Curated OER
Who Represents You?
Students investigate Congress and how individuals are represented in this Country. In this government lesson, students complete worksheets research government web sites to determine which senators and congressmen represent them....
Curated OER
Electoral College
Eleventh graders discover how the Electoral College works. In this presidential elections instructional activity, 11th graders compare and contrast the Electoral College and popular vote as they participate in a classroom simulation....
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Introduction to the Food Pyramid
Students review information on the food pyramid, either in printed works or on the Internet, to research healthy eating habits.
Curated OER
Investigative Case: The Nancy Creek Challenge
Students examine a case study of fish kill in Nancy Creek and identify the environmental conditions that favor life in a fresh water ecosystem. They work in small groups to assess the situation and gather resources from various places in...
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Resistor and Resistance
High schoolers explore electrical resistance through various experiments. In this physics lesson, students calculate resistance using a mathematical formula. They explain how colors identify the resistance value of a resistor.
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Supreme Court Shake-Up
Students examine the role of the Supreme Court through an interactive program. They analyze the history of the Court and its members. They finally explore how the Supreme Court works.
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1856-1865: Abolitionists and the Civil War
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this abolition lesson, students watch "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and discuss the philanthropic acts they witnessed in the film. Students also complete an activity that requires them to determine...
Curated OER
The Grapes of Wrath: Scrapbooks and Artifacts
Learners interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary sources. In this Great Depression lesson, students read John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and use ethnographic research processes...
Curated OER
"Jazz is About Freedom": Billie Holiday's Anti-lynching Song Strange Fruit
Working in small teams, learners analyze a variety of primary source materials related to lynching (news articles, letters written to or written by prominent Americans, pamphlets, broadsides, etc.) in order to assess the effectiveness of...
Curated OER
Who Is Sarah Mae Fleming?
Fifth graders learn about two influential women. In this historical figures lesson, 5th graders work in groups to read articles about Rosa Parks and Sarah Fleming and share their findings with the class. Students use a Venn...
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My Very Own Washington Exhibition
Students work as curators. In this George Washington lesson, students research primary and secondary sources in order to create their own exhibitions of the first president. Students may visit selected Web sites in order to create their...
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"Society of Friends" and Society
Students discover the Society of Friends. In this Quakers lesson, students research the Quakers and discuss how their beliefs and works are philanthropic and contribute to core democratic values.
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Philanthropic Movements in the United States To 1900: The Bill of Rights
Students translate the meanings of and draw illustrations depicting the Bill of Rights amendments. They discuss how philanthropy is enabled by the Bill of Rights.
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Wartime and the Bill of Rights: The Korematsu Case
Twelfth graders work together in groups to examine the discrimation Japanese Americans felt after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Using primary source documents, they analyze and discuss the case of Fred Korematsu who was placed in an...
Curated OER
Lawyers, Guns and Meaning
Students examine why they either do or do not have guns in their own household and how guns affect their sense of safety. They explore the controversy surrounding how best to interpret the Second Amendment by reading and discussing the...
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Painting Inside the Lines
Students examine how freedoms of expression and religion are shaped within democracies. They consider reactions to controversial art exhibit in Moscow. They compose reaction papers supporting or refuting a quotation from the article read...
Curated OER
Writing a Newspaper Article
The perfect resource for a beginning journalism teacher or someone designing a journalism unit, this activity prompts students to write a newspaper article. It covers all aspects of the writing process, such as a guided warm-up...
Curated OER
World can't wait, students say
Students create a lesson to present to the rest of the class about current laws, including expressing killing the president as a joke. Students research past events and current laws. Students present to the class using mult-media, oral...
National Constitution Center
Abraham Lincoln's Crossroads
History enthusiasts participate in an interactive website that brings Abraham Lincoln to life as he shares his personal experiences between 1854-1864. Scholars listen and read carefully to form their own opinions and discover if they...
George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens
George Washington: Centerpiece of a Nation
A neat Presidents Day activity, this lesson provides a culminating learning experience for upper elementary aged learners. After analyzing George Washington's, "A Display of the United States of America," your learners will conduct...
Curated OER
Sunrise, Sunset
What locations on Earth get the longest number of hours of daylight in the summer? Hint: It's not the equator! Use real-world sunrise and sunset data to develop trigonometric models that can be used to estimate the number of hours of...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Ellis Island—The “Golden Door” to America
Are you one of the 100 million Americans whose ancestors passed through the doors of Ellis Island? Learn about the historic entry point for immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with an informative reading passage. After...
Brown University
Considering the Role of Values in Public Policy
Strong opinions come from deeply held values. Young citizens explore the values that are most important to them in a class discussion and activity. As they prioritize a list of values cards that include freedom,...
Facing History and Ourselves
Socratic Seminar
New to the socratic seminar format? Check out a resource that not only provides the rationale for the procedure and step-by-step directions, but also provides a list of suggested topics, rules and model statements.