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Lesson Plan
Literacy Design Collaborative

A Pale Blue Dot: That's Here. That's Home. That's Us.

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
21st-century learners live in such a visual world that many are unused to letting their minds imagine the picture that words create. An excerpt from Carl Sagan's lecture, "The Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space,"...
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Lesson Plan
Pace University

Grade 6-8 Living Things

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
What characterizes a living thing? Scholars explore the concept during a differentiated instruction unit on living things. They perform lab experiments to determine how animals adapt to stimuli, watch videos and learn about...
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Lesson Plan
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Franklin’s Fair Hand American Journalism

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Scholars know him for his role in the American Revolution, but Ben Franklin was also a journalist and printer. Learners investigate his standards for what was fit to print using primary sources—including writings where Franklin explains...
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Lesson Plan
The New York Times

Evaluating Sources in a ‘Post-Truth’ World: Ideas for Teaching and Learning about Fake News

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
The framers of the United States Constitution felt a free press was so essential to a democracy that they granted the press the protection it needed to hold the powerful to account in the First Amendment. Today, digital natives need to...
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Lesson Plan
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Council for Economic Education

Satisfaction Please! (Part 3)

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Understanding the US government's role proves very important in the American economy, especially for consumers. Scholars learn about how varying government agencies help them when facing an issue. The third and final resource in the...
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Lesson Plan
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Council for Economic Education

Satisfaction Please! (Part 2)

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Simply understanding consumer rights may not help people solve their problems. Understanding who to turn to becomes key in many different scenarios. Teach the value of various organizations that fight for consumer rights through...
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Lesson Plan
Robert Frost Farm

Socratic Seminar Format Overview

For Teachers 4th - 12th Standards
Whether new to the Socratic seminar format or an experienced veteran of the popular discussion technique, you'll find much to like in a five-page, richly detailed packet that not only details the prep necessary, the process, and the...
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Lesson Plan
iCivics

NewsFeed Defenders Extension Pack

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Accuracy, transparency, trustworthiness, and impartiality are four unspoken rules of journalism. Scholars delve deep into the subject by discussing the pros and cons of relying on social media for news. They also play an online game to...
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Lesson Plan
A&E Television

The World Wars

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Contemporaneously known as The Great War, World War I had never seen its match on the global stage—until World War II. An engaging set of resources designed to extend a viewing of the History Channel's The World Wars features discussion...
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Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Observing Human Rights Day

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
How much intervention is appropriate for America to take in cases of human rights violations? Class members ponder a question that has lingered since the birth of America with a series of primary sources that reflect the degree to which...
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Lesson Plan
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Equality and Human Rights Commission

Identity

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Is identity defined by genes, cultural standards, personal feelings, a combination of these, or something else altogether? Scholars learn about the complex topic of identity with a presentation, a game, and with a series of discussions....
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Lesson Plan
Rockefeller Archive Center

Understanding Mass Media News

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
In an age of fake news and photoshopped images, it is vital that 21st century learners development the skills they need to evaluate mass media and assess its validity. A great way to launch such a study is with a carefully crafted lesson...
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Lesson Plan
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California Academy of Science

Optimal and Sustainable: Renewable Energy Revamp

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
More than 100 cities around the world have shifted from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Scholars investigate a city wanting to make this switch, but needs help determining how to make the shift. Groups consider all options,...
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Lesson Plan
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California Academy of Science

Building Better Buses: Transportation Design Challenges

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
Scholars learn about a series of three challenges when they design a bus system for a small town. They determine the bus routes and then figure out the best type of fuel to use before considering the cost of going electric. Learners...
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Lesson Plan
Digital Public Library of America

Teaching Guide: Exploring Little Women

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Louisa May Alcott's Little Women is a literary masterpiece as well as a timestamp of the formative mid-nineteenth century in America. Using a primary source set of photographs, letters, and portraits, readers discuss the ways...
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Lesson Plan
Mascil Project

Molecular Gastronomy - Science in the Kitchen

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Some say cooking is an art—and a science! Scholars scope out the savory subject of molecular gastronomy with a series of related activities. The teacher's guide contains printable worksheets and helpful tips for implementing the lesson.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Ocean Circulation in the North Atlantic

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Swirling and churning, the waters of the North Atlantic play a vital role in Earth's climate! Discover the many factors that produce circulation using a multimedia lesson from PBS's Weather and Climate series for high schoolers. Scholars...
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Lesson Plan
California Department of Education

Evaluating Web Sites

For Teachers 8th Standards
If it's on the Internet, it must be true—right? How can someone tell if a website contains less-than-truthful information? Savvy surfers evaluate sources in the fifth of a six-part college and career readiness instructional activity...
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Lesson Plan
Mascil Project

Sports Physiology and Statistics

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
If I want to build up my heart, where should I start? Science scholars use statistics in a sports physiology setting during an insightful experiment. Groups measure resting and active heart rates and develop a scatter plot that shows the...
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Lesson Plan
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West Virginia Department of Education

Intelligence of Authentic Character - News Coverage and John Brown's Raid

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The resource, a standalone, shows how news coverage of John Brown's Raid began when the event happened and how that reporting shaped perception in West Virginia history. The resource includes interesting anticipatory discussion...
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Lesson Plan
iCivics

Step Two: The News and You

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
With so many news resources, scholars likely feel incredibly confused about what the news means.  Pupils participate in reading activities, fill out graphic charts, answer questions on worksheets, and complete a quick write activity.
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Lesson Plan
Little Kids Rock

The Latin Rhythms of “Despacito”

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
When you hear the first few beats of "Despacito," the unrivaled Latin pop hit of 2017, you can't keep your feet from moving! A music analysis lesson plan examines the intoxicating hit by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee and introduces the...
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Lesson Plan
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Smithsonian Institution

Mobilizing Children

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Scholars find out how the government used propaganda to mobilize children to help in the war effort. Lesson exercises include analyzing a quote from Franklin Roosevelt, viewing propaganda images and posters, and participating in a lively...
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Lesson Plan
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Smithsonian Institution

Women's Role in the War Effort

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Did you know that many women were Confederate spies during the Civil War? The resource focuses particularly on the important role women played for both the Union and Confederacy. It uses exercises such as a discussion, video, analyzing...