National Institute on Drug Abuse
The Brain's Response to Drugs
Marijuana affects the brain differently than inhalants, which have a different effect than opioids. Elementary and middle school classes read about these drugs as well as nicotine, methamphetamine, hallucinogens, and steroids before...
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Economic Goals and Measuring Activity
Explore the role of government in the economy market. Young scholars analyze the economic decision-making process and how it takes into consideration additional cost, benefits, and public awareness of what they are trying to accomplish....
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The Embodied Presidency
Tenth graders compare and contrast the immigration reform policies of Presidents Reagan and Bush. In this immigration activity, 10th graders examine primary documents related to each president's policy for immigration reform. Students...
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Justice at the Local Level: Is it Effective?
Pupils view a PowerPoint presentation on the court system. They are arranged into groups and evaluate the effectiveness of the criminal and civil courts in local Michigan communities.
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A Poster is Worth a Thousand Words
High schoolers list observations of PSA posters. They provide evidence/examples of their observations through class discussion. Students explore public health posters. They investigate historical public health campaign posters.
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When Property Rights and the Public Good Clash
Middle schoolers analyze a case involving a government's use of eminent
domain powers to construct a comprehension of property rights and how they might be viewed as essential protections for citizens in a constitutional democracy. They...
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Protecting your home from carbon monoxide
Young scholars create and distribute flyers, mailings, posters in public areas to help make people aware of how to protect yourself from carbon monoxide. Students research what carbon monoxide is and what can be done to protect those in...
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How Markets Work
Students explore the role of government in the economy market. In this economics lesson, students analyze the decision making and how it takes into consideration additional cost, benefits and public awareness of what they are trying to...
Federal Reserve Bank
The Story of the Federal Reserve: High School Lesson Plan
Is there a bank for the banks? Pupils analyze the complexities of the Federal Reserve system by breaking it down into easy-to-understand sections. Step-by-step investigation using flow charts and graphs of how the monetary system works...
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Writing Prompts for High School
Are you teaching a high school language arts class and stumped for writing topics? Five pages of writing prompts for all kinds of writing should help you out. Many of these prompts refer to texts that are not included in this resource,...
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Plagiarism in the Real World
How would you feel if someone plagiarized your work? After class members turn in an assigned newspaper article, you rewrite the piece using elements of their writing. Then you claim you will be selling the story and that you will profit...
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The Mass Media and Politics
What effect do the prevalence of televisions in homes have on the American political stage? Challenge your students to consider this idea with these ten questions, both true/false and multiple choice. You could use this activity as a...
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Decoys: Fair or Foul?
Students discover and articulate reasons for cultural change and public policy through study of historic artifacts and testimony using the waterfowl decoys collections in Harvesting the River Online exhibit.
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Harvesting the River Lesson: Commercial vs. Sport Hunting of Waterfowl: How Did One Lead to the Other?
Students investigate the environmental impact of market hunting leading to new laws and sport hunting. They conduct Internet research, and summarize their opinions on the need for and formation of public policy on waterfowl hunting.
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The Grand Canyon
Learners act as scientists investigating the damming and experimental flooding of the Colorado River by the Glen Canyon dam that took place in 1996. They write a proposal as to whether or not more experimental flooding should be done on...
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The Brain Eater
Students view a video clip about Mad Cow Disease. They identify the challenges of health professionals in dealing with the disease. They work together to complete a Public Health Task Force worksheet. They make recommendations on how...
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What's Bugging You?
Students examine the effects of pests on other organisms, crops, and the environment. they construct an insect observation chamber and discover how some insects can be pests in some situations and beneficial in others. They write "pest...
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Floods: Rising Waters and You
High schoolers will examine how floods work and why they can cause so much damage and destruction. They use a stream table to observe the processes that lead to flooding and the effects of floods on human-made structures. Includes a...
Personal Genetics Education Project
DNA, Crime and Law Enforcement
Civil rights meets biotechnology in a instructional activity that scrutinizes the collection of DNA of citizens who have been arrested, but not yet convicted of a crime. Real-life cases are examined in which the DNA of a relative was...
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Defining Moments-from the past with lessons for a post 9/11 world
Students use the spreadsheet to determine policy options, establish criteria for the solution, weight the criteria in terms of importance and rate the options relative to each criterion to determine a solution to the problem. They...
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The U.S. Trade Embargo on Cuba
Students examine perspectives for and against the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba, develop a position on the embargo and articulate viewpoints in a public forum.
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Money and Banking
Students explore the role of government in the economy market. In this economics lesson, students analyze the decision making and how it takes into consideration additional cost, benefits and public awareness of what they are trying to...
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The Economy
Students explore the role of government in the economy market. In this economics lesson, students analyze the decision making and how it takes into consideration additional cost, benefits and public awareness of what they are trying to...
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The Impact of Disease on Our Lives
Students write a report about infectious diseases where they demonstrate their understanding of new terminology. In this writing lesson, students analyze the effect of disease in their lives and and make scientific inquiry about the...