Caucus 101
Caucus History and Iowa’s “First in the Nation” Status
What is a caucus? Why is Iowa's first? Why did Iowa shift to the caucus format? After researching these basic questions, class members debate the question of whether or not Iowa should maintain its "first in the nation" status for caucuses.
ProCon
Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
Should physician-assisted suicide be legal? Using a debate topics website, pupils prepare to discuss the morality and legality of euthanasia. Scholars discover historical case studies involving assisted suicide, explore state-by-state...
ProCon
Drug Use in Sports
The ancient Greeks used performance enhancing drugs, such as opium juice, when they participated in the original Olympic Games. Pupils research a website with debate topics to decide if athletes' use of such drugs in modern sports is...
ProCon
Minimum Wage
The first ever minimum wage in America was set at 25 cents per hour in 1938 and has been steadily, if slowly, increasing ever since. Using the provided website, pupils decide if the United States should further increase the federal...
Newseum
You Can’t Say That: Right to Know vs. Security Risk
Print or block? That is the question young journalists debate as part of their study of the freedom of the press. Half the class represents the journalists' legal team, and the other half represents the government's legal team. Teams...
Serendip
Golden Rice – Evaluating the Pros and Cons
More than half the world's population eats rice as a daily staple ... imagine if that rice could prevent illness. Scientists genetically engineered rice to include vitamin A for just that purpose. However, room for debate still exists....
ProCon
Daylight Savings Time
An entomologist named Geroge Vernon Hudson is credited with proposing Daylight Saving Time (DST) so he could better study his insects. Using the informative website, scholars read a brief introduction to the topic and then explore the...
ProCon
Illegal Immigration
Should immigrants who illegally reside in the United States be eligible for citizenship? With information about undocumented immigrant population estimates, sanctuary cities, and unaccompanied immigrant children, pupils consider the pros...
ProCon
Milk
Milk: It does a body good ... or does it? Using the provided website, scholars sort through information to answer the question. They review a chart demonstrating lactose intolerance by ethnicity and region, and they also compare the...
Simon & Schuster
Classroom Activities for The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
Three activities comprise an eight-page packet designed to accompany a study of Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage. First, class members investigate the types of recruiting posters used today, analyze the types of appeals used,...
Overcoming Obstacles
Expressing Opinions Constructively
Everyone has opinions. The trick is to learn how to disagree in a way that doesn't cause problems. The activities in the final lesson in the Communication Module focuses on learning how to express opinions constructively. Middle...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Debate: Islam & Democracy
World religion or social studies classes studying Islam may find this debate-based instructional activity useful for exploring Islam and its compatibility with democracy. The final assessment is a five-paragraph persuasive essay. Some...
Curated OER
The Atomic Bomb Debate
Tenth graders play the role of a citizen from Hiroshima or President Truman. Using the internet, they research information to portray their part correctly. They present their position in a debate and examine the same events from various...
Curated OER
Biodiversity Debate - Stream Side Science
Role play community members who are both for and against the construction of a dam. Research the pros and cons and then hold a classroom debate. This activity ideally follows a series of stream studies, links to which are included. Use...
Curated OER
Viewpoint and Persuasive Writing
Practice persuasive writing skills in this thorough lesson plan. After selecting issues and discovering viewpoints, middle schoolers write letters or brochures created to express the individual's perspective. The ideas are presented to...
Ashbrook Center at Ashland University
Federalist - Antifederalist Debates
Who should have the power—individual states or the federal government? Scholars research the arguments of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists during the formation of the United States Constitution. Online resources, including a vast...
DocsTeach
Baseball on the World War I Homefront
Are sports essential to American life? Young historians ponder the question as they examine letters between the owner of the Boston Red Sox and Navy Secretary Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War I. The owner wanted two star players...
Curated OER
Lesson: More Than Meets the Eye
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...
Administrative Office of the US Courts
Engel v. Vitale
"Is school-sponsored prayer in public schools unconstitutional?" That is the question teams debate as they consider the arguments presented to the Supreme Court in Engel v. Vitale. The attorneys study the provided talking points and...
Curated OER
Debating Responsibility
Eighth graders explore the concept of responsibility. In this debating responsibility lesson, 8th graders view scenarios with differing perspectives to debate avoiding or taking responsibility.
Curated OER
Debate: Press Censorship
Students consider the responsibility of the media to present newsworthy items while still protecting national security during times of war. They take sides acting as politicians and newsmen and debate the merits of censorship of the media.
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
Evaluating Media Sources
Just how much influence did television have on the results of the 1960 presidential election? Media critics contend that the results were all about how the two candidates appeared on the screen. Give your young historians a chance to...
Curated OER
Ethics in American Government
Engage 12th graders in a series of activities focused on public trust and ethics in US Government. They view a series of videos, hold a class debate, and compose a short essay. Note: Suggested videos are listed but are not available...
Curated OER
Asking the Questions and Questioning the Answers
What would you ask a presidential candidate if you had the chance? Bring politics to your language arts classroom with this lesson, in which young readers brainstorm questions they would have liked the presidential candidates to answer....
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