Middle and high schoolers look at historical photos and written materials, and they develop questions which they use to interview an elder in their community. Learners are divided into groups and given sets of historical family photos...

Students identify national origin and population movement across U.S. of ancestors and/or community residents, explain historical development of major local industries, identify local social patterns/economic development as provided by...

Where did the Olympic Summer Games originate? The class takes a look at ancient origins of modern Olympic games. They research the Olympics and write a compare and contrast essay that describes how the Olympic Games have changed since...

Why did Vietnam POWs and their families receive more media attention than POWs in previous wars?  To answer this question, class members view artifacts, read articles, and engage in class discussion. Individuals then assume the...

Students complete activities to explore family folklore. In this folklore instructional activity, students define in writing family folklore, identify aspects of family folklife through discussions of their own traditions. Students...

Ms. Strohfeldt did not omit anything when she designed this comprehensive lesson plan on DNA mutation and sex-linked traits. Begin with a pretest as an anticipatory set. Read a case history of the Clark family and the occurrence of...

Here is a different approach: emerging epidemiologists first go home to interview family on the topic of infectious disease. Then they come to class and view a video and PowerPoint that explore how climate change may increase the...

Students complete an online activity in which they examine fossils to find possible hominid family trees.

Fourth graders examine the history of the tortilla and extend the study across the curriculum. In this history of the tortilla lesson, 4th graders research the background of the tortilla, determine the ingredients, and work with the...

Learners analyze Antigone and its universal issues as well as explore ancient Greece. In this Antigone and Ancient Greece lesson, students read and complete activities for Sophocles' Antigone. Learners reconstruct the experience of a...

Young scholars view a video clip of the experiences of Japanese-Americans during World War II. They read parts of a book in which a child tells her story about living in the internment camps. They participate in a simulation activity as...

Students investigate family organization and create a family unit. They decide the relationships, make ID's, and makes a family tree. They introduce their family units to the others in the class while the teacher takes family pictures....

Eleventh graders consider the impact of immigration on native peoples. In this Canadian history instructional activity, 11th graders watch "Places Not Our Own," and then participate in a classroom simulation that requires them to...

Elementary schoolers look into the very real, and scary, practice of identity theft. They discover the main techniques used by people who steal other people's identity. Learners produce an identity theft tip sheet and share their tips...

Students explore cattle drives. In this United States history and letter writing lesson plan, students write a letter to their family predicting possible problems that were encountered by participants in cattle drives. Students design...

The central video for this lesson is not available through the included resource link. However, the activity that simulates the passing of a virus through a population is impacting and the other resource links are invaluable. Use this...

Students write a first-person narrative from the perspective of a runaway slave, or a historical character of the period, and present their story orally.

Students examine the role of the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana from 1920-1930. They read an informational handout, define key vocabulary terms, conduct an interview with a parent or grandparent, write a family history, and role-play a scenario.

In small groups, teens take on different roles to discuss the qualifications for parenthood. An instruction sheet for group discussion is provided, as well as homework worksheets. Throughout these exercises, young adults take the time to...

Students participate in a simulated student exchange program assigned to live with a Muslin family in Damascus. They create a scrapbook of information from Internet resources about their experience, reflecting daily life, religion and...

Explore philosophy and religion by researching Gandhi. Lead your young students to investigate the life and accomplishments of Mahatma Gandhi by reading the assigned text. Your class will define sustainability and create a sustainable...

The big idea for this lesson is that the past enriches our present and future. Learners explore the origin of the Olympic Games and how one man took an event from the past and reinvented it for modern times. They compare and contrast the...

Where did our beloved Summer Games originate? Kids look for the origins of the Summer Olympics in our ancient past. They research how the Games came to be and how they have changed. They'll complete Venn diagrams to compare and contrast...

Students examine the role of water in ceremonies around the world. In this world history lesson, students explore how other cultures celebrate water. They create a Water Day for younger students to participate in.