Search results

Election time database

After using various methods of researching information, students will create a database and use it to answer questions about the current election. At the conclusion, students will create a poster or Hyperstudio presentation of their findings.

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Computer/Technology Skills and Social Studies)

By Lee Yahnker.

Ecuador: A study of population

In this lesson, students will create population pyramid graphs and analyze photographs to investigate population in Ecuador. Students will draw on this analysis to make predictions about how population issues will affect Ecuador's future. The lesson plan is designed to be adapted to the study of various countries.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6 English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies)

By Eric Eaton.

Mid-1800s reform era group presentations

Students will work in groups to present information on the reforms of the mid 1800's. Topics could include the Unitarians, abolition, women's rights, growth in education, treatment of the mentally ill, temperance, and utopian communities.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Social Studies)

By Angie Panel Holthausen.

Critical literacy

Critical literacy is the ability to read texts in an active, reflective manner in order to better understand power, inequality, and injustice in human relationships. This article outlines the history and theory of critical literacy and details its application in the classroom.

Format: article

By Heather Coffey.

Jigsaw

Jigsaw is a cooperative learning technique that was created with the goals of reducing conflict and enhancing positive educational outcomes. The jigsaw technique helps students realize they are essential components of a whole and encourages cooperation in...

Format: article

By Heather Coffey.

Incorporating oral history into the K–12 curriculum

In Oral history in the classroom, page 3

Oral history techniques for use with students at all levels, from kindergarten through high school.

By Kathryn Walbert.

Reading is for the boys (and girls)!

This WebQuest for teachers looks at the difficult issue of how to get — and keep — boys interested in reading. It guides you through the research, then looks at text selection and pedagogy and helps you find specific strategies for narrowing the adolescent "literacy gap."

Format: article

By Kimberly Bowen.

Children's literature promotes understanding

Bibliotherapy and critical literacy are two ways to use books to help children better understand themselves, others, and the world around them. This article explains both strategies and provides resources for selecting appropriate books.

Format: article

By Melissa Thibault.

The 2004 presidential election in historical context

Historian William E. Leuchtenburg talks about past presidential elections and how the 2004 election fits or defies precedents.

By Kathryn Walbert.

Grooming in 1930s North Carolina

Using primary source materials, this lesson plan provides a glimpse into the lives of girls and women from the 1930s and will give students the opportunity to study what was considered attractive for the time, how the Depression affected grooming practices, and the universal concept of healthful living.

Format: article (grade 8 and 10–12 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

Respecting differences

This guidance and drama unit offers students the opportunity to identify prejudices and understand how certain character traits such as tolerance, respect, and kindness affect their choice of behavior. Since this lesson addresses sensitive issues, teachers should avoid situations that could be hurtful to individuals or groups. This unit can be adapted to almost any age group or ability level.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Development, Guidance, and Theater Arts Education)

By Daryl Walker and Judy Peele.

"For What Is a Mother Responsible?" -- Idealized motherhood vs. the realities of motherhood in antebellum North Carolina

In this lesson for grade 8, students analyze a newspaper article about motherhood from a North Carolina newspaper in 1845 and compare it to descriptions of motherhood from other contemporary sources. Students will also compare these antebellum descriptions to the modern debates over mothers' roles in American society.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Kathryn Walbert.

Resources on the web

Breaking barriers, building bridges: Critical discussion of social issues

Students are challenged to confront and discuss issues of injustice and intolerance by reading a variety of texts, from young adult literature to picture books. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6 English Language Arts)

Provided by: IRA/NCTE

Global Education

Explores the issues that are becoming more and more important in a globalized world. (Learn more)

Format: website/activity

Provided by:

UNICEF Voices of Youth Pages

A website about our world's children and their needs with information on children's rights, gender issues, HIV and AIDS, commercial sexual exploitation, and the media. There are real life stories and photographs of children around the world, and there is a... (Learn more)

Format: website/general

Provided by: UNICEF

The Crisis of the Union

A collection of primary sources about the causes, conduct, and consequences of the Civil War. Find broadsides, cartoon, paintings, and more. (Learn more)

Format: website/general

Provided by: SCETI ath the University of Pennsylvania

TeachUNICEF

This site provides resources to help teachers bring UNICEF and its mission of helping children around the world into the classroom. (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: United States fund for UNICEF

Literature as a catalyst for social action: Breaking barriers, building bridges

In this lesson, picture books challenge students to confront the injustice of social barriers that separate human beings from one another and to examine the role of prejudice and stereotypes in sustaining these barriers. During this lesson, students... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink