Was nonviolent resistance the best means of securing civil rights for black Americans in the 1960s? In this highly engaging and informative lesson, your young historians will closely analyze several key documents from the civil rights...

Students study black history, examine portraits and portrait making and create their own portraits, and  investigate their natural environment. This humanities lesson plan provides a text that can be used to teach lessons in black...

Imagine a war being fought to free slaves, with slaves on the front line. Scholars use primary documents, videos, and research in the second installment of a three-part series to guide their analysis of the first African-Americans on the...

This is a fantastic resource designed for learners to envision what it was like for the three million African-Americans who migrated to urban industrial centers of the northern United States between 1910 and 1940. After reading a...

Young historians envision what life was like for African Americans living in the Jim Crow South through hands-on, experiential activities. 

Students examine the role of John and Mary Jones in the abolitionist movement. Using primary source documents, they discover the importance of an oral history and take notes on the Jones' role. They write a summary of the data to...

Finding good primary source materials to support any study of history can be a challenge and time-consuming. A set of 11 primary source letters, images, and text excerpts provide young historians with an opportunity to sharpen their...

High schoolers research the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, as well as other primary source documents, to determine Reconstruction's impact on the North and South. The 34-page inquiry-based lesson includes a staging question and...

Students explore Aboriginal culture by participating in an art activity. In this First Nation history lesson, students utilize the Internet to research images and designs from Native American culture. Students create images on quilting...

Learners research African-American mathematicians.  For this middle school mathematics lesson, students celebrate Black History by conducting Internet research on an African-American, mathematicians or scientist.  Learners...

Students read Patricia Polacco's Mrs. Katz and Tush before comparing Jewish heritage with Black history using a Venn Diagram. They complete the diagram either as a whole group or in a small group setting. Next, they sample the Jewish...

Good primary resources, offering different perspectives on important issues and events, are hard to find. A packet of 12 primary source images, videos, audio recordings, records, and newspaper articles related to the 1960s civil rights...

Fourth graders discover the history of the Utah Mountain Men and utilize their math skills simultaneously. In this cross-curricular history and measurement lesson, 4th graders read about the Utah Mountain Men and the challenges they...

Middle schoolers examine the role of John Jones and his fight to repeal the Black Laws of Illinois. Using the text of the law, they explore his reasoning for repealing the laws and the arguments he used to support his beliefs. They draw...

Learners use the text of the Illinois Black Codes to examine the laws in place. Using this information, they draw their own conclusions about why the laws existed in a free state. They also identify the purpose of these laws and how they...

I have a dream ... that all pupils will be able to organize a march of their own after learning about how Bayard Rustin organized the 1963 March on Washington for civil rights. Young reformers work collaboratively examining informational...

A set of 14 primary sources provides background for a study of Lorraine Hansberry's drama, A Raisin in the Sun. Featured are images from stage productions of the play, white supremacy protests, a clip from a television interview, and...

Students examine the effects of the Black Death in the 14th century. Using the internet, they research the disease and its symptoms along with how communities were affected. In pairs, they read an article and answer comprehension...

Students explore African American history by researching the Jim Crow laws. In this Civil Rights lesson, students define the Jim Crow laws, the reasons they were put into place, and how they were ultimately defeated. Students write a...

Students examine the contributions of African Americans in New Haven, Connecticut in the 19th and 20th centuries. After being introduced to new vocabulary, they review the elements of autobiographies and read excerpts of African...

Young scholars examine the role of water in Alabama's history. They discover the geographical regions of the state and how dams change Alabama's rivers.

Introduce your class to "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe with this series of activities, exercises, and worksheets. Class members examine an image, analyze a movie trailer, read a prose version of the poem, look up vocabulary, and pick out...

Seventh graders examine how the different layers of rock show the history of the Earths surface.  In this rock lesson plan students divide into groups and complete an activity using clay.

Who was Bayard Rustin? Pupils analyze a series of primary source documents to learn about this important figure in the civil rights movement. The activity contains a short film to watch along with guiding questions and other resources...