New ReviewShould students be paid for doing well in school? That is the question at the heart of an argumentative writing unit that walks writers through the steps of crafting a persuasive essay. The carefully scaffolded scripted plans provide...

Did you realize that Internet access is a basic human right? For those of us fortunate to have online access, it's essential to have media smarts! Discover the five skills to be media savvy during an engaging video. The host discusses...

How well does your class understand the types of media they use every day? Introduce them to the concept of media literacy with the first video in a Crash Course series on media literacy. Viewers discover the definition and types of...

Do we have a civic duty to help people who are less fortunate? A thought-provoking resource challenges learners to think about topics such as relative and abject poverty, social responsibility, and charity versus philanthropy. After...

Should a criminal's punishment match the crime? An argumentative writing plan explores this question as class members investigate a variety of mixed-medium sources by experts in the field, form evidence-based claims, and support them...

How could Beethoven compose such beautiful symphonies if he was deaf? Why do bees pollinate some flowers and skip the others? Teach high schoolers how to research a topic of interest to deepen their knowledge and gain new understanding....

High schoolers investigate the dilemma of a proportional response with a lesson about the history of terrorism and militant extremists in the United States. As they examine memos from the FBI and speeches from Presidents Bush and Obama,...

Teach high schoolers how to write arguments and support them with Martin Luther King Jr's Nobel Prize acceptance speech and Barack Obama's Nobel lecture as models. A language arts unit includes multiple strategies and careful scaffolding...

Help your learners create coherent claims, evidence, reasoning, and counterarguments. A PowerPoint presentation teaches them about the CER model and its role in their own writing. Pre- and post- surveys prompt pupils to identify their...

Are video games sports? Pupils investigate this question as well as various nonfiction selections to learn more about claims and the support that defines them. All of the selections mimic the rigor on state tests and encourage close...

What elements make up a successful argument? A helpful resource describes aspects of an argument such as the claim, evidence, counterargument, and audience. Perfect as an individual assignment for a flipped lesson or collaborative work,...

Is personal safety worth sacrificing privacy? Young citizens investigate the issue by examining the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution and documents published by the Department of Justice, President George Bush, ACLU, Apple, and...

What do a cheetah, Audi commercial, and air have in common? They're all topics of an engaging inquiry-based, hands-on workshop for educators about background knowledge, reading strategies, the CER model, and argumentative writing. The...

You'll C-E-R a difference in classroom achievement after using a helpful instructional activity. Designed for economics, civics, government, and US history classes, participants practice using the CER model to craft arguments about...

Telling young people to just say no can be difficult in a world that inundates them with messages to just say yes. A lesson on media messages encourages teenagers to analyze song lyrics and advertisements that mention drugs and/or...

Have you always wanted to take your science class on an amazing field trip they will never forget? Now you can! Observe the wildlife in an African savanna through trail cameras with a five-part data analysis activity. Learners analyze...

All sources are pretty much the same, right? If this is how your class views the sources they use for writing or research projects, present them with a media literacy lesson on smart source evaluation. Groups examine several articles,...

Fake news is a hot topic right now ... but what is it? Intrepid young investigators track down the facts that separate journalistic mistakes and misinformation through reading, research, and discussion. Part three in a five-activity...

Is it safe to take data at its face value? Pupils use the interactive to evaluate a claim that Virgos are more likely to get into a car crash than others. Individuals determine whether another variable may be at play.

William Shakespeare penned some of the richest and most fascinating works of literature—or did he? Middle schoolers read three brief informative passages and conduct additional research to evaluate the claim that Shakespeare did not...

The benefits of building the Grand Coulee Dam were enormous—as were the drawbacks. Learners read different points of view on the construction of the dam, including the famous Woody Guthrie song and firsthand accounts from nearby...

A study of the history of the Channel Islands, located off the coast of southern California, continues as class members conduct a mock trial to determine which group of stakeholders should have the right to claim the remains of Juan...

Who bears the most responsibility for ensuring that goods are ethically produced? Using evidence drawn from Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science, the unit's central text, and from the...