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Getting In the Game
Students 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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Do You Recall?
Students share reactions to Mattel CEO Bob Eckert's message to consumers. They identify how Mattel is responding to several product recalls by reading and discussing the article "After Stumbling, Mattel Cracks Down in China." Students...
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Its All In The Delivery
Learners investigate the concept of different words and how they are used in specific texts. They develop scripts based upon readings and then design props and costumes to act out the new text. Students read to one another using the...
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Declarations of Independence
Students examine what they know about American Indians past and present, then research key issues facing American Indian tribes today. To synthesize their learning, students write letters taking the perspective of an American Indian.
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Meting Out Justice
Students investigate the murder case of Emmett Till and identify the missing pieces from the case. Through research, they then work to fill in the gaps to create a basis for examining how justice might be served anew in this...
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On the Run
Students research famous F.B.I. "Most Wanted" cases; they then create PowerPoint, or other informational and visual displays, to present their case studies in class.
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Teens on Trial
Students read about the public reaction to the conviction of Alex and Derek King, and explore the issue of child offenders being tried and sentenced as adults. They compose letters to Florida Governor Jeb Bush, outlining their opinion on...
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A Penny for Your Thoughtfulness
Students reflect on the value of a penny. They examine how working families endure economic hardships with the help of charities. They create their own philanthropic event to raise money for a charity.
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In the Forecast, a Flurry of Concerns about Snow
Students consider the effects of climate change on snowfall and how a lack of data in snowfall collection impair climate change research. They, in groups, investigate different effects of snowfall and make recommendations to lobbyists.
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Pressing Cases
Students investigate famous criminal cases in which the media has played a significant role and reflect on how the news helps to shape attitudes and behaviors in their own lives.
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Slanted Sentences
Students examine biased words in news articles, suggest synonyms, then rewrite the sentences to demonstrate how word choice can alter meaning.
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Mining Riches
Young scholars research and map how various mining ventures have changed local geographies and populations. First they read the article provided--Examining the Environmental and Social Impact of the Mining Industry.
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Talking Trash - Online Message Boards
Young scholars consider their own experiences with online message boards and chat rooms, discover how teens are using the Web to talk about people in their lives, discuss the issues surrounding online conversations.
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Reality Check
Students evaluate different types of reality television programming in "focus groups" and then submit their opinions on this type of programming to a television network.
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In a Class of Their Own
Learners explore taxonomy and how birds are classified in this scientific system. They use this knowledge to create entries for a field guide to birds that can be used to identify different species.
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Shedding New Light
Students consider why photographs in space might not show stars and research the importance of light in this phenomenon. They research other scientific processes related to light or its absence and create "How It Works" posters about them.
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Painting Portraits with Words
Students examine how an exhibition of an author's writings can become a portrait or biography of that author . They work in small groups, analyzing various poems by Yeats.
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Fan(tom) of the Opera
Students explore the ways in which the worlds of popular music and opera can work together to complement the other. They work in small groups to analyze plot, characters, setting and themes of a popular opera using a summary of that...
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A Test Case for Individual Rights
Students examine the different points of view regarding testing students for drug use. They then work in pairs to create and perform dialogues that flesh out two sides of the argument around this controversial issue.
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Cyber Skills
Students, in groups, design and develop Web sites dedicated to special skills traditionally taught by humans rather than by technology. They write Web site reviews that describe and assess their group's envisioned Internet site.
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Is the Internet A Web Of Deceit?
Students become more savvy Web surfers by evaluating the various elements of a Web site to determine its credibility. They conduct a two-part investigation of a Web site, focusing on how one determines if a Web site is credible in...
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Life Lessons
Students analyze various inspirational statements from graduation commencement speeches, and then write their own speeches that reflect lessons to help students succeed in the next stage of life.
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National Tragedy, Global Response
Students explore how different people on local, national and international levels respond to a destructive natural disaster and the needs of its victims and how various facets of the media cover such an event. The August 1999 earthquake...
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The Roots of American Culture
Students explore the notion of culture and the influence of Latino culture on the U.S. They work in small groups to identify ways that Latino and non-Latino U.S. cultures have engaged in cultural 'cross-fertilization.'