Learners inquire about the lives of the First Ladies in our country. In this First Ladies lesson plan, students build knowledge about the contributions of First Ladies and how their childhood made them the person they are. Learners do a...

Third graders practice letter writing by writing an e-mail to the President.  For this U.S. Government lesson, 3rd graders express their concerns about issues taking place at public schools by writing an e-mail to the President of...

Second graders explore the geography of Washington D.C. and President Bush's hometown of Crawford, Texas. They read the book, Diary of a Worm, determine the best route to go to Texas from Washington D.C., and throw a birthday party for...

Students research the history of the Statue of Liberty and the symbols associated with it. They read and discuss Emma Lazarus' poem and why it should persuade people to donate money to bring the statue to America. Students role-play as...

Students explore the leadership of Eleanor Roosevelt through the use of historical documents. They examine the complexity of the creation of international documents. Students explore the Human Rights Declaration.

High schoolers engage in the democratic process and to learn how a bill become a law. Then they write a bill they would like as law in their classroom. Students also form committees that will review the list of bills to determine if they...

Students explore melodram as a form of theatre. They write about lucid and factual news accounts and about sensationalism. Students gain experience in relating one time period with another and with doing historical research.

Middle schoolers research, examine and are provided the opportunity to re-enact one of the most exciting trials of the 20th century, The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Trial. They research the history of the trial and then divide into...

Students investigate the Sacco-Vanzetti trial and develop a basic understanding of the issues involved. Then they write an essay taking a stance on the Sacco-Vanzetti trial: was the trial fair? were the two men falsely accused? Finally,...

Students discuss the idea of rationing as a restriction on the amount of something or the frequency with which something may be purchased or used in order to contribute to the greater good of the group which was what happened during...

Young historians research the debate over slavery; some students take the pro-slavery side and others the anti-slavery side. They take the role of a character such as a plantation owner, a legislator, a free Black, a slave, or a northern...

High schoolers identify and gain an understanding of the politics behind the killing of President McKinley, as well as the anarchist movements that continue to exist worldwide. Then they select a form of anarchy and write a short story...

Young scholars hold a Thousand and One Nights storytelling festival with each one memorizing a story to relate to classmates. While examining provided resource links, they select and practice a story they would like to retell. As a dress...

Students research China and the Boxer Rebellion. In groups, they gather information using the internet and other sources. Students participate in a simulation where they become foreign correspondents for a local television station. One...

Students develop an appreciation for the musical theater form, the operetta. In addition, they present parodies of songs from The Mikado. Working in small groups and accessing provided Websites, they compose their parodies. Once...

Pupils examine the proposition of a country without the Bill of Rights. In a role-playing activity, teams of students gather information to build a case for retaining the Bill of Rights and present it before their congressperson.

Learners use the internet and other sources to research the culture and history of the Philippines. In groups, they discover why William Taft moved to the Philippines. Students participate in a scenario where they make preparations to...

Fifth graders complete a short unit on slavery and the U.S. Civil War. They read and analyze the book, "Follow the Drinking Gourd," compose their own secret song, complete an Abraham Lincoln crossword puzzle, and dramatize a historical...

Young scholars imitate action words in the story and engage in cumulative movement patterns.

Students take part in group entertainment activities. In this circus lesson, students discuss their own memories of a circus and conduct several activities such as juggling scarves and creating balloon animals. Students discuss why...

Students dance a simple "mixer" that can be done to a variety of types of music, from country to rock.