Curated OER
And Justice For All
Students compare three justice systems currently in place in the United States: the civilian criminal justice system, the military criminal justice system (courts-martial) and the secret wartime tribunals that President Bush has proposed...
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Under Construction
Students examine the concept of 'nation building,' focusing on outcomes of U.S. involvement in nation building efforts in Afghanistan, past and present attempts at nation building and how the U.S. should proceed in the war against...
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Public I or Private I
Learners explore the topic of national identity cards in the United States as a starting point in determining what types of information should be publicly accessible to the government and private industry about specific individuals.
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Saving Private Pensions
Students consider the importance of financial security after retirement, examine current problems with pension plans in the private sector, research different retirement options, and create a "How it Works" poster.
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Unionized We Stand
Students compose a statement of basic rights to protect their own health and well-being. They research the history, power and purpose of unions in the United States before creating their own union to promote the interests of students.
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Laser, and Pagers, and Cells - Oh My!
Young scholars explore the use of various new handheld electronic devices in schools, and assess the appropriate use of each. They present research to school administrators for possible use in the development of new school policies.
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It's Just a Game?
Students consider their attitudes toward concrete and abstract violence in the media before developing hypotheses that assess the effect of gender and age on people's attitudes toward such violence and designing a survey to test those...
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Guilty to a Fault
Students consider the moral and legal issues involved in distinguishing a verdict of murder from one of manslaughter (criminally negligent homicide) and write an essay describing the issues involved in the case that was researched.
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Separation of Church and Class?
Students examine the changing socioeconomic status of the evangelical Christian population in the United States. They discuss the relationship between class and religion in American society.
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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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Too Hot to Handle
Students read an online article and research the ten most active volcanoes in the world. They devise an independent public service announcement for evacuating people living near a volcano.
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From America, With Love
Students research the experiences of specific immigrant groups in the United States. Letters are written from imaginary immigrants to relatives in their countries of origin, including historically accurate details.
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Can You Dig It?
Students use a mock archaeological site to dig up artifacts. They read an article about artifacts found in Syria. They develop a list of artifacts that are related to specific sites in the community. They create an exhibition of these...
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Interview With A Psychoanalyst
Students discuss health topics they would like to know more about. They read an article interviewing a psychoanalyst. They resarch any questions they have about a specific scienctist. They write their own newspaper article using...
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Maven Makeover?
Students reflect on the role of prisons and discuss how they believe sentencing should be handed down. After reading an article, they discover the experiences Martha Stewart went through while in prison. In groups, they share their...
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Held Accountable
Students examine and draw conclusions from an excerpt from a slave narrative. They analyze excerpts from two recently discovered slave narratives.
They draw connections among the narrative excerpts and historical texts by investigating...
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Chilling Out
Students determine the breakdown of worldwide energy consumption by various sources. After reading an article, they examine recent research in the area of alternative energy sources. Using the internet, they research the forms of...
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Hey There, Sports Fans!
Students discuss the impact that fans have on a sports team. After reading an article, they identify how Chicago Cubs fans are responding to their loss in the playoffs. With a partner, they develop surveys in which they give to family...
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Children's Accountability for Their Crimes
Students participate in a round-table discussion about the juvenile justice system and investigate the 'age of accountability' debate. They write a persuasive essay supporting or refuting the punishment received by the children discussed...
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Soul Food
Students identify foods that they associate with different cultural groups in which they are members and speculate possible connections between specific foods and the cultures in which they are popular. They also explore the importance...
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Literary Wizardry
Young scholars discuss what they already know about the Harry Potter series. After reading an article, they examine a critic's reaction to the latest book in the series. As a class, they brainstorm what parts of their school day could...
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Public vs. Private
Students watch two commericals from previous presidential elections on the topic of healthcare. After reading an article, they identify the position of the various candidates for the 2008 election. In groups, they brainstorm their own...
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A Life to Remember
Students test and discuss their ability to remember events in their recent and past history and reflect on cases of dissociative fugue and amnesia. They graph and analyze data to look for patterns in the ability to recall a list of...
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Ire Land
Students imagine themselves as 'witnesses' to historical events in different time periods in the Irish conflict. They write 'day in the life' accounts of their 'place' in Irish history.