The Election of 1912: an election with four competitive opponents. Pupils get to know the candidates with informative reading passages that provide context to the election. Then, the class engages in a debate and answers questions as one...

If you feel like you're standing still, you're wrong! The Earth is constantly rotating and orbiting under our feet. Demonstrate the Earth's movement within the solar system with a collaborative activity. With a candle or lamp in the...

Young scholars explore Cherokee legends. They read The First Strawberries by Joseph Bruchac, and then do several activities to help comprehension. They discuss the book and answer comprehension questions. In addition, they retell the...

Why did Vietnam POWs and their families receive more media attention than POWs in previous wars?  To answer this question, class members view artifacts, read articles, and engage in class discussion. Individuals then assume the...

Perfect for establishing classroom protocols, this activity gets even the youngest learners thinking about rules and their consequences. The lesson begins with a discussion and a reading of the poem Humpty Dumpty that gets...

Learners describe cause/effect relationship of a European country's need for resources, exploration, colonization, and settlement of different regions of the world beginning in the 14th Century, and role play representatives of assigned...

Third graders investigate the concept of living in a community of learners. They engage in a variety of activities with the highlight being a story about a meerkat and a lion. Students read a play related to the story and discuss the...

How does examining an ice core tell us about weather? Learners set up and explore fake ice cores made of sugar, salt, and ash to represent historical snowfall and volcanic eruptions. From their setups, scholars determine what caused the...

Earthquakes can be frightening and dangerous, but being prepared can make a world of difference. Perform an earthquake simulation during which the class practices how to drop, cover, and hold on as you read a script...

Students demonstrate understanding of the issues related to the creation and ratification of the United States Constitution and the new Government it established.

Get your class to use the scientific process to solve a scientific problem. They utilize the Natural Inquirer magazine to identify a research question which they write an introduction to and collect data to answer. They use graphs,...

Learners differentiate between positive and negative personal attributes and select a fictional character for nomination who personifies the qualities of a good leader. They use the Internet to learn about the election process and write...

Students research the repercussions of the development of the atomic bomb.  In this history lesson, students read, reflect and discuss nuclear warfare and how it affected the population when it was introduced, as well as how it...

Students investigate the horrors of World War II by participating in a role-playing activity.  In this holocaust lesson, students read handouts describing the atrocities committed against the Jews in Germany during the mass...

First graders analyze the role of the Jim Crow laws on race relations. As a class, they are segregated based on the color shirt they have or some other simple criteria and wear either a square or circle sticker representing the majority...

Eighth graders explore the events of the American Revolutionary War. After reading The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, as an introduction to the lesson, 8th graders participate in a simulation to experience the Nation of Ms. Goldwasser...

Students explore personal safety by participating in an Internet activity. In this internet security lesson plan, students identify the uses of passwords and screen names in order to hide and secure their digital identities. Students...

Tenth graders begin the lesson by plotting trade routes, major empires and items traded. Using primary sources, they examine their own values regarding trading items for royality. They participate in a role-play exercise in which they...

Twelfth graders brief Supreme Court cases about student rights that they have studied over the past year, and apply them to a contemporary situation.

Analyzing the sequence of actions in dramatic stories leads to deeper comprehension of story structure. The class identifies the main actions in each section of a story and develops frozen tableau's for the identified actions of the...

Young scholars view a video clip of the experiences of Japanese-Americans during World War II. They read parts of a book in which a child tells her story about living in the internment camps. They participate in a simulation activity as...

Students participate in a game designed to aid in storytelling. They spread a rumor to each member of their team using information found in the accompanying worksheets. Students earn points when they report their rumor correctly. ...

Students delve into primary research. In this Japanese Internment lesson plan, students make deductions about life in an internment camp by reading and comparing letters written to Clara Breed. Along the way, they consider the advantages...

Young scholars are read the book "The Rainbow Fish" and summarize each page. They discuss actions they should be displaying to others. They critique the book and role-play being friends to end the lesson.