Scholars use primary and secondary documents, as well as video evidence, to investigate the end of the Cold War.  After completing the final installment of an eight-part series, class members better understand the issues surrounding...

Going green? Scholars investigate the creation of the US National Park program. Through diary entries as well as expert testimony, they synthesize information and analyze the need for conservation and preservation. Finally, they display...

Scholars analyze the environmental movement started in the 1960s. Through excerpts from Rachel Carson's books as well as diary entries, they take a look at the reason for the modern movement to save the planet and then create final...

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...

Luckily for those who aren't history buffs, anyone can guess that the War of 1812 happened in ... 1812. But how to cover the rest of the story? The resource does just that with effective direct instruction that includes statistics,...

Who decides someone is not a real person? Scholars investigate the Dred Scott v. Sandford court case which deals directly with slavery and citizenship. After viewing a short video clip, classmates work in pairs to assess and discuss the...

The strategies civil rights activists Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois proposed for blacks to achieve racial progress is the focus of an activity in which class groups identify the strategies as well as the benefits and drawbacks...

Immerse your young marine biologists in the world of marine animals. The lesson includes several activities that are age-appropriate for preschoolers and kindergartners, including coloring pages, gluing feathers and sand onto paper...

Students examine the role the Mayflower Compact had in aiding the common good. They analyze the importance of the Compact and what affect it had on the colony. They write a paper summarizing how they interpreted the Compact itself.

First graders create a KWL chart on Native Americans and listen to a speaker from a local Indian Reservation. As a class, they are read part of a Native American story in which they pick their own Native American name and identify their...

Students consider Race and Ethnicity in baseball. In this American history lesson, students examine primary source images of American baseball. They then develop an original argument, pose historical questions and conduct Internet research.

Students watch videos and conduct research on the belief systems and values related to segregation in Kentucky.

Fifth graders research life in Alaska and compare life there to their lives in this activity. They read "Julie of the Wolves." They research through the novel and other reference books facts about the Alaskan climate and geography. ...

Fifth graders research the Eastern Woodland Indians in this lesson. They list the tribes and write a description of the physical environment. They list examples of the types of food, clothing, transportation, home/shelter,...

Eighth graders investigate the life and contributions of Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable. They read and discuss an informational handout, define five words from the passage, conduct Internet research, and write a journal entry from the...

Eleventh graders explain that Deerfield became prosperous because of the river trade and improved agricultural practices. They examine how transportation and communication were improved.

Fourth graders examine about traditional quilting patterns, the symmetry in such patterns, and practice creating patterns of their own. They design a quilting pattern, and groups make colorful "patches," of a pattern. They assemble the...

Students examine various ways that slaves in the Natchez area resisted bondage, consider the price of resistance, and write television news documentary.

Students practice their writing skills by creating a character sketch of themselves. After viewing portraits, they select one personality trait and put their own picture into the painting of their choice. They include a conversation with...

Students research Native American culture. In this Native Americans lesson, students read the folk tale, The Strongest One and identify the natural resources in the poem. Students participate in a discussion of how Native Americans got...

Students explore the implications of the Gettysburg Address. In this Civil War activity, students read a handout regarding Gettysburg Address, analyze an excerpt of the speech, and complete the provided worksheet activities.

Eighth graders explore historical records. In this cemetery mapping lesson, 8th graders analyze local community data as they examine gravestones and read epitaphs. 

For this primary source analysis worksheet, students examine a political cartoon about the American National Bank and then respond to 10 analysis questions about the cartoons they select. The cartoon is not included and answers to each...

Students compare paintings to make conclusions about American History in the Revolutionary War time period. Students share opinions concerning visual art. Other artwork can be used to entice inquiry as needed.