Students choose a mode of expression—e.g., writing, art or storytelling—to share theme-related ideas and feelings with a “buddy” from outside the classroom.

Students create visual artwork combining various images to convey diversity or social justice issues, concerns or themes related to the central text.

Students showcase artwork and nonfiction writing that addresses issues they found in the text. The result is a visual, collaborative and creative representation of student learning and ideas. An alternative to the bulletin board is a community newsletter.

Students create “trading cards” spotlighting diverse community members who work toward social justice goals that connect to themes from the central text.

The National Archives provides primary source sets, educator resources and articles, and printable primary sources analysis sheets. This page on the site outlines how to analyze primary source documents. Document analysis is the first step in working with primary sources. Teach your students to think through primary source documents for contextual understanding and to extract information to make informed judgments.

This lesson helps students understand the concepts of strengths, struggles and what it means to help.

Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History provides elementary lesson plans, student activity sheets and professional development for teachers centered on American History. This unit is focused on the US Constitution.

In this interactive game, students experience the decisions that have to be made by the President of the United States. Ever wanted to be President for a day? In Executive Command, you can be President for four years! Try to accomplish what you set as your agenda while facing the challenges and responsibilities that crop up along the way. Being commander-in-chief and chief executive is no easy job! See how you do!

Students will learn about Alexander Graham Bell and his invention of the telephone, understanding its impact on the U.S. population and the ways that phones have changed over time.

The familiar children’s tune “If You’re Happy and You Know It” can take on a pro-social dimension if you change the lyrics. Singing “If you’re angry and you know it” provides an opportunity to explore appropriate responses to anger.

In this BYU arts integraion lesson plan, students will name and locate the seven continents and five oceans on a map. They will respond to rhythms played on a drum.

In this activity, students will look at historical images to learn about three types of Native American dwellings — teepees, pueblo adobe structures, and hogans. Students will make observations about the types of dwellings in the images. Then students will discuss their observations as a class.

Native Land is an app to help map Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages. The interactive map can be used for looking at indigenous groups, territories, treaties, and languages across time across the world.

In this interactive game, students experience the decisions that have to be made by the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government. People's Pie is a balancing act! You must fund important programs without setting tax rates too high or borrowing too much money. To succeed, you must keep your residents happy and avoid a burdensome national debt. Are you ready for a piece of People’s Pie?

A Short Activity for Second Grade
Question: Why do we celebrate Independence Day?
Note: The "Thinking Through Timelines: Inching Toward Independence" Powerpoint, also available in eMedia, was created to accompany this lesson plan.

A Short Activity for Second Grade
Question: Why do we celebrate Independence Day?
Note: The "Thinking Through Timelines: Inching Toward Independence" lesson plan, also available in eMedia, was created to accompany this PowerPoint.

This lesson explicitly teaches students to be more conscious of other people’s feelings to create a more accepting and respectful school community.

The We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Program promotes civic competence and responsibility among the nation’s upper elementary and secondary students. This webpage provides a description of the program.