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Rome: City And Empire
Learners explore the concept of municipal planning. In this community organization instructional activity, students research planned communities and then compare them to ancient Rome's organization. Learners then plan their own...
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Prime Politics
Learners read Gandhi Says She 'Must Humbly Decline' to be India's Premier from The New York Times and discuss Sonia Ghandi's electoral victory and her response. Students then break into groups and research the past 50 years of India's...
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High Profiles
Young scholars research and write newspaper articles about current world leaders, using a New York Times International article as a model. They research a current world leader's personal background and political history.
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My Way or the Highway
Students read "Saudis Uneasily Balance Desires for Change and Stability" from The New York Times and discuss Saudi Arabia as it considers a change from monarchy to democracy. Students work in groups to research and create timelines on...
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Where Were You?
Students examine various New York Times readers' reflections on the life and death of President John F. Kennedy, by reading and discussing "Readers Reflect on President John F. Kennedy." Students then write their own personal...
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Stateside Slavery
Students read "Slavery's Past, Paved Over or Forgotten" from The New York Times and discuss as a class. This activity is the introduction for researching a topic on the history of slavery in the U.S. Student groups present their...
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Global Intelligence
Young scholars discuss the war in Afghanistan and the conditions surrounding the hunt for Osama bin Laden after reading the article "Bin Laden and Omar: Far Harder to Find" from The New York Times. After the class discussion, students...
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Cuba On My Mind
Young scholars explore the Cuban society, politics, culture, and economy. As a class, they take a look at the Bush administrations policy on Cuba after reading "Embargo Remains Until Cuba Alters Policy, Bush Says" from The New York...
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The Immigrant Experience In America
Learners study immigration, Ellis Island, and tenement life from 1890 to 1924. Each student create an identity of an immigrant and write an essay in the first person. Essays describe what they found when they arrived in New York City.
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Gateway to America
Fifth graders study about immigration, Ellis Island, and tenement life from 1890 to 1924. They create an identity of a fictitious immigrant and describe what they find when they arrive in New York.
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What Building Used to Be There?
Students examine how their city has changed and examine building preservation. In this building preservation lesson plan, students listen to a reading of Virginia Lee Burton's, The Little House, before making a time line of how their own...
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Women in History: Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis
In this women in history worksheet, young scholars read a biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Students then answer 6 multiple choice questions and 1 essay question about the passage.
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St. Patrick's Day -- History and Traditions
In this St. Patrick's Day worksheet, students answer questions about the history and traditions of the holiday. Students complete sentences about the history and traditions and a word search.
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Mexico: Introduction to History and Literature
Students study the geography of Mexico (i.e. major cities, surrounding countries and bodies of water, mountain ranges, rivers, volcanoes), They take turns reading aloud information provided (xerox copies) about Mexico. After each...
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For Whom the Clock Strikes
How do the citizens of Polyglot celebrate New Year's Eve? Middle and high schoolers read about the history of the dropping ball on New Year's Eve, as well as the other holidays traditions that have gone by the wayside, before designing a...
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Local Pride in a Guide
Students examine the distinctive cultural and historical attributes of Boston and Philadelphia. They research the history, geography and culture of their town or city to create a booklet.
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The Dawn of Humanity
Students investigate recent archaeological challenges to theories of human origins. They research the history and geography of various African regions to create proposals for future excavations.
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Right About Now… and Then
Students discuss significant figures in music history and read an article about the Smithsonian's Hip-Hop exhibit. In groups, they develop and curate an exhibition of hip-hop music and history using artifacts that represent relevant...
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Poets of Christmas Past
Students consider the meanings of Christmas by reading an op-ed. As a class, they then create a sequel to the poem "A Visit from Saint Nicholas," in which "Mamma" tells a story about the history of Christmas.
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Winslow Homer and Water Colors
Students investigate water color paintings. In this art history lesson, students discover Winslow Homer and his art work by reading an article. Students solve a word search based on the article.
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A Short History of Natural Gas
In this energy source worksheet, 3rd graders read a short passage about the history of natural gas. Students must then answer several multiple choice questions about the passage.
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Recurring Nightmares
Does history really repeat itself? Encourage your middle and high schoolers to answer this age-old question by reading the attached articles on the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the Iraq Crisis of 2002. How similar or different are...
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Straight to the Source
Research famous figures from history through the primary sources they created! Explore how these types of documents can enrich our study of the past with your middle and high school learners. They create picture books to illustrate...
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The Rigors of Learning a New Language
Students examine the experiences of a Peace Corps volunteer learning to speak Chinese. They read and discuss an essay written by the Peace Corps volunteer, analyze a map of China, and discuss the author's difficulties in learning the...