Lesson Plans

Lesson plan: The State of the Union Address

The goals of this NewsHour lesson are to teach students about the history and purpose of the State of the Union and how to evaluate the speech. Continue reading →
Lesson plan: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech as visual text

Students will examine why Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech was a defining moment in the Civil Rights Movement and explain their analysis through a visual drawing or illustration. Continue reading →
Lesson Plan: Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech as a work of literature

Students will study Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and discuss the literary influences on King’s speech. Continue reading →
Lesson plan: What 2018 news stories mattered most to your students?

For a fun end-of-year activity, students will create an online magazine of their top 10 news stories from 2018 to share with classmates and family members. Continue reading →
Lesson Plan: Girl coders crack glass ceiling | STEM Student Reporting Labs

In this lesson, students will learn about the engineering design process and use it to address the gender gap in STEM. Continue reading →

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At George Washington’s Mount Vernon, remembering the enslaved people who built America

Presidents Day is observed on George Washington’s birthday, Feb. 18th. In this NewsHour lesson plan, a tour guide at Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, who is also a distant relation of an enslaved person at the Virginia estate, offers his perspective about American history, slavery and the founding fathers. Continue reading →

African American African American history American History Black History Month enslaved people founders founding fathers George Washington Government Kenneth C. Davis mount vernon Mt. Vernon Presidents Day Quander family slavery Social Issues Social Studies SRL student reporting labs U.S. history Washington's Birthday
Revealing the painful last moments of George Washington

A series of historical documents sheds light on the final moments of George Washington, whose cause of death has been a mystery for hundreds of years. Continue reading →

American History founders founding fathers George Washington Government & Civics history Howard Merkel lesson plan medicine mount vernon Presidents Day Science Social Studies STEM U.S. history united states history Washington's Birthday
20 pertinent classroom resources for Black History Month

Bayard Rustin, seen here in 1964 surrounded by young people before a demonstration, was a…

Black History Month civil rights Civil Rights Movement history lesson plans March on Washington race Selma Social Issues Social Studies U.S. history
How students feel about new school security measures since Parkland

DOWNLOAD VIDEO Directions: Read the summary, watch the video and answer the discussion questions. You may…

Government & Civics gun control gun reform Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Media Literacy news literacy parkland pbs newshour school safety school security Social Issues Social Studies SRL student reporting labs Student Voice youth journalism youth media
How teens want to solve America’s school shooting problem

One thing all students agreed on: change is possible and action must be taken. Continue reading →

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