Curated OER
We all have a Race: Addressing Race and Racism
Ninth graders examine race and racism in the lives of students today. In this current events lesson, 9th graders develop a definition of race and racism. Students explore various techniques to be anti-racist.
Curated OER
Searching for Home
Students examine Internet sites that assist Kosovar refugees in locating relatives and friends from whom they have been separated and in learning about the current events in their homeland.
Curated OER
Decision -Making by Parliamentarians: Issues and Decision-Making
Students, using what they know about what influences a representative's decision-making, solve current issues/problems provided by the teacher.
Curated OER
Old Mayan Mural
Students read a story called Scientists Discover Oldest Mayan Mural and answer vocabulary and comprehension questions about it. In this current events Mayan mural lesson plan, students respond to literature by answering questions,...
Curated OER
Refugees' Experiences in Countries of Asylum: "What's in a name"?
Ninth graders examine the term stereotype. In this Current Events lesson, 9th graders analyze posters on racism. Students watch news reports on racism and stereotyping.
Curated OER
Agriculture Awareness Through Poetry
Whether you are viewing a landscape painting of a farm, examining a still-life portrait of a bowl of fruit, or reading a descriptive poem about cultivating food, you can't deny that agriculture plays a major role in visual and language...
C-SPAN
Polling and Public Opinion
Most people are eager to offer their opinions about topics of interest, but what's the most effective way to collect and assess these opinions as a matter of fact? High schoolers learn about the history of polling, as well as the...
Curated OER
The 44th and 45th USA Presidents
The transition of power between former President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump may be the first political process that your students have followed. Fill out the details between these two leaders with a set of vocabulary...
The New York Times
Looking for Answers: Making Sense of the Boston Marathon Bombing
How should America respond to acts of domestic terrorism? What motivates or prompts a terrorist attack? After reading an opinion piece on the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, your learners will critically analyze factors that could have...
Advocates for Human Rights
The Rights of Women in the United States
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,...
Echoes & Reflections
Perpetrators, Collaborators, and Bystanders
After the Holocaust, the world grappled with how to bring justice to the Nazis. But what to do with the thousands—if not millions—who allowed it to happen? Young historians consider the issues of guilt, collaboration, and responsibility...
Echoes & Reflections
Antisemitism
Propaganda and anti-semitism were linked to evil ends during the Holocaust. Using video testimony of Holocaust survivors, examples of Nazi propaganda, and discussion questions, learners explore the roots of anti-semitism in Europe and...
Curated OER
Zoo-Goers Ready to Greet Baby Panda
The Smithsonian's National Zoo, also known as the Washington Zoo, is one of the oldest zoos in the United States. Youngsters read and discuss a news article about Tai Shan, baby panda that was one of the zoos most famous residents. They...
ProCon
Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
Should physician-assisted suicide be legal? Using a debate topics website, pupils prepare to discuss the morality and legality of euthanasia. Scholars discover historical case studies involving assisted suicide, explore state-by-state...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Ellis Island—The “Golden Door” to America
Are you one of the 100 million Americans whose ancestors passed through the doors of Ellis Island? Learn about the historic entry point for immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with an informative reading passage. After...
Curated OER
Arab-Israeli Conflict Lesson Plan
Students identify the key participants in the Arab-Israeli conflict. They create a caricature that is both Israeli and Arab. One side should be labeled with the feelings, thoughts, emotions of the Arabs and the other side is from an...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Yankee Doodle: How Has It Changed over Time?
Grab your feathers and your hat! And perhaps some macaroni! It's time to investigate the evolution of "Yankee Doodle Dandy." Groups do a close reading of sheet music covers, lyrics, and even YouTube videos to see how this political song...
PBS
Crack the Case: History's Toughest Mysteries
Young sleuths don their trench coats, tip their fedoras, and grab their notepads to investigate one of four famous unsolved mysteries. After examining multiple primary and secondary sources related to their cold case, they propose a...
Personal Genetics Education Project
DNA, Crime and Law Enforcement
Civil rights meets biotechnology in a instructional activity that scrutinizes the collection of DNA of citizens who have been arrested, but not yet convicted of a crime. Real-life cases are examined in which the DNA of a relative was...
Curated OER
The Day Before
Students explore the impact a major event has on people and on history as their team selects an event and publishes their own magazine to recreate the times in which such an event occurred.
Curated OER
Parents are unawareof Ecstasy risk:Anti-drug Education
Students read an article on parents unawareness of Ecstasy use. In this current events instructional activity, students infer issues related to teen drug use and parent prevention and engage in a class discussion. Students give a quiz...
Curated OER
A History of Conflict
Students explore issues contributing to current tensions between Pakistan and India, drawing conclusions about how the conflict came about and where it may be heading. They Participate in an in-class "diplomacy summit"; create a...
Curated OER
Numbers Tell a Story
Students connect census data to historical events. In this civics lesson plan, students understand cause and effect, and how they are reflected in census data and analyze census data for social and economic significance.
Curated OER
Science and Technology Timeline
Learners develop a time line of discoveries that have occurred in their lifetime. In this time line lesson plan, students research scientifically or technologically related events of interest to them, write a brief description on a 4x6"...