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Bill of Rights Day
Fifth graders examine and identify the values and purposes of the Bill of Rights. They complete a class KWL chart, participate in a class jigsaw activity, write and illustrate a book about the first ten amendments, participate in a mock...
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Manifestations of the Manifesto
Students explore the workings of FARC, a Marxist guerilla group in Colombia, as well as study the basics of Marxism. They examine the discrepancies between Marxist theory and Marxism as it is actually realized in Colombia and other parts...
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Faces Behind the Guns
Students use the New York Times article profiling ordinary citizens who legally own guns as the basis of a role-playing exercise in which they explore the types of people who own firearms and their personal reasons for doing so.
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A Meat By Any Other Name. . .
Students, using a New York Times article as a springboard, discuss how food reflects different aspects of a culture and reasons why cultural differences in food are seen as bizarre or, oftentimes, cruel by members of other societies.
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Hate-Crimes and Punishment
Students research and write about the effectiveness of hate-crime legislation in the United States
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Red, Undecided, and Blue
Students analyze voter preferences in past elections, and then write letters to a presidential candidate, recommending winning strategies drawn from their research.
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Get Surreal
Students analyze and write text for audio guides about particular pieces of art from the Surrealism movement.
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Security and Savings for All?
Students act as either Democrats or Republicans to debate plans to alter Social Security. For homework, they consider whether Social Security has become too politicized and propose their own solutions.
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Fit To Play?
Students research certain sports-related injuries and who may be at risk for these conditions. They synthesize their knowledge by collectively developing a comprehensive medical history form.
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Golden Globe as Gauge
Students discuss the significance of the Golden Globes and other awards as indicators of the current cultural and political climate. After reading an article, they identify the nominees for the 2006 Golden Globe awards. Using the...
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A Tough Act to Re-enact
Students discover the significance of various historical events. Using the information they find, groups re-enact these events, stressing their importance to history and our lives today.
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Rushing the Border
Students discuss the issues of immigrants who overstay their legal welcome. They explore the recent changes in immigration registration, and participate in a roundtable discussion.
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Pitching Patriotism
Students analyze the use of color, images and type used in print advertising, then "pitch" a company. They, in groups, brainstorm products and services of companies that may be affected by the war in Iraq.
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Mining Riches
Students 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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Thank You Notes
Students investigate the history of presidential proclamations and develop their own Thanksgiving Proclamations, highlighting current issues and sentiments.
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Mixed Blessings
Young scholars investigate the recent federal appeals court decision finding the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional. They further investigate the notions of constitutionality and separation between church and state by analyzing a...
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Freedom Fighters
Students research different branches and special units of the United States military. They create and present performances that synthesize their research and demonstrate their understanding about the roles that these groups play in...
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Public I or Private I
Students explore the topic of national identity cards in the United States as a starting point in determining what types of information should be publicly accessible to the government and private industry about specific individuals.
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Keeping It Quiet
Students consider ways in which countries use censorship to control information. They examine China's recent abridgement of a politician's speech and consider China's recent history with other nations to better explain why censorship is...
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Buying the Writes
Students explore the connections between non-fiction and fiction best-seller lists and current events that are shaping readers' lives and choices.
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Storytellers: Bruce Springsteen
Students use the music of Bruce Springsteen to learn literature techniques.
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All for One, and One for Oil?
Students explore the way the oil market both informs and complicates international diplomacy. They examine the relationships between and among some of the world's leading oil producers using a graphic feature from The New York Times as a...
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State of the "States"
Students consider indicators that mark a country's progress, examine how last year's State of the Union address has affected U.S. foreign policy, research issues deemed important in that speech, and create report cards assessing the...
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Pranks With Paint
Students consider what they already know about graffiti and explore the pranks and work of a graffiti artist. They research a famous painting and create original artwork by adding thoughtful graffiti to it.