The "philosophes" of the Enlightenment Period were a group of free (different) thinkers who offered commentary on societal issues. Often, they were like one of today's social commentators suggesting reforms for the political system. Since the United States during the era of the Revolutionary War was seeking reform of what they considered…

In this lesson, student teams research one of the species of early humans. Teams will create presentations that include information on physical traits, habitat, era, means of survival, culture, and relationship to modern humans. Students are provided with background information, detailed instructions, on-line resources, and reflection questions.…

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,…

In this lesson plan, students are assigned a member of the California Assembly to research and a political faction to represent. Students examine representative bills voted on by the California Assembly to determine if their member's voting record coincides with the views of their political faction. Ultimately, students must decide whether, and…

Orange County (California) students in grades 9 and 10 compete in an annually held series of 10 competitive events measuring academic strengths. These events include tests in grammar and literature, fine arts, mathematics, science, social science, study skills, and a super quiz--a team event held before a large audience. In addition, there are…

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,…

The key way for government to legislate the scientific revolution is to know when science threatens to ethically destroy the fabric of society. The U.S. President has asked you (the student), his senior advisor, to test the waters of this new science and evaluate what stance he needs to take regarding issues like cloning, cryogenics, assisted…

In this 10th grade social studies and language arts interdisciplinary unit, students research and report on historical figures from the turn of the 20th century. Students are required to work in pairs to learn about famous and common individuals, including Andrew Carnegie, Samuel Gompers, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, Theodore Roosevelt, Booker…

A U.S. frontier theme park is opening in your (the student's) home town. The featured adventure rides will be forms of transportation used in the late 1700s to early 1800s to journey west across the Appalachian mountains. Each ride represents an historically accurate time and place. The students need maps identifying where the mode of…

In this grade 5 social studies and language arts interdisciplinary unit, students are required to investigate key battles in the Revolutionary War for independence. Working in groups, students research eight battles to try to determine which was the most important battle leading up to victory for the U.S. colonists. The battles to be investigated…

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…

In this interdisciplinary grade 6 world history and language arts unit, students examine the fall of Rome (Italy). Working in teams to research the causes of Rome's demise, participants develop a theory explaining why Rome fell. The student guide provides detailed instructions on how to complete the activity, a list of resources, and includes…

In this grade 6 interdisciplinary language arts and social studies unit, students are required to assume the role of a team and describe their country's participation in trade along the Silk Road. Countries represented in the unit include Egypt, Italy, Iraq, India, Israel, and China. The team is asked to create a display showing artifacts, journal…