Creating a Bill of Rights isn't easy! Help your scholars experience what the Founding Fathers did by challenging them to write a Bill of Rights. Groups pretend they are a new democratic country and proceed to create that country's Bill...

Ninth graders consider the right of freedom of speech as it is outlined in the U.S. Constitution. They receive background information for the US Supreme Court, the Bill of Rights, and free speech. They discuss a series of actual cases...

Students explore a framework of political and social values to evaluate the validity of any public policy debate, bill, or law. They participate in cooperative learning in terms of the group investigation model.

Being an informed citizen requires distinguishing fact from opinion and understanding persuasion methods. Secondary learners evaluate newspaper editorials. They read opinion pieces, identify the writer's purpose and position on an issue,...

If you plan to utilize the ABC miniseries, "The Path to 9/11" in your classroom, consider incorporating media literacy and research skills. After (or while) learners view the series, they discuss ways information can differ from source...

Through a series of readings and handouts, learners will study the shifts in perception that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall. The history lesson focuses on periods of change in post WWII German history that led to a changed...

Upper elementary and middles schoolers discuss and solve real world applications of math. They use formulas for volume and percents to answer real world questions. In the second part of the lesson, groups write and solve word problems....

Teach vocabulary in this quick game to vocabulary skills game. Divide the class into two groups, give them clues to a particular word, each team has sixty seconds to identify the vocabulary word. Words can be arranges to include...

Students investigate the water wars taking place in East Africa. In this global issues lesson, students watch video clips and read selected articles about the water shortages in East Africa. Students estimate their own average daily...

Help young historians personally engage in the stories of African Americans during the Great Migration! Assessing a migration route map, learners create a migrant character's experience, adding details while studying primary sources. A...

Here is a set of 16 problems in which the associative property of addition must be employed to solve. Tip: Provide concrete objects or manipulatives to aid struggling learners in understanding the concept.

Explore the difference between man-made and natural features in nature with your students. While not an in-depth look at this topic, it would be a way to introduce this communities in your classroom.  

The move West was greatly effected by the first transcontinental railroad. Present your class with well-organized information regarding major causes, players, and effects the railroad had on the face of an expanding America. Note: A...

The focus of this math lesson is representing numbers in different ways. Young mathematicians practice putting numbers into sets, and arriving at answers in new ways. For example, they are asked to, "Show me how to get 7 eyes." A...

The presentation kicks-off with a challenge for upper graders to come up with a peace plan to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict. The causes and effects of the conflict are presented only briefly. Refugees and terrorism are two example...

Kindergartners learn who community helpers are and what contributions they make for the community. They will hear a story outlining various community helpers, their jobs, and tools, create a graphic organizer connecting community...

Bestow background in big business bailouts on your scholars with this political cartoon analysis handout. Two cartoons focus on the General Motors bankruptcy, and its effect on American taxpayers. Background information gives context for...

Introduce the concepts and skills needed to find perimeter. The slide show includes the definition of perimeter, five examples, and a link to an interactive web page.

Kids can consider the types of jobs people did during WWII. They'll look at six different images of people working. They then answer two to three questions to determine what job is being shown. Tip: Have learners pick out evidence from...

You've just found a teaching template ready to use, all you have to do is personalize it to fit your class. It contains five number sequences or patterns for learners to complete, a place for your name, and a "prize." Tip: This template...

Provide the class with the practice they need to become proficient at determining missing angles on a line. This very well made Powerpoint contains 5 problems where a protractor is used to help determine a missing angle on a given...

Meant to be used in connection with the article "In Teacher Ratings, Good Test Scores Are Sometimes Not Good Enough" also available on The New York Times website, this resource provides 12 short-answer writing prompts that ask both basic...

During a series of four activities, class members examine and deconstruct advertising that features famous athletes. They determine target audiences, analyze ads, explore "emotional climate," and role play a meeting between a sports...

Practice basic subtraction and addition with your kindergarten class. The first two sections of the instructional activity feature simple addition and subtraction problems, written in the horizontal format. The last section provides the...