The battle over same-sex marriage is a prevalent issue in the United States, and a valuable topic to be discussed in your social studies classroom. Here is a basic outline of introductory questions, focus questions, vocabulary, and media...

There is no more useful life skill to learn than budgeting and setting financial goals. It's math that is used by every person, everyday. Learners examine the responsibilities and costs involved in family economics. Through a series of...

Students research the concept of courtship and marriage as it pertains to early New England and explore the values and culture that shaped our history. In this courtship and marriage lesson plan, students examine primary source documents...

Students examine gays rights issues in the United States. For this gay marriage lesson, students investigate how people have made their cases before the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government to secure their...

Tenth graders explore how trust and truth is important in marriage.

High schoolers examine the relationship between a poem's form and its content in Robert Frost's poem, 'Mending Wall.' They read and analyze the poem, explore websites, listen to an audio clip of Frost reading the poem, and write an...

Students research marriage customs of the Renaissance, discuss and debate the issues raised by Claudio repudiating Hero at the altar in the Shakespearean play Much Ado About Nothing, and then stage a mock trial accusing Claudio of...

Students discuss the roles of men and women in a marriage. In groups, they research a women's rights issue in India or their country. Students create a poster displaying their findings about the issue they researched. They create a...

Students work in pairs as global wedding planners to research and propose authentic wedding ceremonies from various cultures around the world. They reflect on their understanding of marriage, and the ways in which it is informed by...

Students explore relationships. In pairs, they choose a famous ex-couple and research the relationship. Students explore useful language, write interview questions about marriages and divorce. Students highlight any typical problems...

Students compare views of marriage in Macbeth and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.  In this comparative literature  lesson, students discuss and debate the marriages of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare's...

Be sure to click "Download this Activity" to view the plan in its formatted version. The first worksheet has learners review what types of titles are italicized, underlined, or placed in quotation marks. The second page contains the...

Class members watch the clip of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet in which Benvolio persuades Romeo to go with him to the Capulet ball to see Rosaline. Pairs then examine Act 1, scene 3, lines 64–100, and consider how Shakespeare develops...

After viewing Baz Luhrmann’s depiction of Romeo and Juliet's marriage, the class listens to a recording of Act 3, Scene 1, lines 59–110. Then, groups consider how Shakespeare develops Romeo’s character through his interactions with...

Students read Romeo and Juliet and then write an essay from the point of either Lord Capulet or Friar Lawrence persuading someone to adopt their views concerning marriage.

Eighth graders describe the relationship between the visual aspects of "Easter Wings" and the poem's subject, and theorize about the poet George Herbert's motivations in constructing the poem this way. They demonstrate their ability to...

Students explore the controversial topic of same-sex marriages in a fishbowl discussion. They write balanced news articles based on interviews exploring people's opinions on laws that define marriage.

Young scholars read about one cross-class marriage and create scenes to dramatize interactions among the family members and consider how class shapes relationships. They imagine the issues faced by cross-class couples by writing a short...

Readers of Solomon Northup's brutally frank slave narrative Twelve Years a Slave examine passages that support the argument that slavery "undermined and corrupted" the institution of marriage. Background information is...

The transition between rebellion to reunification was not smooth after the Civil War. Young historians compare primary and secondary source documents in a study of the Reconstruction era in Virginia, noting the rights that were not...

Learners identify positive characteristics and behaviors of strong marriage relationships. They identify and compare the strengths of various ethnic families and list the qualities needed to build a strong marriage and family.

Students learn from their elders. In this oral and social histories lesson, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of the America in which their grandparents grew up. Students conduct interviews with elders in...

Eighth graders study the visual aspects of poetry and write a poem using the white space to form a poem into the shape of a plus sign.

How does Judith Shakespeare's marriage arrangement develop the central idea of gender roles? As they continue reading Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own, pupils consider the question. Scholars also complete a Quick Write, examining the...