Frederick Douglass, a freed slave, is asked to give a speech to a group of Americans on the 4th of July. Douglass uses the occasion to eloquently and forcefully address the hypocrisy of a nation celebrating freedom, while enslaving so many. With equal force, he strips bare the arguments for slavery, concluding with a call for radical action to end slavery in America. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this history with text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

After an overview of the events surrounding Paul Revere's famous ride, this lesson challenges students to think about the reasons for that fame. Using both primary and secondhand accounts, students compare the account of Revere's ride in Longfellow's famous poem with actual historical events, in order to answer the question: why does Revere's ride occupy such a prominent place in the American consciousness?

Diane Ackerman describes fall foliage and explains the natural processes that cause the leaves of deciduous trees to turn each year. Along with her observations, she also muses on the significance of the changing of seasons and on life and death. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this story with text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

Unit consisting of four lessons which provide opportunities for students to problem solve, role play and work cooperatively while examining how nations with different economic systems specialize and become interdependent through trade and how government policies allow either free or restricted trade.

In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this document through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.