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Crime Watch
Students analyze the recent rise of homicides in some American cities, create and share posters, and write reflective essays in the form of letters to community leaders.
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Law School vs. School Laws
Students discuss the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding sexual orientation and restage the debate leading up to the recent decision in Rumsfeld v. FAIR. They write essays evaluating the merits of the decision.
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Iraq In-Depth
Young scholars examine public opinion about the war in Iraq. They read and discuss an article, participate in a poll, analyze statistics, create annotated scales demonstrating their findings, and write a reaction paper.
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Art, Naturally
Students read an online article which examine different works of art. They study how patterns and shapes found in nature influence art. Finally, they create original works of art and write artist's statements.
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A Delicate Balance
Students reflect on racial balance in their own schools, debate merits of policies that seek to create and maintain school racial diversity, and write essays on whether their school should promote racial balance.
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Rudolfo Anaya
Students read and analyze the Rudolfo Anaya novel Bless Me, Ultima. They discuss passages from the book, watch a video, view and analyze a mural of Mexican American artwork, and write a journal response.
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Exhibiting Hope
Learners watch a video clip about the effect of Hurricane Katrina. They examine the challenges that New Orleans still faces a year after the hurricane. They work together in small groups to create a museum exhibit on a topic of interest...
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Finding Political Answers
Students discuss the 2006 midterm elections. They read an article about exit polls. They create a scavenger hunt using articles of the New York Times. They write a paper about the importance of midterm elections.
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Fields of the Future
Students investigate India's technology outsourcing, and examine their own career choices to determine what technology is required in the field. Students dermine how careers have changed over time and speculate future changes, then write...
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The Life of a President
Students examine the life of President Gerald R. Ford. After reading an article, they discuss his legacy. They collect articles written during his time in office and examine the key issues of his presidency. They write an article about...
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Serving Memory
Students read an article about a woman who lost her fiance in Iraq. Reading a letter he left his son, they discuss how his words will affect his son once he is old enough to understand. They research the number of casualties in the war...
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Balance of Power
Students examine the number of women in the United States Senate. After reading an article, they discover Hillary Clinton's possible bid for the presidential nomination for the Democratic party. In groups, they research the lives and...
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Science on the Skids
Students discuss the decline in the sciences in America by comparing statistics and information from the U.s. to other countries. Then they write and deliver a "State of the Sciences" address to their peers.
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Team Works
Students define "group" and list American social and political movements throughout history. They examine one model of a successful team and positive group mentality by reading and identify the traits of a successful group and those of...
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Pardon Me
Students examine the pardon process and the controversy surrounding the Clinton pardons through reading and discussing "Lobbying for Forgiveness." They write a forgiveness letter and create pardon guidelines for President Bush.
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Bugging Out
Students explore how insects behave in their natural habitats and build dioramas to create an Insect World in their classroom. They investigate various insects and the roles they play in the environment. They write creative short...
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"The New Television Set" a Gateway to the Post World War II Era
Eleventh graders demonstrate their knowledge of the effects of television on the political, economic, religious, social, intellectual and artistic life of the US nation from the 1950's. Research how television shaped public opinion with...
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Puttin' On the Hits
Students explore "summer songs." They compose a list of songs that they would put on a summer CD and write an essay that explains the images they would choose for the cover for this CD. They also create collages that represent their...
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Pioneer Perspectives-Diverse Opinions on Westward Migration
Young scholars examine the Westward Migration and expansion of the United States from the perspective of a family migrating westward. They analyze pictures, and in small groups write and present a script based on a photograph,...
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Straight Talk On Tough Issues
Learners engage in a instructional activity that is focused upon the concept of breast cancer and research is conducted using a variety of reference sources. They reflect upon how different people deal with the tragedy of cancer and then...
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Life Processes
Students identify life processes and create their own creature. In this creative science instructional activity, students identify an organism's life processes and categorize them into groups. They then create their own creature and...
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Images of Children in Dorthea Lange's Photographs
Learners research the photographs of Dorthea Lange. In this visual art lesson, students look at photographs of children taken by Lange and answer several questions. They write or tell stories to explain what they think is occurring in...
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The Industrial Revolution
Tenth graders explore the impact of the Industrial Revolution. In this Industrialization lesson, 10th graders take notes on a SMART Board presentation and conduct research on urbanization, enclosure, assembly lines, boarding houses, and...
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People behind the Civil Rights Movement
Students identify the people actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement. In this United States History lesson, students watch the video "Eyes on the Prize" then participate in a class discussion about the video. Students also...