Middle and high schoolers are walking into a world rife with strong political viewpoints and vocal opinions. Help to prepare them for controversial discussions with a lesson in which they choose, research, and learn more about a...

Students discuss and fill out a worksheet about the controversial cures of people with disabilities in the past. In this disabilities lesson plan, students write about the issues and justification for if they agree or disagree with these...

Students explore controversial current events. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students research selected issues and examine the issues from different perspectives. Students script and record news stories that feature their findings.

Students examine the controversy surrounding evolution --- the challenges to science, the battles over teaching evolution in the schools, and the reconciliation of religion and science. They also examine an interactive time line of...

Students research controversial Internet technology issues concerning security, privacy, and intellectual property. They formulate and present various perspectives on these issues in a mock television panel discussion.

Older learners analyze a controversial painting entitled The Cutting Scene, Mandan O-kee-pa Ceremony 1832. They use the issues raised in the image to construct debate arguments questioning if the artist's painting exploits Native...

Engaging in topical discussions can be a great way to teach kids how to build strong arguments and support their opinions with concrete evidence. High schoolers choose a controversial topic, build an argument for or against that topic,...

Students investigate the statue that memorialized Ramses II. In this world monuments lesson, students research national and local monuments to find out if there are any controversies regarding their construction. Students...

Students examine propaganda and media bias and explore a variety of banned and challenged books. Following this, students choose a side of the censorship issue and support their position by developing an ad campaign about the banned book...

Student act as a research scientists and investigate the development of animal and human cloning. They then report their findings, both orally and visually, to their "colleagues" at a symposium on cloning research. Students explore the...

How are the reactions between American and European consumers different when it comes to genetically modified foods? Use the New York Times article "Consumers in Europe Resist Gene-Altered Foods" to inform your middle schoolers...

Encourage pupils to design an election plan for the entire school. They participate in a Board of Elections, create polling rules, discuss election controversies, write questions about the issues, run the election through an online...

Explore how Galileo's controversial theory raised objections in his time. In this physical science activity, learners research about current controversial issues. They role play both sides of the issue, and decide which one has a...

Students examine the legal side of the teaching of evolution. They study the Scopes Trial and reflect on what it means for a teacher to be denied the right to teach a key scientific concept. In addition, they design their own editorial...

Students complete a survey to explore the popularity of Harry Potter books.  In this literature and controversy lesson, students examine why certain books are controversial or popular. Students write original plays about their...

Students examine provisions of USA PATRIOT Act and controversies that led the ACLU to take legal action against the legislation. They create, conduct, and document results of a survey related to the PATRIOT Act and controversies...

Seventh graders create a multimedia, image only ad campaign on a contemporary controversial issue. They base their public service announcement, Powerpoint presentation, Web page, or video on methods used by Martin Luther during the...

Students analyze writings of famous authors and record their positions on lynching and segregation. They research arguments to explore the attitudes of people in the South and the North during the 19th century.

Students explore multiple perspectives to create a talk show that examines the issues facing chimpanzees. They analyze the gray areas of controversial issues to realize that there can be a wide range of possible positions on a given issue.

As if surviving a journey to America wasn't enough of a feat for early 20th century immigrants, they then needed to settle into American life. Learn about the ways New York public education attempted to meet the needs of its learners,...

In this project-based learning instructional activity, young social scientists investigate Stacey Abrams' campaign to protect the voting rights of people across the nation. Investigators learn how to annotate assigned articles, watch...

Eleventh graders are introduced to the concept of biotechnology. Using the internet, they research the latest developments in this field and the tools used by biotechnologists. They share their information with the class and create a...

Students consider historic events or movements that may be viewed as controversial by different groups of people, and then create proposals supporting the inclusion of specific artifacts to be displayed in related museum exhibit

Twelfth graders identify and analyze examples of rhetorical devices as valid or invalid inferences. In this text analysis activity, 12th graders research a controversial topic in teams and identify rhetorical devices for the topic....