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Living Legacies

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the contemporary commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., research the positive impact another famous person has had on society and the images that best represent the actions and beliefs of that person.
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Dig Those Descriptions

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students practice writing descriptions by researching various artifacts from ancient Egypt and writing captions for them. They read and discuss the Times article, King Tut, Museum Trailblazer, Begins Encore.
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Two's Company; Is Three a Crowd?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the history of third-party politics in America. They research the impact of one third-party or independent candidate for president and develop a poster and stump speech representing that candidate's motivation for running.
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Do the Right Thing

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students consider the relationship between gang violence and the factors that can contribute to its increase. After researching the issues behind one such factor, students make recommendations that may help reduce gang violence.
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Must Be Something in the Water

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars research water pollution and create a class guide to raise the public's awareness about this issue. They write papers analyzing the effectiveness of the guide after it is read by members of the community.
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Calling Names

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore how language shapes debate by researching the names and tags both advocates and opponents use when discussing a topical issue. For homework, they create name collages and write prose poems.
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Royal Treatment

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students analyze the Nepalese King's response to pro-democracy demonstrations, and examine existing monarchies around the world. They conduct research, read an article, and present information on various modern-day monarchies.
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Case in Point

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars read about and discuss the re-opening of the Emmett Till murder case. They research and write about a famous civil rights trial and create a poster highlighting the importance of the trial.
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Destination Red Planet

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore reasons why people are interested in exploring other planets. After reading an article, they identify developments in the mission to Mars. Using the internet, they research the history of exploring Mars and create a...
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Plasma 101

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the definitions and characteristics of plasma. After reading an article, they analyze new technologies to study plasma. In groups, they create a poster on how the different types of plasma work and write letters to their...
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Star Politics

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss the advantages of a celebrity running for a public office. After reading an article, they examine the results of the California governor recall vote. In groups, they research the aspirations and career of a celebrity...
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Develop An Individual Career Plan

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research, investigate and develop an individual career plan. They analyze all their career options and goals. Each student fine tunes their interviewing and written skills as they prepare to seek certain jobs out in the work force.
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Cut and Paste Biographies

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars explore the influence of African-American artists, writers, and musicians on American culture. After researching different figures in these areas, they create collages representing each person's life and legacy.
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Guidebook

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students create a guidebook page about a plant on the school grounds. In this life and plant science lesson plan, students identify plants around the school, then research the plant and write a narrative about it. Students publish the...
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Science and Technology Timeline

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Young scholars develop a time line of discoveries that have occurred in their lifetime. In this time line lesson plan, students research scientifically or technologically related events of interest to them, write a brief description on a...
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Rainforest Unit

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students investigate the Rainforest. In this Rainforest lesson, students research magazines, journals and the Internet to create a "Save the Rainforest" slogan. Students will record local rainfall amounts and create a graph comparing...
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Historical Context: Discovering a Painting

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers analyze a work of art.  For this historical context lesson, students research the time period in which the art they observed was created.  High schoolers consider differing opinions about a work of art. 
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Land Use and Lawmaking in California

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners design a plan for a housing development in their city. In this house development lesson plan, students observe pictures of land use, research lawmaking, and develop a plan for an environmentally friendly housing development in...
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Reporter's Notebook

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students research the geography and history of a major city in Iraq. They write a journal from the perspective of a war correspondent stationed in that city.
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Olympic Continent

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students read "Team Ethiopia Dazzles in Going the Distance" from The New York Times and discuss the impact these athletes have had on their country. Students work in groups to research different African nations that have participated in...
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A Vacation Expedition: Universal Design and Differentiated Instruction Lesson

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students plan a vacation to either a mountain, deep-sea location, rainforest or to the moon. In this vacation planning instructional activity, students research information about the location of their choice. They watch video clips on...
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The Great Computer Debates

For Teachers 6th - 12th
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.
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Monkey See, Monkey Do

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners consider the influence of bullies and map the social ecosystem of their schools. They create lifelines that compare baboon and human development and write an essay that considers the relationship between psychosocial development...
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Liberty, Equality, Uniformity?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners examine the French draft law to ban religious symbols from public schools. They research "secularist" and "pluralist" positions regarding this ban, debate the topic in class, and draft a position paper on the ban.