What is liberty rhetoric? Examine how people have used it in four different time periods and situations. High schoolers investigate original source documents and compare them with the Declaration of Independence to decide how liberty...

Examine the differences between totalitarianism and democracy in this writing instructional activity. Using the same format and theme from Great Expectations, young writers work in pairs to compose their own short stories. They follow...

Explore primary and secondary sources in this historical analysis lesson. Young researchers define the terms primary source and secondary source. They read a primary source document provided by the teacher and answer questions about...

Tackle Transcendentalist literature with these questions. This resource provides 14 essay questions that cover different works by Thoreau and Emerson. Class members may also access an online quiz on the selection using the link at the...

In this reading comprehension worksheet, students read a text about campaign finance reform. Students fill in the missing words with choices from a word bank.

Middle schoolers perform preliminary research to explore education before public (common) education was in place. They design a public educational system of their own. Students construct a report outlining challenges and solutions for...

Learners take effective notes from a video documentary, create an oral report about an assigned aspect of the video, and express an understanding of the King's six wives' lives.

The prefix, re- is the star of this basic language arts presentation. Learners are introduced to the prefix by reading a variety of words that use it. They discover that it means to do something again. As the PowerPoint goes on, learners...

Students explore why authors choose to use hate words in literature. In this power of words instructional activity, students complete group participation, journal entries, and written assignments to investigate the use of...

High schoolers discover that Dorothea Dix was the first to make the pubic aware of the terrible living conditions of people with mental illness in the 1800's. They evaluate the influence of citizen action on public policy.

Students examine 19th century gender roles. In this gender roles lesson, students read "The Daughter-in-Law" and discuss their impressions of etiquette and gender roles in the 19th century. Students write etiquette guides that address...

What were the early Greek myths? Have elementary young scholars examine the Persian Wars and read various Greek myth in order to identify the cause and the results of the Persian Wars. Myths, activities, simulations, and a unit plan are...

Learners research the Conestoga wagon. In this early transportation lesson, students use primary documents to research how the invention of the Conestoga wagon improved transportation.

Eleventh graders analyze works by John Donne and Thomas Heriot. For this Colonial America lesson, 11th graders examine pieces of literature, documents, and video clips to identify the issues regarding religion in the colonies. Student...

Students examine two advertisements, both of which claimed a 2007 immigration reform bill would provide "amnesty" to illegal immigrants. They research a bill and check the accuracy of advertising claims. Afterward, they write their own,...

Students study the Sioux and their lives in the Black Hills before 1868. They engage in a wide variety of cross-curricular activities which give them a good understanding of the Sioux culture.

Eighth graders explore what life was like for Fort Wayne's "industrial girls." In this industrialization lesson, 8th graders discuss the conditions that the Indiana factory girls worked in as well as their backgrounds. Students also...

Students view the illustrations of family life in the early colonies and make a list of 10 things they see. Then compare those 10 items with your life today. Then read some of the novel "Constance" and write down 8 things that are learned.

Students study Tudor England. In this English history instructional activity, students research bookmarked Internet sources in order to learn about the 6 wives of King Henry VIII and the Reformation.

Analyze the central idea or literary theme found in a series of quotes from the Shakespearean play, Hamlet. For literary analysis, learners paraphrase excerpts from the play and then identify the characters' motivations for their speech.

Students determine how Americans' perception of the geographical features of the West changed following the Lewis and Clark expedition. They analyze historical maps of the West.

Students analyze a primary source document (Jefferson's secret letter to Congress) and identify its objectives through the aid of focus questions. They complete a graphic organizer and write an article summarizing Philadelphia's...

Students, in groups, is choose a research topic from a list imbedded in this plan. They are given two class periods to collect and organize information on their topic and create a PowerPoint presentation to give to the class.

How do transcendentalists believe you must learn about the world? Use this PowerPoint to define transcendentalism and explain reason and intuition. Social, political, and philosophical influences of this time are introduced, and a few...