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Online and Off the Record
Students evaluate how effectively teen Web sites abide by privacy protections of the studenT Online Privacy Protection Act. They write letters to the Webmasters offering recommendations for improving the privacy and appeal of the sites...
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Stanza Proud
Young scholars examine different decades in American history, finding connections between the historical events and the poetry written during these time periods. They write their own poetry based on current world events.
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Sacred Space
Students consider the two finalists in the contest for architectural designs for the site of the World Trade Center. They create their own designs for a meaningful public space, then critique each other's designs.
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Stately Statements
Students closely read President Bush's State of the Union address, then develop interviews and write articles to assess a variety of points of view about The proposals offered in the speech.
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Know The Code
Students explore how codes of conduct guide our daily lives. After learning about specific codes of conduct, students write articles exploring aspects of different codes and how they affect people in their community.
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Our City, Our Words
Learners write poetry that captures their feelings about their city or town. After presenting their poetry at a class reading students compare their poetry to the work of published poets who have written about the same city.
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The Ad Campaign
Young scholars explore how political candidates use mass media to deliver their messages to voters. Focusing on specific issues in the upcoming election, students create television commercials representing different parties' views.
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Buying the Writes
Students explore the connections between non-fiction and fiction best-seller lists and current events that are shaping readers' lives and choices.
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See You Later, Alligator
Students explore the historical and social significance of animals as cultural symbols in various countries around the world, as well as the impact that humans have made on the population and natural habitats of these animals.
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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.
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A Snapshot Of Fame
Students debate the limits to celebrity privacy and to paparazzi rights after learning about some recent incidents. They imagine how their private lives might change if they became overnight celebrities.
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Dig Those Descriptions
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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High Anxiety
The Learning Network section of the New York Times produces high-quality teaching materials. This issue gets middle or high schoolers reading an article about how people use art to express their response to high-stress events. They work...
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Reviews Revealed
Students discuss the benefits or drawbacks in consulting movie reviews. They analyze movie reviews from The New York Times and create a list of features in effective movie reviews. They write their own movie reviews based on this list.
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Judicial Void
Students explore the impact of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court. They research potential nominees to replace her, in light of her resignation, and write letters to President George W. Bush to share opinions of the...
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Sadness in Srebrenica
Students explore the atrocities committed during the war in Bosnia from 1992 to 1995 that prompted an apology from the international community in 2005.
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Art as Therapy
Students explore how they connect with artwork on an emotional level through writing and the creation of an original piece of art.
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Adding Fuel to the Fire
Students consider global warming and the greenhouse effect, then explore how these issues affect other countries. They graph findings and write papers considering how continued usage can affect the future of the atmosphere and the global...
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State of the "States"
Students consider indicators that mark a country's progress, examine how last year's State of the Union address has affected U.S. foreign policy, research issues deemed important in that speech, and create report cards assessing the...
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(In)fringe Benefits?
Young scholars explore the "Copy Left" movement, then analyze and discuss the key legal issues regarding intellectual property and copyright legislation in the context of global communication and the Internet.
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Red, Undecided, and Blue
Students analyze voter preferences in past elections, and then write letters to a presidential candidate, recommending winning strategies drawn from their research.
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Winning Tickets
Students research background, personal interests, family history, and positions on current issues of the leading presidential and vice presidential candidates. They create unbiased presentations aimed at informing voters about...
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Check the Mates
Students explore John Edwards, the running mate for 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. They research the ways in which vice presidential candidates have impacted presidential elections in modern United States history.
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Hollywood Candidate
Students consider how a political candidate creates a campaign image. They, in groups, create short biographical films promoting various candidates currently running for office in the United States.