Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Death penalty debate

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Learners debate the motion, "the USA is right to have capital punishment." Students begin by researching and writing their arguments to support or oppose the motion. After the debate, learners vote according to their beliefs.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Space Telescope Debate

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate the Hubble and Webb telescopes. In this space telescope activity, students research Internet sites to find out what type of information these telescopes provide. They debate whether it is financially responsible to...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: May Day for Immigration Debate

For Students 8th - 12th
In this current events worksheet, students analyze political cartoons about the immigration debate. Students respond to 3 talking point questions.
Handout
Curated OER

Banned Books

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Should people be able to ban books from schools and libraries if they find them objectionable? Scholars read the three main pros and cons regarding banned books. They also review a list of the top 10 challenged books from 2017 and...
Handout
ProCon

Fighting in Hockey

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
At best, fighting in hockey makes the sport more entertaining; at worst, fighting could lead to death. Pupils read background information about the prevalence of fighting in hockey since the 1917 formation of the National Hockey League....
Handout
ProCon

President Ronald Reagan

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
At 69 years old, Ronald Reagan was the oldest man ever to be elected president in the United States. After reviewing a thorough history of Reagan's presidency, pupils read the main pro and con arguments to determine if he was a good...
Worksheet
Digital History

Slavery and the Slave Trade

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
What would it have been like to have heard the debate on the issue of slavery at the Constitutional Convention of 1787? With this resource, you are given the opportunity to read through a reconstruction of speeches on the topic with your...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Federal Policy and Immigration

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How is federal policy established? To gain insight into this complex and often messy process, class members read an article that uses information on attempts to establish public policy in immigration to illustrate the role proposed...
Handout
Curated OER

College Education

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
What do Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have in common? They're both billionaires, and neither one has a college degree! Using the website, scholars explore whether having a college education is truly worth the money it costs. They read...
Handout
Curated OER

Corporate Tax Rate and Jobs

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Does lowering the corporate tax rate help create jobs in the United States? Learners explore the top pro and con arguments and quotes relating to the issue. They read background information about the creation of the federal corporate...
Handout
ProCon

Voting Machines

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Does technology always mean advancement? Scholars take a close look at the use of voting machines. Does using a machine make voting more effective? Readers consider the advantages and disadvantages of the current voting process. They...
Lesson Plan
1
1
National Endowment for the Humanities

James Madison: Raising an Army—Balancing the States and the Federal Government

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
To war! To war! Every nation in the history of the world has had to deal with warfare on some level. Scholars go through a series of activities and discussions surrounding the development of the Constitution to help them better...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Environmental Justice in Chester, PA

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Over several days, learners communicate and defend an argument regarding environmental justice issues in Chester, PA. After discussing the issue and viewing a video about the location of several toxic waste facilities in Chester, they...
Unit Plan
1
1
Simon & Schuster

Curriculum Guide: The Scarlet Letter

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
The Scarlet Letter may be a classic, but keeping high schoolers engaged in the reading of Hawthorne's vocabulary, syntax, imagery, and historical references presents it own set of challenges. Here's a guide that offers readers...
Unit Plan
1
1
Advocates for Human Rights

The Rights of Women in the United States

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Six diverse activities make up a substantial unit on the women's rights movement in the United States, past and present. A few of the topics at hand: the fourteenth and nineteenth amendments, the Equal Pay Act, the Lily Ledbetter Act,...
Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: The Pacific 1939-45 – Japan and the Atom Bomb

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Though the scientists who developed the atom bomb did not believe it should be used to end World War II, American President Harry S. Truman and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill were of like mind in their decision to drop the bomb...
Interactive
DocsTeach

The Civil War: Celebrate or Commemorate? Debate Definitions

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Match game for the win! Build learners' historical vocabulary using an interactive matching game. Class members match each term to its definition with a tap. A writing prompt rounds out the lesson, leading to further discussion on how...
Unit Plan
Simon & Schuster

Classroom Activities for Walden and Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
An 11-page packet contains three activities designed for readers of Henry David Thoreau's Walden and Civil Disobedience. In one exercise, groups debate whether Thoreau would today be considered liberal or conservative. For another,...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Debating Monuments, Memorials and Statues

For Teachers 4th - 6th
An illustrative activity explores images of monuments, statues, and memorials in the US to decide whether they should be kept or removed. Scholars place images in a keep or remove pile, then complete a worksheet online. The resource...
Activity
Digital Public Library of America

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the focus of a teaching guide that introduces readers to some of the many controversies surrounding the use of the novel in classrooms. The packet includes 15 primary source excerpts and...
Lesson Plan
Newseum

Persuasion Portfolios

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
After class members brainstorm a list of current social and political issues, groups each select a different topic from the list to research. Teams create a portfolio of at least 10 examples of stories about their issue, stories that...
Lesson Plan
1
1
K20 LEARN

Trigger Warnings - Intellectual Rights and Responsibilities: Banned Books, Censorship Part 1

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
"Warning: Conducting this lesson may be harmful." Such statements, called "Trigger Warnings," are the focus of a two-part lesson that looks at censorship, especially the pros and cons of trigger warnings. Class members read two articles,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Debate over Branding

For Teachers 7th - 10th
The advantages and disadvantages of cattle branding are discussed. The class breaks into two groups to further consider each viewpoint. The lesson plan says that the class will read an article about the ongoing debate, but this article...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Big Debate

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students participate in a debate about whether to have chocolate sold in schools. They gather information and use the proper materials for the debate.

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