Learners widen their understanding of the different points of view surrounding current news topics. They research a current controversy on which public opinion is divided and write a concise commentary on the topic expressing a strong...

Students explore how scientists have forecasted the 2002 Leonid meteor shower. They pose their own predictions for peak meteor rates per hour during the 2002 shower and compare their results with actual observed rates.

Students reflect, speculate, identify, research, and create a blueprint for renewable energy sources.

Students focus on the recent Mexican elections to evaluate how different journalistic accounts can present different aspects of the same event.

Students investigate the old currencies used by the twelve countries adopting the euro in 2002. They explore the national identity of those countries through the symbols preserved on the 'national face' of the new euro currency.

Students consider the dangers of living around active volcanoes. They develop media campaigns to encourage different groups of residents around Mount Vesuvius to consider moving.

Students explore the transit of Venus and the information that this minieclipse provides about the distance between the Earth and the sun. They create their own astronomical units.

Students discuss the roles that morality and pragmatism play in war, and then create a timeline documenting Israel's evolving response to terrorism since 1948.

Students explain how the spin cycle of a washing machine operates. They explore other applications of the centrifuge by reading and discussing the article "Slender and Elegant, It Fuels the Bomb."

Students consider the purpose of a constitution and research Iraq's five major population groups. They write a letter to the Iraqi Governing Council from the perspective of a member of one of these Iraqi population groups.

Students evaluate Web sites banned in various countries, and investigate the reasons why particular countries would want to block information from its people.

Students investigate some of the 'mysteries' of the animal, marine and insect worlds, and create student books explaining their findings to younger students.

Students explore how emotions affect the decision-making of peacekeepers and design simulators for training emergency-response personnel.

Students observe the differences between low- and high-frequency sounds. They research and compare the characteristics of various animals that rely on infrasonic sounds to communicate.

Students discover the size of the Alamo and artifacts of the time period by navigating through a virtual tour of the Alamo.

Students identify measurable characteristics about the weather and explore how they are monitored. They research and propose the construction of a weather monitoring station on their school grounds.

Students consider economic factors in patenting a new invention. They research an already-patented health product and assess its profitability.

Students consider what can be learned through the study of artifacts, focusing on those of ancient Egypt. They research famous ancient Egyptian sites to prepare for the development of proposals for exhibits in a fictional museum.

Students create vivid descriptions for various sets used in the new movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Students consider the purpose of various types of maps and their different uses throughout history. They create their own maps and reflect on the map-making process.

Students discuss the type of information that they expect to read in news coverage of earthquakes. They explore the devastating aftermath of an earthquake in South and Southeast Asia and research and write their own articles describing...

Students develop a list of images of President Abraham Lincoln: for example, self-taught youth, great debater, advocate of abolition of slavery and assassinated hero. They must determine if these images of Lincoln stand up under scrutiny.

Students recognize bias in a political cartoon, evaluate how the media uses both positive and/or negative political cartoons, and assess the influence a political cartoon can have on a person.

Students study the life and works of William Shakespeare. They investigate the art of playwriting and write a play of their own.