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Joltin' Joe Has Left and Gone Away
Learners assess admirable qualities in entertainers. They discuss Joe DiMaggio's obituary, focusing on his accomplishments and place in American society. They research and create their own descriptive biographies of athletes and...
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Watch and Learn
Students explore a particular problem with the development of new television shows and create original reality-based educational programming.
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Snow, Sweat and Tears
Students, in pairs, explore the sports featured at the Winter Olympics and prepare related news broadcasts.
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Seeking Refuge, in Words And Pictures
Students explore first-hand accounts and pictures of refugees, focusing initially on child refugees in Chechnya. They then create collages that describe, through words and images, the experience of refugees in countries at war.
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Liberty and Democracy for All?
Students consider what they already know about democracy and examine how viable democracy is for Middle Eastern nations such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
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Mmmm, Mmmm ... and Good
Young scholars consider their own diets and examine an op-ed article about organically produced foods. They research alternatives to various foods for the creation of a supermarket and reflect on their own diets after keeping a food...
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"Retale" Value: Exploring Plot Similarities in Fiction and Nonfiction Stories
Students explore seven basic story lines and apply these story lines to news articles in the New York Times. They write reports comparing the plot of a news article to novels, plays and movies with which they are familiar.
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Tribal Truths
Learners research and analyze the interactions of American Indian tribes with Meriwether Lewis and iam Clark. Then they stage displays to inform the public about their findings.
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Monster and Myths: Scripts
Middle schoolers explore characteristics of the myth genre. In this myth lesson, students become familiar with various myths and the cultures they were derived from. Middle schoolers compare in a graphic...
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Let the Good Times Roll
Learners read an online New York Times article and investigate the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans. They examine how Hurricane Katrina affected the celebration. They design a float that represents the Mardi Gras celebration.
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Off the Record
Music reflects culture and culture is reflected in popular music. Reading an article on how hip-hop has affected the lives of two young men of different races launches an investigation of the development and influences of various musical...
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The Battle of Good and Evil on the Big Screen
Students evaluate how the movie industry depicts heroes, villains, and events, and how these characters and plots relate to the society and time period in which the films are created.
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A New "Spin" on Nuclear Energy
Students explain how the spin cycle of a washing machine operates. They explore other applications of the centrifuge by reading and discussing the article "Slender and Elegant, It Fuels the Bomb."
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A New Saint Nicholas
Students read and discuss, "Nicholas II and Family Canonized for 'Passion,'" researching the place of Nicholas II and his family in Russian history and in the Bolshevik revolution.
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Where Does History Stand on the Last Stand?
Students examine the Battle of Little Bighorn and its impact on United States and Native American culture through reading current and historic New York Times articles and by creating a research-based exhibit about this historic event.
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Walking in Other People's Shoes
Young scholars study the story of student journalist Casey Parks' September, 2006, journey to Central Africa with New York Times columnist, Nicholas Kristof. They then act as representatives to the tourism boards of developing countries...
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Current Contexts
Young scholars examine how they are affected by world affairs. After reading an article, they examine Otto Frank's attempts to immigrate to America. Using the New York Times, they identify examples of news, advertisements and...
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Who Gives a Hoot?
Students look at owl migration and its impact on the environment and the food chain after reading an article from The New York Times. Students then apply this information to and research different food chain situations for other species...
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Olympic Continent
Learners read "Team Ethiopia Dazzles in Going the Distance" from The New York Times and discuss the impact these athletes have had on their country. Students work in groups to research different African nations that have participated in...
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Stateside Slavery
Students read "Slavery's Past, Paved Over or Forgotten" from The New York Times and discuss as a class. This activity is the introduction for researching a topic on the history of slavery in the U.S. Student groups present their...
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Cuba On My Mind
Students explore the Cuban society, politics, culture, and economy. As a class, they take a look at the Bush administrations policy on Cuba after reading "Embargo Remains Until Cuba Alters Policy, Bush Says" from The New York Times....
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Let's Sleep on It
Students research sleep following a class discussion on an article in The New York Times. Students use their research information to create a health and wellness exhibit that addresses topics related to sleep.
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Modern Conditions Placed on Traditions
Students explore the role of traditions in world cultures. They read a New York Times article dealing with recent changes in the traditional clothing worn in England's House of Lords
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Crime Time
Learners examine fundamentals of American criminal justice by analyzing each step of the criminal process. They follow the process of a well-known or publicized criminal case in The New York Times, and keep a journal of its newspaper...