Students are able to show on a map how the Black Death moved through Europe. They summarize the direct effects of the Black Death in Europe. Students cite evidence from firsthand accounts in developing an argument that connections can,...

Students identify clues that tell them about where, when, who and what they are seeing in art images. They work, step by step, through the layers of meaning, delving more deeply into these layers with each work as they progress through...

Students analyze period political cartoons as they study the causes of the Panic of 1837. They use primary sources to evaluate President VanBuren's response to the panic and public opinion of the results of his policies. Then they...

Students formulate what tensions about wealth and status are revealed in The Great Gatsby. Apply how these tensions are reflected in Nick Carraway's struggle to belong. Write a "credo" for the "secret society" implied in The Great Gatsby.

Middle schoolers explain the basic positions of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. They chart the differences and similarities between state and federal governments. They write a persuasive essay in response to an open-ended...

Students critique the Creation of the U.S. Constitution. They list some ideas proposed and debated during the Constitutional Convention. Discussion of the important issues requiring compromise are examined.

Students read biographies of their assigned Founding Father. They present an oral argument that their assignee deserves to be better known by making connections between regional politics and postions defined by character.

After learning the main ideas of the Decadent movement, students work in small groups to read and translate poems by the French poet Charles Baudelaire using basic etymology skills. They then read the accurate English translations to see...

Students investigate the purposes of state and local government. They categorize newspaper articles into state and local issues. Pupils summarize nonfiction text. Students given an oral presentation on a news report to the class.

Students work cooperatively in small groups to identify the purposes of local government. They review the five broad purposes of local government and match the services of government to the appropriate purpose.

Students read selections from the Declaration of Independence, Northwest Ordinance of 1787, and the Wilmot Proviso of 1846. They contrast the maps of 1820 and 1854 to analyze developments in the national debate over slavery. They...

Students research the structure of the Declaration: introduction, main political/philosophical ideas, grievances and assertion of sovereignty. They analyze the ideological/political origins of the ideas in the Declaration. Students...

Young scholars identify important arguments for independence made in Thomas Paine's Common Sense. They explain why these arguments helped persuade American colonists that independence was necessary. Students describe the importance of...

Young scholars view an image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and identify the focal point of the painting. They discuss symmetry and balance as it pertains to the images. Students use the Student LaunchPad (linked to this lesson) to...

Students identify Marco Polo and discuss why he took his trip, indicate on map routes Marco Polo took to China and back, describe challenges of traveling along Silk Road, list several interesting aspects of 13th Century Chinese culture,...

Students read and discuss the book, Esperanza Rising. After analyzing and identifying the novel's structural elements, they examine working conditions for migrant workers in the 1930s. As part of the lesson, students in groups choose...

Students consider the historic implications of Barack Obama's election. In this election of 2008 lesson, students research Obama's accomplishments and determine how his election signifies the success of the American Civil Rights...

Learners explore limericks. In this poetry writing lesson plan, students listen to and read a variety of poems written by Edward Lear. Learners count syllables and identify meter by clapping as they read aloud. Students complete a...

Students investigate four main issues of concern between US and Japan prior to US involvement in World War II. In this role play lesson plan, students will take the role of US and Japanese negotiators trying to find a diplomatic solution...

Learners explore the content of Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address. In this Abraham Lincoln lesson, students analyze the text of the speech to determine how Lincoln sought to preserve the Union from secession attempts.

Young scholars explore the Gettysburg Address. In this U. S. history lesson, students examine Abraham Lincoln's speech and it's themes of freedom, equality, and emancipation.

Students explore the content of Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. In this Abraham Lincoln lesson, students analyze the text of the speech to determine how Lincoln sought to reconstruct the country as the Civil War drew to a close.

Students examine the Social Security Act of 1935. For this U.S. history lesson, students research primary sources in order to prepare for a mock debate of the act prior to it becoming legislation.

Students examine Franklin D. Roosevelt's Fireside Chats. In this presidential history lesson, students listen to the radio broadcasts of select FDR Fireside Chats. Students analyze the effectiveness of his messages to the public as well...