“The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” is famous, in part, because it established a uniquely American form of humor. For this famous story, Mark Twain combines the tall-tale, the dialect story, and satire. Here is a resource...

What's missing from most studies of the American Revolutionary War is information about the role African Americans played in the conflict. To correct this oversight, middle schoolers research groups like the Black Loyalists and ...

Teach your class the perspective Native Americans had on Christopher Columbus. They will examine the effects of Christopher Columbus' exploration on the Native Americans using a reading theater and a carousel brainstorming activity. They...

Celebrate Black History Month with this lesson, in which middle schoolers create an essay about a famous African-American. Writers conduct research online, take notes to write an essay in proper format, and use ideas, text, and graphics...

Many families have special dishes they serve during holiday celebrations and get-togethers. Many of these recipes have been handed down from generation to generation and often come with stories. Introduce your middle schoolers to the...

Celebrate Black History Month with a packet of materials on African American inventors. Readers discover several inventors' character traits, their inventions, and their lives. They even have the opportunity to conduct further research...

Bring art and society together with this highly creative and interesting lesson. Learners research various uses of masks in ceremonies. They then create a ceremony of their own and a mask to go along with it. They film themselves...

Learners examine a variety of ways that families celebrate winter holidays. They complete a graphic organizer comparing Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, and write a five-sentence paragraph about one of the holidays discussed. Students...

Young scholars explore African-American students literature as an integral building block in empowering all young scholars to a better awareness when reading and writing. They use as a productive Social Studies tool for overall...

Middle schoolers research the role of the Catholic church in the experiences of Haitian immigration. They organize a celebration of African and African-American cultures around the feast day of St. Martin de Porres, a saint of African...

Learners are introduced to the elements of African-American poetry. As a class, they are read different types of poems to discover there are different styles of poems and practice rhyming words. They share information on their family...

Students identify the foods associated with the "Days of the Dead Celebration." They compare and contrast these foods to the foods associated with American celebrations and become familiar with the foods of Mexico and their relationship...

After examining the accomplishments of George Crum, Ella Fitzgerald, James Baldwin, and Ernie Davis, class members conduct research, compare their lives and accomplishments, and then select from a menu of projects to share their...

Students examine South American festivals. In this cultural diversity lesson, students research Spanish cultural festivals and determine their purpose. Students write and conduct a survey about cultural festivals.

How do barns serve as a window to a community's past? Here are a series of lessons on the symbolism and historical context of barns throughout American history. Topics include community-building, in-depth primary and secondary...

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...

Students understand the contributions of the Native American tribes. In this Native American lesson, recognize Native American names, words and cultures. Students understand that different tribes lived in different parts of the country....

Students explore the contributions of African Americans of the 20th century. In this African American history lesson, students examine portraits of Muhammad Ali, Romare Bearden, Lorraine Hansberry, Judith Jamison, and Leontyne Price in...

Eleventh graders examine Japanese-American internment. In this World War II lesson, 11th graders research primary sources that they locate to learn about the experiences of the interned Japanese-Americans. Students then complete a...

Redesign your holiday celebrations with the aid of a lesson plan booklet packed with facts, images, maps, activities, and readings about the three-day feast that marked the English settlers' first successful harvest.

Bring history to life for your young scholars with a Fourth of July lesson series. After a class reading of the Declaration of Independence, students translate this pivotal document into layman's terms before working in small...

Fourth graders investigate the concept of the American Flag. They conduct research using a variety of resources and answer questions to create the context for the information search. Then students use the information to have class...

Students examine how Native American cultures are an important part of their existence. They look at celebrations, daily activities, values, and beliefs in a number of recommended books and share the information with other classmates.

Students increase their awareness of the important contributions made by individuals throughout history by discussing African American history month. They then play Concentration by matching the picture and name of a famous African...