From the Know-Nothings to the Bible Riots, immigration and urbanization changed the face of America in the middle of the 1800s. Using documents that range from immigrant experiences to renderings of violent conflict between immigrants...

Moving to a new country isn't easy, as Shirley Temple Wong learns in In The Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord. A series of language arts activities carry readers through the novel, addressing the story's themes,...

Chicago is one city, four neighborhoods, and countless nationalities. The lesson explores the ethnic division of Chicago in the early twentieth century. Academics read primary sources, analyze maps, and tour an online exhibit to...

Students identify the major aspects of Olmec and Mayan civilzations, including economic, political, and religious. They list contributions of these civilizations. Students identify the Central American countries where the United States...

Eleventh graders study the history of immigration from 1850 to the present.  In this American History lesson plan, 11th graders compare the 1924 and 1965 immigration acts and give a reasoned opinion on each.  Students research,...

Students practice graphing immigration data from the Caribbean. After practicing making their own graphs, they make the final graph and label it accordingly. They work together to determine the six most populated states of immigrants...

Students try out instruments from South America. In this multiculturalism lesson, students discuss the attributes of Latin American music and play instruments from South America.

Eleventh graders explore illegal immigration.  In this Current Events lesson, 11th graders read an article on illegal immigration and answer questions that follow. 

The Pilgrims first arrived in America in order to gain religious freedom. Here is a lesson that takes the class on this journey with the Pilgrims, stopping to look at how they got here, who they met when they arrived, and a peek into...

Second graders participate in a guided reading activity and read about and immigrant family.  In this guided reading lesson, 2nd graders answer questions that focus on their new homeland. Students write a response to literature.

Students examine the Declaration of Independence. In this colonial America lesson, students read literature regarding the document as well as excerpts of the document itself. Students also perform a Reader's Theatre script based on the...

How did the United States respond to the Holocaust refugee crisis during World War II? The activity focuses on the United States' foreign policies and the arguments for and against offering assistance. Scholars analyze historical...

World War II not only resulted in major loss of life, but it also displaced thousands of people. An eye-opening activity uses primary documents to explore the refugee crisis during World War II. Scholars compare the event to modern-day...

Patriots versus Loyalists, a huge divide during the Revolutionary War in what would become the United States of America. An informative resource includes both direct instruction about the two groups and a quiz pupils take after reading...

Students study the Revolutionary War. In this colonial America lesson, students read Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes. Students discuss chapter 1 as they respond to the provided discussion questions.

Young scholars examine The New York Times' coverage of immigrants' rights in order to gain an understanding of how different news angles function. They assess the angles of different news media outlets, such as television, radio, and...

In this proof reading instructional activity, learners read a paragraph about Ellis Island. Students locate and correct 10 errors in the paragraph.

What patterns appear in the treatment of Jewish and Quaker immigrations to New Netherland? Your class members will work together to read and discuss the religious restrictions placed on immigrants to Dutch New York.

Students explore mathematics by participating in a pizza pie activity. In this nutrition lesson, students identify the caloric intake in a piece of pizza and estimate the average number of slices eaten by a person. Students utilize...

Using this interdisciplinary worksheet, your young historians will have the opportunity to practice their math skills while learning about the drastic population increase in the United States during the presidency of Andrew Jackson....

Teens explore economics by listening to a labor history lecture and an excerpt from Looking Backward, by Edward Bellamy. A detailed outline is provided for the lecture, along with follow up and assessment questions. In groups, they...

Students map and explore a possible slave trade route. In this slave trade mapping lesson plan, students calculate the distance and amount of time it would take for African slaves to arrive in America.

Students skip count with sunflower seeds. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students discuss the history of sunflowers. Students count by 1's, 2's, and 10's with bags full of sunflower seeds.

Students in an ESL classroom are introduced to new vocabulary before reading a story in their native language. In groups, they discuss how the tradition of writing stories down became a tradition and answer comprehension questions. To...