Curated OER
Got the Picture?
Students explore the power of photographic images to influence public opinion. Then, using both news images and personal photographs, they create dual timelines documenting their own life experiences and memories.
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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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You Can't Stop The Pop
Students reflect on the popular culture of their own country and explore the "Korean Wave" of popular culture in East Asia. They research the popular cultures of various countries around the world and present their findings in an...
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Cranberry Bog
Young scholars explore cranberry farming in Massachusetts and the rest of the nation. They research on challenges facing cranberry farming industry and then write reflection papers on optimum pest control methods from the perspective of...
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Losing Face or Saving Face?
Students examine the recent partial face transplant in Ameiens, France and the ensuing public debate on extreme plastic surgery. They participate in a fishbowl discussion on the ethics and implications of future face transplants.
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Spirit Bear Speaks
Young scholars read an online article about Canadian efforts to preserve Great Bear Rain Forest. They create ecotourism brochures on the forest and write and essay.
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Just Can't Get Enough
Students research modern addictions and create public service announcements about them. They research modern additions such as food, shopping, and video games.
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Swift Response
Students examine how matters of national security affect the press' ability to practice free speech. They read and discuss an article regarding the Swift program, discuss opinions about patriotism and the press, and write a letter to the...
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Muddle East
Students explore the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. They research various perspectives, discuss the events in context, and write statements from the perspective of a country or organization involved.
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The Art of Violence
Violence and human suffering, as represented in art and film, are the focus of an investigation of the power of visual images and the moral implications of such representations. Class members examine “Guernica,” Pablo Picasso’s massive...
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Dedication to Douglass
Students study the controversy surrounding the proposed Frederick Douglass Circle monument in Central Park. They review the notion of historical inaccuracy by reading and discussing the article, "In Douglass Tribute, Slave Folklore and...
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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...
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A Site to See
Students identify the risks and benefits of living next to a volcano. After reading an article, they discuss the behaviors of an active volcano. Using the Internet, they work together to research volcano-monitoring techniques and create...
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Waste Not, Want Not
Young scholars consider the types of debris that litters beaches and conduct research on waste management. They then interview professionals in a particular field of waste management and write reports for a booklet about garbage and...
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Calamity Sane
Students observe responses to emergency situations by participating in and making observations about a fire drill. They then analyze the fire drill proceedings from the perspective of a sociologist investigating social order during...
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The Aftermath of War
Learners share their opinions on the war in Iraq. After reading an article, they identify the thoughts of President Bush on the conflict. In groups, they share their opinions for and against current United States policy in Iraq and the...
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Electing Economies
Students examine the economic and political challenges the past six presidents have faced during their terms of office, and how those challenges may or may not have impacted their chances for re-election. They create campaign slogans...
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Here Comes The… Bill
Students share opinions about importance of milestone events they might host or attend. They then prepare estimated budgets for parties based on established budget totals, and compare their estimates against the real costs.
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How Do You Measure Up
High schoolers investigate the concept of heart rate and how it is effected by environmental stresses like exercise. They conduct research readings and evaluate the data to form a hypothesis to initiate class discussion about the...
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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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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Students brainstorm and share opinions about products that can be reused or recycled after reading the article, "Seattle's Recycling Success Is Being Measured in Scraps." They then investigate, analyze and evaluate articles on recycling...
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Weathering the War
Students research maps, weapons and weather from a variety of wars, then create a presentation showing the impact weather and topography has had on military operations.
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The Killing Fields
Eleventh graders explore ethnic divisions in the West African nation of Ivory Coast and research instances of ethnic cleansing in nations throughout history. They create global history textbook entries that explore, compare and contrast...
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The East Africa Times
Learners work in teams as editors to design the front page of a newspaper covering a country in east Africa. They individually research and write articles that define modern life for the country's citizens.