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Folklore in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God
Pupils read Zora Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God and explore her life history as well as novel analysis activities. For this novel analysis lesson, students identify elements in the novel and its overall literary impact. Pupils...
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Elder's Cloud Observations
Students study cloud types and Native language terms for clouds and cloud types. In this cloud types lesson, students listen to a Native American speaker discuss clouds and the words used to describe clouds. Students complete a worksheet...
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To what extent should the Canadian Political and/or Electoral systems be reformed?
Twelfth graders look critically at the government and then take a defend a position on the prospect of reform.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Tales of the Supernatural
Scary stuff! Whether approached as the first horror story or a "serious imaginative exploration of the human condition," Frankenstein continues to engage readers. Here's a packet of activities that uses Mary Shelley's gothic novel to...
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Elders As Resources
High schoolers engage in a lesson that uses discussion groups for communication. The focus of the lesson is upon the respect for authority that should be given to older adults. Students engage in class discussion about the information...
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W.A.R. (Wars Are Real)
Eighth graders research America's involvement in wars and conflicts throughout its history. They are assigned a specific war or conflict and then research basic facts and what society was like in the era of their research. They present...
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Jefferson vs. Franklin: Revolutionary Philosophers
Students cite connections among Franklin's Albany Plan of 1754, his Plan of Confederation of 1775 and the U.S. Constitution and/or the Declaration of Independence. In an essay, they give examples of the philosophical and political...
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Birth of the Cowboy
Young scholars examine how the image of the cowboy changed at the turn of the century. They read about cowboys' shifting reputation at the turn of the century and connect popular perceptions of the cowboy to a trend in popular culture...
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No More Freedom Fries?
Students discuss the May, 2007, French presidental election of pro-American, right-wing candidate Nicholas Sarkozy. They reflect on both the historical and contemporary relationship between France and the United States. Students work...
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Why Were the Japanese Interned During World War II?
Seventh graders analyze sources to determine why Japanese-Americans were placed in internment camps during World War II. They discuss the fact that individual rights are sometimes taken by institutions because of fear and paranoia. They...
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Looking at Portraits: Reading Poe
Students compare the daguerreotype of Edgar Allan Poe by an unknown photographer with Poe's writings in an effort to discover the character of this mysterious author.
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Diplomatic Duties
Tenth graders research and illustrate the diplomatic policies of American presidents, and write letters critiquing the policies of specific presidents. March 17, 2003)
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Flying Off the Threatened Species List
Students research the status of species that have been removed from the Federal Register of endangered and threatened species to help them determine whether or not the American bald eagle should also be removed from the list.
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Communication In U.S. Society; Radio In America
Students see how radio began the modern consumer society, shaped societal views on peoples and cultures and changed family home life forever. Radio shrank the world by bringing far-away places, events, and individuals into peoples living...
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The First Televised War
Students view a film about the role of the media in the Vietnam War. They discuss the risks journalists face when covering a war and how the television changed how people at home saw the war. They answer questions to complete the lesson.
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Approaching the Iraq War
Learners identify the justifications for the war in Iraq as seen from teh American and Middle Eastern perspectives. They research personal, primary and secondary sources to create a constructed poster board perspective. The poster board...
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Abuse of Power
Students process news of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in American custody and explore international laws that dictate the treatment of prisoners during wartime.
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Grunt's Little War
Students view a film about the role of the soldier during the Vietnam War. They discover what it was like to fight a war against a culture so unlike our own. They answer questions to complete the lesson.
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Fort Clatsop: The Corps of Discovery's Winter at Fort Clatsop
Students investigate the Lewis and Clark expedition and how it helped to shape American expansion during its early history. Students reflect upon the period of history and its implications for America.
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Faces of the Bench
Learners use primary source documents to gather information on justices in the Michigan Supreme Court. They write about the thoughts and experiences of the author. They identify and describe each justice briefly.
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Chicago's South Side
Students discover the cultural of Chicago's South Side. In this African American History instructional activity, students examine the migration and contributions of African Americans as they moved into cities of the North. Students will...
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Holding a Wolf by the Ears: Race, Economics, and the Complexity of Thomas Jefferson
Eleventh graders explore the era of slavery when Jefferson was President. In this United States History instructional activity, 11th graders participate in a class discussion that is led by the teacher. A PowerPoint presentation on the...
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Have Minorities Gained Acceptance
Students cite evidence gathered from magazines about how much Blacks are accepted into the mainstream of American life. They support their conclusions by writing an answer to an essay question.
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Create Your Own Constitution
Eighth graders explore the processes, purpose and components of a good and just constitution. They focus on the Constitution of the United States of America. Students discuss the purpose of a constitution and reasons why the Constitution...