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Far Out!
Students research and compare/contrast how routine tasks on Earth would be without gravity. They read and discuss the article "The Life Galactic: A Lot of Work, a Little Play, Plenty of E-Mail." In groups they write a pitch for a TV...
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Where the Spirit Moves You
Students explore the spiritual significance of locations throughout the world. After studying the historical and mystical importance of these places, students write about a spiritual place that is special to them.
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Dig Those Descriptions
Students practice writing descriptions by researching various artifacts from ancient Egypt and writing captions for them. They read and discuss the Times article, King Tut, Museum Trailblazer, Begins Encore.
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Persuasive Pressures
Students investigate various lobbying groups, then practice lobbying tactics by writing and presenting speeches advocating important local issues.
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Answering the Call of the Wild
Students explore wildlife conservation by investigating the reintroduction of species into their natural habitats and species near extinction. They create a poster and a position paper that explains the importance of preserving this...
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Separate But Equal Opinions
Students examine the ways in which editorials and Op-Ed pieces respond to current events. They write editorials in response to news items from the New York Times.
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Defining Issues
Students work on a 'campaign committee' to define civic issues that are important to them and their community. They write letters to city officials with proposals for how to address these issues.
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A Sea-nic Perspective
Young scholars brainstorm topics related to the health of our world's oceans. They create presentations about specific issues affecting oceans for display in a classroom exhibit. They write letters of invitation to guests to view the...
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To Tell the Tale
Students explore how themes common to the human condition can be found in literary and oral traditions across cultures. They compile traditional folk tales around these themes and write their own tales to reflect their own cultural context.
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A Doctor's Dilemma
Students consider the bioethical dilemmas faced by doctors and write case studies about relevant issues within a particular medical decision.
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Know The Code
Students explore how codes of conduct guide our daily lives. After learning about specific codes of conduct, students write articles exploring aspects of different codes and how they affect people in their community.
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Our City, Our Words
Students write poetry that captures their feelings about their city or town. After presenting their poetry at a class reading students compare their poetry to the work of published poets who have written about the same city.
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Gender Bender
Students explore the effects of Title IX. In addition, tudents create revised rulebooks for a sport in their school based on their understanding of Title IX and write a related article for the school newspaper.
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Tour Guidance
Students research, write, edit, illustrate, and compile a traveler's guide to their town or community for students or teenagers their own age. They read and discuss the Times article, 'Students Visiting? Just Invoke Auntie Mame.'
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Words of Deep Meaning
Young scholars create their own poems to express a deep feeling or transformative experience, then write imaginary letters to people in the article, responding to their poetry and sharing their own creative process.
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Reviews Revealed
Students discuss the benefits or drawbacks in consulting movie reviews. They analyze movie reviews from The New York Times and create a list of features in effective movie reviews. They write their own movie reviews based on this list.
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Historical Perspective
Students research the different perspectives of important groups and figures involved in the American Revolution and apply their findings to write and perform monologues depicting this pivotal time in history.
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Use Or Abuse?
Young scholars explain the meaning of "use value" of nature's resources by researching and writing studenT books personifying an aspect of nature. They produce public service announcements regarding use value for their local community.
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Devil May Care?
Young scholars study about a deadly disease decimating the Tasmanian devil population. They research diseases that affect animals and write a fictional story about the animals they researched.
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For Your Dining Pleasure
Students share opinions about their favorite ethnic dishes. They research the cuisine of another culture and write a review of a local restaurant that features that cuisine.
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Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
In this unit, students examine the many different themes in Anne Frank's diary. They connect the themes to their own life and keep a journal to explore the triumphs and challenges in their own life.
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Time Changes Everything
Students analyze census data from 1915, 1967 and 2006. They read an article about how the world's population is growing at an alarming rate. They use primary source documents to create a timeline on the information they gathered. They...
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Position Wanted
Learners share their opinions about local job opportunities for people their age. After reading an article about hiring trends, they discuss Google's answer to filling jobs. Class members research and report on an employer that offers...
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The Political is Personal
Students examine their own political party affiliations and political beliefs. After reading an article, they discuss how students at Duke define their political philosophies. They brainstorm events, people and experiences that have...