed an opinion and argue the points and evaluate who had the stronger argument.

Eleventh graders investigate the role of New York state during the American Revolution. In small groups, they research a particular region within colonial America, analyze primary source documents, complete Document Analysis Sheets, and...

Become a digital citizen. Follow the scripted directions of this resource to create a technologically integrated webpage for your classroom. Class members learn how to create a class blog, an Internet start page, a classroom wiki, and...

Students explore the actions of people involved in the Civil Rights Movement. They explore the reasons for the movement and its successes and failures, and explain the sacrifices made by those who participated in the movement.