Students observe teacher's inappropriate classroom procedures such as tattling, pushing, or interrupting. In this showing respectful behaviors lesson plan, students respond to scenarios created by the teacher and address what the...

Students examine the Westward expansion. In this North American settlers lesson, students will view a PowerPoint presentation and answer critical thinking questions. Students will write an essay that analyzes the impact of westward...

Students discover the powers of Congress. In this legislative branch lesson plan, students examine the legislative process as they analyze Article I of the U.S. Constitution. Students consider the powers of Congress as they define the...

Middle schoolers become familiar with procedures for helping Indians assimilate in the 1800's. In this history lesson plan  students explore how football helped Indians to assimilate in a positive way. Middle schoolers recognize the...

Fifth graders use primary sources to explore events witnessed by ordinary people.  In this primary documents instructional activity, 5th graders  answer critical thinking questions based on their documents.  Students...

Students discover how courts determine property possession using evidence. In this critical analysis instructional activity, students use provided case studies and evidence to determine legal possession. This instructional activity would...

Seventh graders explore the West through the eyes of a settler. In this Westward Expansion lesson, 7th graders read excerpts from the diary of Narcissa Whitman as she journeyed West from Pennsylvania. Students respond to critical...

Young scholars compare and contrast school life today with that of Pennsylvania in the 1900's. In this school life activity students create a description of a typical one-room schoolhouse. They think critically about attending school in...

Parodies of political figures are the lifeblood of the editorial cartoons in a free press. North Korea's nuclear threat provides young political scientists an opportunity to hone their critical thinking skills as they analyze a...

Students examine the bill of rights as it relates to founding documents and their significance today. In this bill of rights lesson plan, students use newspapers as sources to answer critical questions regarding democratic citizenship....

Students use the newspaper as a tool to make connections about what the five freedoms guarantee in the First Amendment. In this first amendment lesson plan, students analyze events in the newspaper to form conclusions about the freedoms...

Provide a format for your historians to explore the Neolithic Revolution using this writing exercise. Three display questions prompt scholars to reflect on how the revolution was a turning point in human history, its impact on gender...

Political Revolutions are fascinating! Historians explore the 18th century revolutionary period through writing with these three broad short-answer prompts. They consider the long-term effects of the Napoleonic Code and describe the...

Here is a worksheet in which learners identify and compare economic systems (market, command, mixed, etc.) with 18 fill-in-the-blank questions and a graphic organizer. 

Marian Wright Edelman's 2014 Commencement Speech at Lewis and Clark College serves to inspire young scholars to investigate a problem in their community, to determine why the problem is important, and then to develop a plan for one thing...

Middle schoolers examine the sequence of events that led up to the annexation of Texas to the United States. They create a timeline of significant events, analyze primary source letters from this time period, and write a letter from the...

Responsible decision making relies on the ability to a recognize, analyze, and evaluate claims. The worksheets and activities in this 32-page packet teach learners how to distinguish among opinions, reasoned arguments, facts, and logical...

Living independently is about more than managing money. Learn how to manage time, balance responsibilities, and calculate overtime and income with a set of activities about life management skills.

US Commanding General William S. Rosecrans led the Union soldiers and Confederate Commanding General Braxton Bragg led the rebel army at the Battle of Stones River. Young historians compare how the leadership styles of these two...

Do history books tell the full story of Helen Keller? The sanitized version of Helen Keller found in most textbooks leaves out her most provocative ideas. She was a socialist, fought for workers' rights, and advocated for the use of...

What makes an event newsworthy, worth a reference in a news magazine or textbook? Who decides? These are questions Marilyn Nelson asks readers of her poem "Making History" to consider. To begin, class members list details they notice in...

Students stop action and determine how history may have been altered. In this historical perspectives lesson, students consider how the Cherokee Removal, the Transcontinental Railroad, the Immigration Act of 1924, and the dropping of the...

Seventh graders interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this American reformers instructional activity, 7th graders research the accomplishments of selected reformers. Students then use the...

Students consider the influence of the Greeks on American architecture. In this American Greek Revival architecture lesson, students identify the attributes of architectural style as they compare the Parthenon with the Lincoln Memorial....