Curated OER
Rights of the Accused: To Be Confronted with the Witnesses Against Him
Students take on the role of Supreme Court Justices, after reading summary of a case and the arguments for and against a defendant's appeal. They make a decision, write majority and minority opinions, and report their decision.
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Friday Forum
Middle schoolers research a variety of controversial articles to gain knowledge. They form an opinion and defend their position with supporting data. They evaluate opposing arguments and present their viewpoint both verbally and in the...
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Creating a Consumer-Awareness Information Campaign
Students work across grade levels to research and design a community awareness campaign on the benefits of purchasing fair trade chocolate. They develop print advertisements, conduct research, write letters, make posters and prepare oral...
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Choices and Commitments: The Soldiers at Gettysburg
Students describe the Gettysburg Campaign and the major actions of the armies during each day of the battle. They analyze the motives, actions, and experiences of several participants in the battle and evaluate the Gettysburg Address.
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Executive Decisions
Young scholars explore the role of judges in Britain. For this current events lesson, students visit selected websites to discover the responsibilities of judges and the justice reform in Britain.
ProCon
Net Neutrality
Should net neutrality be restored? Scholars prepare for a class debate on the topic using the included website. After reading a brief introduction to the issue, they review the main pros and cons in an attempt to arrive at an informed...
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California Missions
Fourth graders use what they already have gathered on California missions to create a database. Using the different missions, they brainstorm, organize and categorize what they have gathered. They present their material to the class and...
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Friday Forum
Students research controversial issues and formulate their own opinion. They defend their position with supporting data and evaluate arguments from opposing viewpoints. They present their stand both verbally and in the written form.
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The Sunflower
Twelfth graders analyze the ethical and moral decisions made by people during the Holocaust. They role play a situation placing them in an ethical delima. They must make a choice and defend it to their peers. Readings and test...
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Theories of Crime and Punishment
Students examine goals of two major theories of punishment, Utilitarian Theory and Retributive Theory, develop opinions about ethics and effectiveness of both theories, define legal duties of prosecutors and public defenders, and discuss...
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Image Conscious
Students take a stand on the concept of changing their appearance. In this changing of ones image instructional activity, students create a design that would change their image and discuss the age they think they should be to make that...
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At the Heights of Conflict
Students examine the historic and present conflict between Israel and Syria over the Golan Heights. In groups students present the class with information on the Golan Heights. They write an essay defending his or her view on the future...
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Students as Consumers: The Relationships Between Communities
Students survey the clothing they are wearing to determine where it was made. They work in groups to locate the countries where the clothing was manufactured, develop questions about what makes a good purchase and work with a buddy class...
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Maps with a "Spin"
Students, in groups, research and map the effects of a proposed airport three miles outside of town. They prepare a presentation based on a set of maps they make and explains its different points of view from the viewpoints of the town...
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Teaching about the First Amendment
Students defend the Constitution against a group of Senators who decide that all media must be approved by the government, all Americans must take a loyalty oath, join an official U.S. religion and subscribe to approved clubs.
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Government Lesson Plan: Lesson Plan 9
Young scholars examine and compare/contrast the steps of criminal and civil cases. They define key vocabulary terms, develop an outline of a criminal and civil trial, and analyze the differences in standards of proof in legal cases.
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Defending Political Positions
Students read an article on a major issue and identify the position of the author. Individually, they use the article to support the author's position and critique it. They develop their own argument in support or against the author...
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Heritage: Seeking Land or Gold
Middle schoolers write a persuasive letter home defending their decision either to settle in Utah and farm the land, or to go on to California to seek gold. They analyze a problem, make a decision, and write a letter defending their choice.
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Why is Sacagawea on the Golden Dollar?
Students research the decision to place the image of Sacagawea on the Golden Dollar, then write persuasive essays either defending or opposing this decision.
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Comparing Democracy and Republic
Middle schoolers use a graphic organizer, a T-chart, to contrast two types of government. They list facts about the two governments, and explain and defend their choice of facts to include.
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Legal Aspects Of Fetal Tissue Transportation
Young scholars investigate the current legal status of fetal tissue transplantation. Students engage in a role play discussion of a specific case study. Young scholars explore the ethical controversies surrounding this procedure....
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20th Century II: The 1940's - The War
Students watch the movie The Tuskegee Airmen. Write a one page typed paper that describes the obstacles the African-American servicemen, particularly these aviators, had to over come to defend their country. They use specific scenes from...
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Houghton Mifflin Social Studies/Chapter 13, Lesson 1 The Past Shapes the Future (pp. 292-295)
Fourth graders reflect upon the events of the past in order to make cognitive connections to present or future history. Students use Blooms Taxonomy to attain higher levels of thinking.
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Affirmative Action Debate
Students recognize that there are class and school activities that can cause for their exclusion. They defend and dispute an issue in preparing for a debate and determine how a survey can tell you how other classes fell about issues.