From the Standford University Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute,the primary goal of this lesson is to challenge students’ preconceived notions about Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X and the roles they played in the African American Freedom Struggle. While there is certainly much to be learned by examining the different philosophies and tactics of each leader, these two men, who combined their religious leadership with political action, have much more to teach us as we explore how their vision for racial justice developed into a call for social and economic equality and human rights.

This Achieve the Core 7th grade mini-assessment for The Long Night of the Little Boats by Basil Heater includes the text excerpt, quantitative and qualitative analyses of the text, question annotations, and supplemental materials so that students will experience an indepth understanding of the text.

In Mrs. Flowers, an excerpt from the autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the author, Maya Angelou, describes a significant experience with a respected person in her community, Mrs. Flowers, who changes her life. Through their interactions, Maya Angelou learns the power of language (spoken and written) and relationships to transform lives. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this story through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

This resource is a nonfiction, Common Core aligned reading passage with textual analysis questions about main idea, characterization, and supporting details.

This resource is a nonfiction, Common Core aligned reading passage with textual analysis questions about main idea, characterization, and supporting details.

In this unit students practice writing to an essential question, using context clues and root words to determine word meaning, close reading with the aid of a glossary, taking notes with graphic organizers, re-reading to answer text dependent questions; and summarizing.

In this lesson, students will explore the various beliefs and points of view Douglass experienced as he became increasingly aware of the unfairness of his life. Students will need to consider the emotional context of words and how diction (word choice) affects an author’s message.

In this lesson, students will analyze primary resources to explain how the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and the issue of fugitive slaves escalated tensions between the North and the South, and led to the secession of several states and finally to war. Respond to an ECR writing prompt to demonstrate understanding of how the North and the South had different cultures and how these differences eventually drove them apart.

This lesson plan uses graphic organizers to help students create podcasts/ radio broadcasts using a Natural Inquirer article.

A USA Today Education informational article on new American citizenship exam questions with included reources/ worksheets for students.

In this unit, students will begin by building their background knowledge in the area of child mortality and maternal health. They will use this knowledge to participate in a narrative research project, focusing on a case study and country of their choice. Finally, students will use this information to complete a Global Advocacy Project.

This activity features differentiation and scaffolding to help students understand the new social freedoms and new threats to the families of freedmen during Reconstruction. Students work in heterogeneous skill-level groups to analyze several primary sources and prepare to write a paragraph about freedmen's new social freedoms. The activity in the lesson is framed for several consecutive 45-minute lessons, but could be adapted to meet the teacher's needs. The activity features documents from HERB that have been edited for different skill levels; the edited documents are including in the attached PDF "New Liberties and New Threats Worksheet." New York City high school teachers Arthur Everett and Samantha Schoeller created this activity.

Students examine the impact of digital technology on print journalism and develop creative ideas for delivering news

In this lesson, students examine the impact of digital technology on print journalism and develop creative ideas for delivering news

In this lesson, students read local newspapers and interpret the information to report on it.

A USA Today Education informational article on Joe Montana's 16 principles for success with included reources/ worksheets for students.

This lesson, Nonviolent Resistance, focuses on Dr. Martin Luther King's, “The Sword that Heals,” and asks student to listen to interviews with veterans of the freedom struggle as they discuss the role of nonviolent direct action.

In this lesson, students will learn about the lifestyle of the wealthy elite and then expand their view of medieval society by exploring the lives of the peasants, craftsmen, and monks.

While Paul Revere's ride is the most famous event of its kind in American history, other Americans made similar rides during the Revolutionary period. After learning about some less well known but no less colorful rides that occurred in other locations, students gather evidence to support an argument about why at least one of these "other riders" does or does not deserve to be better known.

A nonfiction, Common Core aligned reading passage, this handout contains textual analysis and inference questions along with central idea skills.