Speak Truth to Power
Dalai Lama: Free Expression and Religion
How is religious freedom connected to the conflict between China and Tibet? After reading an online passage of background information, your learners will divide into groups and both read and view an interview with the Dalai Lama. They...
Curated OER
When Is It O.K. to Replace Human Limbs With Technology?
Today's blog topic is robotic limb replacement for amputees. Upper graders read the related article and argument, then compose a blog response that addresses the questions provided. This is a great way to get kids thinking about ethics,...
Curated OER
Wages, Earning Power, Profit, and Responsibility: International Lessons
Learners participate in an interactive activity to determine where their clothers were made. They examine the lives of children from Latin America who harvest crops in the fields or manufacture apparel in factories.
Curated OER
The Human Form, Egyptian Style
Students analyze traditional ancient Egyptian depictions of the human body.
Curated OER
The Human Graph
Students produce a graph of favorite colors. In this graphing lesson, students create a human graph based on their favorite color then the teacher transfers the data to a bar graph. Students compare the lines on the graph before...
Curated OER
A Clone of Your Own: The Legal Issues and the Future of Genetic Engineering on Humans
Twelfth graders define cloning in their own words and examine the different types of cloning. After reading an article, they summarize it in their own words and use the internet to research the history of cloning. In groups, they...
Curated OER
Born Equal
Students work in small groups to list advantages and disadvantages of being a woman. The focus of the lesson plan is upon discrimination. Working in a group provides scaffolding to help learners who are disadvantaged for any reason.
Curated OER
Mary Eliza Church Terrell -- Civil Rights Leader
Students examine writings of Mary Eliza Church Terrell. They role play themselves as an African American woman in the 19th century. They describe her actions and how they benefited minorities.
Curated OER
How to Be a Good Citizen
In this citizenship learning exercise, students learn about what it means to be a good citizen. They then answer the 20 questions on the learning exercise. The answers are on the last page.
Curated OER
The Struggle Against Segregation
Students use vocabulary related to the history of segregation in the United States. They study about the history of segregation in America and recognize the challenges and prejudice that many African Americans faced in the 1950s....
Curated OER
Using Data to Determine the Location of the Stiffest Opposition to School Desegregation in the 1970's
Students analyze historical data. In this school desegregation lesson, students make predictions about opposition to desegregation, examine the provided desegregation data, and determine if their predictions were correct.
Curated OER
Why Can't I Vote?
Fourth graders take an unannounced test (failure is expected) and the top scores are rewarded with candy bars. They compare this test to the literacy tests given before 1960 and votes to candybars. They journal their responses.
Curated OER
Safety Up in the Air
Students explore the controversy over a bill giving pilots the option to become armed federal law enforcement officers. They brainstorm other possible security measures for airplanes and airports.
Curated OER
Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits: Grades 3-5
Young scholars explore the contributions of African Americans of the 20th century. In this African American history lesson, students examine portraits of Muhammad Ali, Romare Bearden, Lorraine Hansberry, Judith Jamison, and Leontyne...
Curated OER
The Man, The Dream
Students discuss how one person's life can affect a community . In this Martin Luther King Jr. lesson, students read about Dr. King's life and contributions. They formulate ideas about how they can meet the needs of their own community.
Curated OER
Valuable Lessons
Students explore how immigration, citizenship, due process of law, and the freedoms of speech and assembly have shaped American values throughout American history
Curated OER
Rosa Parks Refused to Do What?
First graders listen to two books about Rosa Parks. They contribute factual information for a web. They listen to an interview with Rosa Parks on the internet, adding more information to the web. They write and illustrate a book using...
Curated OER
Comparing/Contrasting Northern Life to Southern Life
Students compare and contrast the lives of African Americans who moved North vs. those who stayed in the South during the era of Jim Crow Laws.
Science Friday
Wind Power
Blow away the competition with a lesson about wind power and turbines. Groups build windmills to test how the size of blades affect the amount of work done. The scholars build a variety of blades and collect data on how each type...
Teach Engineering
Bouncing Balls
How high will it bounce? Groups determine the height different balls bounce off of different surfaces. By performing the necessary calculations, they determine the initial and final momentum of the balls. The included worksheet provides...
School Improvement in Maryland
Political Systems: Advantages and Disadvantages
Every political system has advantages and disadvantages. To gain an understanding of these differences, groups investigate the political system of another country—oligarchy, monarchy, dictatorship, parliamentary—and prepare a...
Advocates for Human Rights
The Rights of Migrants in the United States Lesson Plan: Fleeing for Your Life
A role-playing scenario has middle-schoolers imagining that they are refugees forced to flee their community and integrate into a new one. Then, some play the roles of members of the new community and the class brainstorms ideas about...
Virginia Department of Education
Genetic Variation and Mutations
Young scientists demonstrate their creativity while completing several activities, to assess genetic variations and mutations. Instructors provide a list of options and scientists choose to write a comic strip, create a book, construct a...
Messenger Education
Star Power! Discovering the Power of Sunlight
It takes less than 10 minutes for energy from the sun to travel 90 million miles to Earth! In the first installment in a series of four, groups measure the amount of solar radiation that reaches Earth. They then discuss how this is...