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A Snapshot Of Fame
Young scholars 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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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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QUALITY OR QUANTITY
Students share opinions about the criteria they consider important in an online search engine. Using Google and Yahoo, they investigate various subjects and compare their search results. To synthesize their findings, students prepare...
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Turkey Soup for the Soul
Students read an article that tells how a young man turned his life around through the help of a local charity. They create inspirational scrapbooks and posters to help motivate their peers when they are facing adversity.
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At Your Service
Students discuss various volunteer activities and read how New York City organizes its volunteer efforts. They create their own databases compiling volunteer opportunities and write reflective essays on how volunteers help their...
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In the Wake of a Storm
Students share thoughts about the effects of Hurricane Katrina on Louisiana's natural environment. They read an online article and write proposals to save Mississippi River marshlands.
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Diagnosing Delusions
Students see how widespread medical myths can be potentially dangerous. They synthesize their knowledge by creating pamphlets that help patients learn the facts behind some commonly believed medical myths.
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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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Same News, Different Stories
Learners compare the news angle, information sources and construction of different news reports about the death of Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. They analyze how various media outlets report on a different news story.
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Exhibiting Hope
Learners watch a video clip about the effect of Hurricane Katrina. They examine the challenges that New Orleans still faces a year after the hurricane. They work together in small groups to create a museum exhibit on a topic of interest...
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R U Talkin 2 Me?
Students discuss how they use communication devices. They read an article about communication technology. They create a poster depicting the impact of such devices on future generations. They also write a paper about what they have...
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The Buzz about the Buzz
Students examine the content of popular energy drinks by conducting research about stimulants and sweeteners. They create posters outlining how these compounds affect consumers. They compare and contrast energy drinks with soft drinks...
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Irregularly Scheduled Programming
Students examine their favorite holidays and how they are celebrated. After reading an article, they discuss the length of television programming for the Super Bowl. In groups, they create their own television programming relating to...
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2004 Better and For Worse
Students identify the significant events that helped shape 2004. After reading an article, they take a 2004 news quiz and discuss the impact of each event. They create their own quizzes to be given to their classmates on the same...
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Hey There, Sports Fans!
Students discuss the impact that fans have on a sports team. After reading an article, they identify how Chicago Cubs fans are responding to their loss in the playoffs. With a partner, they develop surveys in which they give to family...
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After the Fact
Students investigate summaries of the "9/11 Report" and examine questions relating to its findings in a fishbowl discussion. They reflect in writing on how they wish the outcomes of this report would be resolved and how these outcomes...
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A Sense of Place
Students read "Fish Tale: Falling For a Live One" from The New York Times and discuss the methods and techniques the writer uses to create a strong mental image. Students pick a place in their community they wish to write about and...
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Stellar Resorts
Students explore the future of "orbital vacations" and create fanciful tours of the Milky Way Galaxy. Students respond to the following prompt in their journals "Entrepreneurs are currently designing concepts for accommodating tourists...
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A Court Case with Real Appeal
Students analyze the United States' current appellate process, with a critical eye focused on possible inequities within the system. They then write letters to a Manhattan district attorney giving their recommendations on how he should...
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It's Alive!
Young scholars define the term artificial intelligence and list devises that use it. After reading an article, they discuss how advances in this field affect our lives. In groups, they brainstorm about a device that could improve the...
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Bugging Out
Students explore how insects behave in their natural habitats and build dioramas to create an Insect World in their classroom. They investigate various insects and the roles they play in the environment. They write creative short...
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Japan's Textbook Case
Students read and discuss "Japan's Refusal to Revise Textbooks Angers Neighbors." They discuss how accurately textbooks account for historical events, then collaborate to write unbiased textbook entries for current events.
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Getting In the Game
Learners explore how interactive Web sites support live sports programming, and then design Internet sites that provide interactive support for a favorite television program. They present their mock ups to the class.
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The Games Robots Play
Students learn about how robots are programmed to play games. They then construct robot applications (basic computer codes) for playing tic-tac-toe comprised of if-then logic sequences. Students then compete in teams using their...