Students examine the official website for the Social Security Administration. They learn the history of the program and what it is supposed to do for Americans. They compare social security with other types of retirement accounts.

While spending is fun, saving for a retirement is the future. Young adults learn about the importance of saving and different opportunities to do so during their adulthood. 

Students discuss what they believe to be the state of security of the nation since September 11, 2001. Reading articles on security, they gather insight into new reports on security. They write letters to major newspapers expressing...

High schoolers research the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, as well as other primary source documents, to determine Reconstruction's impact on the North and South. The 34-page inquiry-based lesson includes a staging question and...

Was nonviolent resistance the best means of securing civil rights for black Americans in the 1960s? In this highly engaging and informative lesson, your young historians will closely analyze several key documents from the civil rights...

Using role play, a graphic organizer, and discussion, your class members will compare and contrast the movement of people and goods between countries in the European Union before and after the organization was established. This is a...

Here's something unusual and thoughtful: have your scholars do some pensive reflection themselves before tackling how such meditative techniques are used in prison rehabilitation programs. They watch the...

Learners gain awareness of global patterns of food distribution. They are introduced to the concepts of food security and food insecurity. Pupils investigate the nutritional status of others around the world using information from the...

The Cold War—with its roots in World War II—impacts the world today. Using an extensive curriculum, scholars consider its impact through primary sources, including speeches and propaganda, as well as other skills-enhancing activities. An...

Students assess the role of an armed security gaurd. They identify specific objections to the guard being armed. They formulate an argument to present to administration.

Learners examine world sports. In this current events lesson plan, students analyze a photograph of a sport scene to determine what was taking place when the photograph was taken. Learners respond to the provided discussion questions...

Fifth graders investigate the origins of foods they eat while they consider social justice issues. For this food sources lesson, 5th graders play a game and then research food distribution, food security, and hunger in the world today....

The United Nation's role in world diplomacy is critical, but its enforcement is limited. Using activities such as role plays and simulations, classmates consider the role the UN plays in world peace keeping. The unit plan includes five...

Students use the Internet to gather more information about the gadgets spies use on the job. They analyze cases in which spies were involved and modern security systems. There is a section in which they can ask questions.

Eighth graders examine the use of video surveillance in the corporate world and other life situations. In groups, they determine how many times and in what situations they believe they are being watched. They use the Constitution to...

Engage your scholars by having them create "magic lantern shows" inspired by the film Dr. Toer's Amazing Magic Lantern Show: A Different View of Emancipation. As they study the South's Reconstruction through primary...

After a class discussion that focuses on kinship and extended family, young learners explore how Native Americans have lived in clans and other forms of extended family divisions. Pupils also see how Native Americans relate to the...

A timely and provocative lesson plan inspires high schoolers to tackle the Syrian refugee crisis. They analyze a compelling photo essay before discussing and writing about it.

Even lawyers can find the US Constitution to be very wordy! Help learners create a foundation for understanding the Constitution with several analysis essays. Multiple activities complement the reading and allow for active and meaningful...

How did Federalists feel about the federal government? Learners search for the answers in the Federalist Paper No. 51, which discusses the powers of the presidency. Then, they answer various questions to test for their comprehension of...

Invite your learners to discover the efforts of Night author Elie Wiesel to promote awareness of genocide in the world. After watching and reading an interview of Elie Wiesel, high schoolers work to create a living Holocaust...

Six diverse activities make up a substantial unit on the women's rights movement in the United States, past and present. A few of the topics at hand: the fourteenth and nineteenth amendments, the Equal Pay Act, the Lily Ledbetter Act,...

How the Kansas-Nebraska Act created Bleeding Kansas is complicated—until scholars research and examine documents from the time. After completing activities that include mapping, photo, document analysis, and discussion, learners...

James Madison, under the pen name “Publius,” justifies the need for an American Republic in Federalist Paper 10, which is perhaps one of the most influential contributions to the Federalist Papers. Readers examine his perspective with...