Fifth graders practice creative writing  by describing events from the Colonial era.  In this U.S. History lesson, 5th graders identify King George III and George Washington, the roles they played, and the differences between...

Students examine American Indian artifacts through historical, cultural and artistic lenses. They explore the philosophy behind the Smithsonian Institute's new museum to honor American Indian history and traditions.

Fifth graders evaluate David Bushnell's 1776 American Turtle. In this history activity students analyze and make predictions about the first submarine invented by David Bushnell after view pictures. They compare the drawing with an...

Eighth graders investigate the history of the United States by researching Jamestown. In this archaeological instructional activity, 8th graders attend a field trip to historical Jamestown in Virgina to discover key figures that formed...

Students view the reverse side of state quarters of those states that entered the union before 1812 and make predictions about what the symbols mean to each state. They complete a worksheet during a lecture describing the symbols and use...

Eleventh graders examine the Cold War.  In this American History instructional activity, 11th graders develop answers to comprehension questions about the song "We Didn't Start the Fire".  Students write a persuasive essay at...

High schoolers participate in a history game. In this State of the Union lesson, students follow the provided instructions and use the provided materials to play a Bingo game based in the President's annual address to Congress.

Students perform "Fifty States in Rhyme" with correct posture, correct rhythms, and accurate pitches. They also identify and perform such musical terms as tone color, tempo, dynamics, phrases, and accents. Emphasis is placed on the...

Eleventh graders explore the influence of religion on U.S. History. Using an internet database website, they research the religious affiliation of governors, Presidents and Vice-Presidents. Students write a paragraph explaining how...

Seventh graders explore the Latino Civil Rights Movement. In this civil rights lesson plan, 7th graders discover the role of the League of United Latin Citizens (LULAC) as well as the women's arm of the organization and write essays that...

Ninth graders examine the major events and significance of the Korean War, including U.S. involvement in the war. In this World History lesson, 9th graders read primary source materials to understand the political, social, emotional...

Students investigate major characters of history that are represented in children's literature. They conduct research using a variety of resources and each character is put into a class book as a presentation. The character includes a...

Students discuss and analyze factors affecting U.S. foreign policy toward Liberia. They role-play various groups during 1900 who were concerned with the relationship between United States and Liberia as a "colony"

Students examine the problem of children being poisoned by lead in the United States. After discussing the uses of lead, they brainstorm a list of ways they can be poisoned by the substance. In groups, they discover how they can stay...

Pupils review the case of the United States V. Gordon Hirabayashi. Students order the events leading up to the Hirabayashi case on a timeline and analyze the final decision, including identifying any alternative outcomes.

Even though American slaves were officially emancipated in 1865, the effects of slavery perpetuated throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Middle and high schoolers learn about the ways that discrimination and the Jim Crow laws...

Tenth graders, after reading two excerpts about contemporary child labor situations, discuss two broad questions in detail along with the industrial boom following the Civil War conditions in the United States. They investigate how the...

The New York Times article “Supreme Court, Split 5-4, Halts Florida Count in Blow to Gore” provides the opening to an assessment of the United States Supreme Court decision in the case of the 2000 presidential election. Assuming the...

Often forgotten and written off as the model minority, Americans with heritage in Asia and the Pacific Islands have played an essential role in American history, including Congress. Budding historians reclaim history by researching the...

Discuss how diseases have impacted human history. Divide your class into groups and assign each group one of the following: tuberculosis, malaria, plague, cholera, smallpox, and AIDS. They read up on, complete a concept map, and present...

Life science learners read a set of six short Discovery Readings that describe historical events in the field of microbiology. For each, they identify clues about when the event occurred and then they try to arrange events in...

Artifacts can be used to study people and events of the past. That's the takeaway from the fifth lesson in a unit study of African Americans who served in Congress. Groups select an artifact associated with a Black Congress Member from...

A civil rights movement lesson designed specifically with the Common Core State Standards in mind, young learners are introduced to the story of Ruby Bridges as the first African American child to attend an all-white elementary...

Five sessions make up a lesson on the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah. After reading and teaching young historians the history of the Jewish holiday, learners explore the celebration through hands-on activities and collaborative...