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New Frontiers
Learners compare/contrast the expeditions of Dr. Horatio Jackson and Lewis and Clark. They read and discuss journals from both trips, watch segments from the Ken Burns film about Lewis and Clark, conduct Internet research, and complete...
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State of the Planet's Wildlife
Students view and discuss a video about the challenges facing wildlife on the planet Earth. They define key terms, watch the video, and answer discussion questions about the film.
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WWI and Russian Revolution
Students view and discuss footage of Tsar Nicholas II reviewing troops on the Eastern Front in 1916 and examine how different groups would have reacted to this footage of the Tsar. They watch the video and in small groups answer...
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1765 to the Declaration of Independence
Students research philanthropists of the American Revolution. In this philanthropy activity, students watch the video Johnny Tremain and analyze the characters and determine their motives. Students read the Declaration of Independence...
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American Made
Students view the Film American Made and view the experiences of a Sikh family in the Western part of America. In this life in America lesson, students explore the life of Americans who might by looks be thought to be terrorists. ...
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Star Wars: Modernity and the Timelessness of Myth
Students explore myths through the study of multiple texts. Students use James Joyce's "Ulysses," the film "Star Wars," various Greek and Biblical myths to inform a guided discussion of myths and the common themes in these texts.
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Can We Be Both Conservationists and Consumers?
Students explore their role as consumers and conservationists and what roles they play in today's economic climate. They explore resource allocation issues. Students analyze data and draw comparisons between historical and present-day...
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How Has Transportation Changed Since the 1899 Harriman Alaska Expedition?
Students recognize modes of transportation. They research historical data from a variety of primary and secondary sources including the Harriman expedition journals, related web sites, and photographs from the expedition. Students...
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The Blues . Music Education
In this activity students will learn about finding the blues in a variety of musical styles. They will investigate instances of the blues form heard in mainstream pop music, along with exploring the musical styles of two new artists who...
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Fish Stories
Students conduct background research about a Pacific Rim country to develop a premise for a documentary film about the fate of traditional fishing industries in the area.
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Language Arts, Music, Poetry: Blues Style
This lesson focuses on how the blues both operates as poetry and informs the poetry of many prominent African American poets. Students consider the poetic devices and recurring themes in blues lyrics and the significance of the poetry of...
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Art of Cynicism
Students analyze selected pieces of art and infer how they reflect a sense of disillusionment, and/or cynicism in American society in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and Watergate scandal. Then they identify and place cultural attitudes...
Facing History and Ourselves
The Range of Choices
Learners examine crimes against human rights. In this world history instructional activity, students watch a segment of a video about the Armenian Genocide. Learners reflect on the crimes of the Ottoman government in classroom...
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The Japanese Military Build-up
Students evaluate the state of Japan's military and their defense strategy under the current Shinzo Abe administration. They watch the film, 'The Raping of Nanking' and read "The Return of Japanese Militarism: Rising Sun" by Joshua...
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What Makes a Cat a Cat?
Learners investigate the lives of pets by videotaping them. In this animal life lesson, students videotape a cat and other pets using school cameras in a computer lab. Learners review the footage from the cat and other animals and...
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Nature Superfish
Students study the behavior or ocean animals called billfish. In this life science lesson, students create their own documentary about a local animal. They share their videos with the entire school.
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This is America
Students explore world geography by viewing a documentary film in class. In this national parks lesson plan, students view the Ken Burns documentary about the subject and identify the contributions of individuals in support of the parks...
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Who Dirtied The Water/Clean Water: Is It Drinkable?
Students enter the room, receive a film canister that contains materials that be added to the dirty water bell jar. They record on their data table who or what is doing the adding and the actual substance that has been added to the bell...
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Journey
Students complete a variety of enrichment activities that focus on the book, Journey, by Patricia MacLachlan. They create a photo album that shows their own family history.
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Creative Voices of Harlem
Students explore the Harlem Renaissance. In this American history lesson, students examine a poem by Langston Hughes and identify the characteristics of the Harlem Renaissance. Students research and report on a famous Harlem artist.
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Portrait of a Place, Portrait of a Family
Learners act out stories based on lives of famous people from Harlem. In this memoirs lesson, students compare the life of the people in Harlem in 1930 to the people of today. Learners explore how "home" is different for different...
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The Reformation
High schoolers reflect on the specific details surrounding the Reformation. In this World History lesson, students watch the film "Luther," then apply what they learned in their discussion on the Reformation with the film to complete a...
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Debunking the Myth of the American West
Students participate in a close reading. They examine the text closely for implied and hidden meaning, dissect the story to understand the text as a written craft, and discuss significant details and overall meaning of story. They...
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The Cuban Missile Crisis
Students reflect on the events that lead up to the Cuban Missile Crisis in the early 1960s. In this history lesson plan, students explore the conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union revolving around missiles in Cuba,...