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Fifty Years: From the Little Rock Nine to the Jena Six

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss how the issues surrounding school integration have changed since the Little Rock Nine entered Central High School. They discuss the recent events in Jena, Louisiana. Students write a letter to a school administrator...
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Lady Liberty

For Teachers 4th - 6th
If you're looking for a fantastic cross-curricular instructional activity on the Statue of Liberty, then this instructional activity is for you! Learners watch a Reading Rainbow episode which focuses on the Statue, then gather facts...
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The Final Word

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research biographies of Americans who advanced science. They create an obituary for the person to share what information they have gathered. They discuss the importance of the obituary as the "final word" of a person to complete...
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Whose "Truth" Is Out There?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students read article It's a Fact: Faith and Theory Collide Over Evolution, and examine different ways people arrive at what 'the truth' is, focusing on the evolution vs creationism debate that has been a hot topic throughout the 20th...
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Empire State-Building

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore how empires around the globe have impacted the world in which they have existed. They analyze whether or not the United States is an imperialist nation and create their own empires based on their understanding of empires...
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A State of Her Own

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners investigate current elected female leaders from around the world and use their research to create challenging crossword puzzles.
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Hungry for History

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine what their diets would be like without the inclusion of staple crops such as corn, wheat and sugar, and discover the value that chocolate had for the Mayan people. They create display boards for a food festival.
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Whitewashing History

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students revisit issues of civil rights in the U.S. They use the recent national discussion of retiring Senator Strom Thurmond's 1948 Dixiecrat Presidential campaign as a starting point.
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Land of the Rising Guns?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss the decision after World War II of Japan's to follow a policy of pacifism. After reading an article, they identify the ways Japan is strengthening its military. They watch a video to discover how their Constitution was...
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Pestilence and Plague

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate various disease epidemics that have devastated the world population at different points in history and examine the diseases' effects on the countries they impacted.
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Bureau Stats

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the role of bureaucracy in United States government; they then examine the history, leadership, organization, and goals of executive agencies.
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Dude, I'm Interviewing the President

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Student define issues and questions they would discuss with a president. Students read "Bill and Leo's Excellent Encounter". Students choose famous personalities, research their celebrity, and create a mock interview with them.
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Diseases Without Borders

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students use the European Union's struggle with Mad Cow Disease as a starting point to study the spread of infectious diseases across geographical boundaries.
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Has Peace Finally Settled in the Middle East?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students evaluate the changes made in the Palestine National Council charter and their potential impact on the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations. They write a brief essay focusing on an article from an Israeli or Palestinian...
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Acting Up

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students, in groups, study a Tony Award winner from the past through researching its history, watching the production, and reading the written origin of the production. They create programs for these productions and assess
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Kashmir in the Crossfire

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students, in groups, research specific decades and then create multi-tiered timelines representing Indian and Pakistani relations and politics during those decades.
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Defense Mechanisms

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the Cold War roots of the recent debate over the construction of United States and Russian missile defense shields. They begin by reading and discussing the article, Putin Says Russia Would Counter U.S. Shield.
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Intervene or Interfere?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students research the motives, actions, and results of U.S. intervention in foreign affairs between the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
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A City Lost and Found

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students hypothesize about the origins of the Incan lost city of Machu Picchu. They examine archaeological methodologies used by researchers to piece together the history of the site and create an audio tour of the location for visitors...
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Forever in Our Memories

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students consider reactions to various plans for building on the grounds of the World Trade Center. They explore ideas and opinions that went into creating other memorials of events in American history and propose ideas for improving...
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Reign of Terror?

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students research acts of terrorism around the world over the past thirty years to create a visual timeline of these events for the classroom.
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Birmingham Blues

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate racial inequality and prejudice in American history through the words of Langston Hughes, an American black poet. They develop and share thoughtful collages and presentations inspired by the words of Langston Hughes.
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The Way to Venezuela

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate various facets of Venezuelan culture, politics, history and current events to develop an introductory chapter of a guidebook to the country.
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Alliance or Compliance?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the relationships between and among powers inside and outside Afghanistan in connection to United States military aggression in the territory. They examine the interaction between the Northern Alliance, the Taliban,...