In this interdisciplinary curriculum unit, students work in groups to examine, role play, and report on how the United States should have responded to England in the War of 1812. Students take on the roles of news reporters to explain and evaluate U.S. policy and are provided with background information, detailed instructions, on-line resources,…

This eighth grade lesson plan asks students to work in groups of four. They must: (1) decide whether to join the Union Army or the Confederate Army; (2) decide under which General they will serve and in which battles they will fight; and (3) once this decision has been made, assign the following roles for team or group members: photographer,…

This eighth grade lesson plan asks students to research and analyze primary source documents about early factory labor (mill workers during the period between 1840-1860) showing their hours of labor, ages of laborers, reasons for working, and working conditions. The lesson plan asks students to read a historical novel about the time,…

Offers strategies for teaching eighth grade Georgia geography in accordance with the Georgia Quality Core Curriculum mandate of 1988. Describes the value of combining teachers from the earth sciences, mathematics, and language arts. Gives an example of team teaching at work, including student activities and answer key. (RW)

In this lesson, students role-play supporting members of the original Lewis and Clark expedition of the Louisiana Territory. Students research the expedition and create journals of their journey. The journals are meant to be historically accurate, and students will include items such as maps, personal written entries, illustrations, and…

In this social studies and language arts interdisciplinary unit for 8th or 11th grade, students are required to take on the persona of a Populist or a Progressive. The unit is designed to create a dialogue between two similar movements in late 19th and early 20th century U.S. history. Students work in small groups to research and present their…