The Noble Lie, the featherless bird, and the womb as a live animal are a few of Plato' less-than-noble ideas explored in a short video about one of the world's greatest philosophers.

Almost every ancient culture observed the stars and saw pictures in the patterns. Studying stars allowed them to guide travelers, determine when to plant crops, when to harvest food, and the stories surrounding the images include some of...

How has our relationship to energy changed over time? An engaging exploration challenges learners to create a timeline showing human energy needs and uses over time. Scholars review what timelines are, choose a 50-year period in history...

3D printers, selfie sticks, smart watches. GPS, self-driving cars, YouTube. Imagine life without inventions. Believe it or not, these items were all invented in the last 10 years. Inventions, and the inventors responsible for them, are...

Do you ever give your class the "teacher look"? Without saying a word, they become silent and engaged (hopefully). How do they know what you're thinking? Explore the concept of nonverbal communication and how it relates to our mirror...

Strap on those backpacks, it's time to travel through history with this literature unit based on the first four books of The Magic Tree House series. While reading through these fun stories, children create story maps, record interesting...

Charles Darwin's work, On The Origin of Species, fundamentally changed the study of science. Using clips from an author talk, young historians connect the scientific ideas behind evolution to American history. Afterward, they consider:...

Walk in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark as they discover the wonders, beauty, and dangers of the American frontier. After gaining background knowledge about Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase, young explorers use primary...

To protect young people from questionable content, many schools limit access. This resource suggests that because learners can so readily avail themselves to unrestricted Internet access, it is vital for 21st century learners to develop...

The Olympic Games are indeed a significant and far-reaching cultural component in our international community today, but from where do they originate? Where do our traditions stem from, and how do we choose the sports that constitute...

What kind of animals live on an ice planet like Hoth? How would the habitat on Tatooine allow different organisms to thrive? Connect social studies, science, and Star Wars in one engaging activity that focuses on the ecosystems of the...

Don't cry over broken pottery. A cross-curricular lesson challenges pupils to consider how to restore ancient pottery. Using a computer program and their knowledge of transformations, they come up with a way to recreate the original...

Ten percent of the world's forest carbon stores exist on the 18 percent of land legally owned by indigenous people. The first lesson in a series of four discusses the way different groups of people treat the land and forests. Scholars...

How has the concept of race changed over time? Explore the genetic, cultural, and social aspects of race through a series of impactful activities. Scholars discover how race is influenced by inherited traits, examine census records to...

Put an end to wasted instructional time with this lesson on responsibility and preparedness. After completing this series of activities students will learn the importance of these social skills not only in the classroom, but at home and...

Who decides what's cool and what's not? A short video examines Raymond Loewy's universal theory of cool, the MAYA theory that suggests that ideas that are the Most Advanced Yet Acceptable (MAYA) are perceived as cool. Viewers learn how...

Students read How Dogs Really Work! by Alan Snow. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the study of dogs as pets. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing, social studies, and library connections.

Middle and high schoolers explore how democracy works. After a teacher-led discussion, pupils go to websites embedded in the plan which lead them through activities that are all about the democratic process. The first website has them...

Newspapers aren't only for reading—they're for learning skills, too! A journalism unit provides three lessons each for primary, intermediate, and secondary grades. Lessons include objectives, materials, vocabulary, and procedure, and...

Observing the world around you depends on a lot more than your five senses. A  short overview of David Hume's Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding explains the ways sense perception influence the exchange of complex thought in the...

How do major religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, differ in how they view the role of individual freedoms within society, the definition of morality, and the importance of politically satisfying the greater good? Here...

How did 168 conquistadors take down the Incan empire? Through several activities, from presenting mini-lectures based on an article to designing newspapers about the Spanish conquest, your young historians will learn about the Incan...

By the end of this interdisciplinary lesson, youngsters will be able to describe the Gulf Stream ocean current and how it impacted the journey of the Mayflower ship. Reading, research, and the use of a really neat interactive website,...