Curated OER
On the Brink
Learners view a film about environmental issues. They discover how environmental degradation can lead to disease. They identify the relationship between population growth and the environment.
Curated OER
Immigration 2004: Issues for the Presidential Election And a Sample Department of Justice Naturalization Test (can You Pass?)
Students read several handouts regarding immigration and naturalization. They complete the citizenship practice test and determine whether they would pass the naturalization test given to immigrants. They discuss how the issue of...
Planet e-Book
Les Miserables
Many consider Les Miserables to be one of the greatest novels ever written. An eBook version of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo contains the entire text, translated from the original French. Each section is organized into books...
Curated OER
The Birth Control Movement
Students examine the resistance to the birth control movement. They compare and contrast the reasons for and against birth control and examine the social agendas of the supporters of birth control.
Curated OER
War on Drugs, "RIP"
Students watch the episode of Investigative Reports examines the losing battle countries worldwide are conducting against the drug trade. Because of the lucrative profits of the drug trade, authorities cannot end the illegal trafficking...
Curated OER
Deadly Disease among Us
Students recognize that infectious diseases are a continuing problem among all human populations. They define and give examples of emerging infectious diseases. Students define and give examples of re-emerging infectious diseases.
Curated OER
Saving, Investing and the Invisible Hand
Students determine how the financial institutions of a market economy help channel savings to economic investment. They complete worksheets based on a teacher-led demonstration.
Curated OER
Assembly Line Burgers
Students explore the reasons why the assembly line was formed and how it improves productivity. They practice with their own assembly line by making "burgers" out of wafers and frosting.
Curated OER
What was Behind the Golden Door?
Students adopt the persona of an immigrant child to explore the reasons underlying why families left their homelands. They empathize with the emotional plight of immigrants through creative composition.
Curated OER
How the Great Depression Affected California and C¿¿sar E. Ch¿¿vez
Fourth graders examine the effect of the Great Depression on California. After reading a summary, they discover how the depression and Dust Bowl led to the immigration of great numbers of farm workers into California. They also...
Curated OER
Life During the Great Depression
Eleventh graders explore life during the Great Depression and how Americans responded to the problem. Using information discussed, 11th graders complete a flow chart activity depicting the Dust Bowl. After watching clips of movies...
Curated OER
How Much is There to Eat?
Students research population and food consumption rates for different areas of the world.
University of Wisconsin
Institute for Research on Poverty: How Is Poverty Measured in the United States?
Describes how the United States measures poverty. Includes graphs comparing poverty rates over time, in different states, in different ethnic or age groups, etc.
Other
Childstats.gov
Extensive data, including an annual report that looks at the state of children's well-being in the United States. It examines such issues as family environment, health care, poverty, welfare and how the government is reacting overall to...
BBC
Bbc News: Week of 3 11 13: The Children Going Hungry in America
This article about child hunger in the United States features the story of two young children in Iowa who often do not have enough to eat. The article includes a link to charity that helps those in need of food and a brief video. [1:59]
C-SPAN
C Span Classroom: Teaching About Poverty
Learning module in which students use current and relevant information to take a close look at poverty in America, past and present, and examine how the government should address it. Comprehensive multi-media learning materials include...
US Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau: Poverty in the Us [Pdf]
The US census report on poverty published in 2001.
Library of Congress
Loc: Teachers: Child Labor in America
Historical photographs provide students with a firsthand look at the issue of child labor during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. In this lesson plan, students will use photographs to further understanding of the...
Other
Almanac of Policy Issues: Poverty
This site from the Alamanac of Policy Issues provides a general look at poverty in the U.S. based on 1998 figures (the latest available). A good reference for federal poverty threshold figures.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
This collection uses primary sources to explore Lorraine Hansberry's play, A Raisin in the Sun.
Library of Congress
Loc: Prosperity and Thrift: Poverty in the 1920s
Describes the groups of people in the United States that did not prosper in the consumer economy of the 1920s. These included farmers and recent immigrants.
Other
Feeding America
At the online home of one of the largest hunger-relief agencies in America, find extensive reporting and analysis of the problem of hunger in the United States, along with information about its network of food banks, a quiz to test...
Curated OER
National Park Service: International Civil Rights Walk of Fame: Lyndon Johnson
Read about President Lyndon Johnson's on how to end poverty in the United States as well as how to protect civil rights.
Other
National Center for Law and Economic Justice
A wealth of information on economic justice in the United States.