Students use readings, worksheets and discussion to explore the ramifications of the US Patriot Act which was passed by Congress shortly after September 11th. They review Constitutional Amendments and consider how they relate to the...

Pupils examine the intersection between an individual's right to privacy versus the public's right to know, through the lens of the relationship between public figure Gary Condit and missing intern Chandra Levy.

Students examine civil liberties issues in relation to genetic research, and discuss how genetic medical information may be used. They present personal viewpoints about genetic research as it relates to civil liberties

High schoolers explore the theory of Prisoners of war. Students investigate various human rights issued thru the Geneva Convention. High schoolers relate learned facts to the American troops being killed in Iraqi fighting.

Students examine the issue of performance enhancing drugs. In this health journalism lesson plan, students read the USA Today article titled "Baseball's Steroid Test Program: Fair or Foul?", respond to discussion questions regarding the...

Students examine federal and state constitutional law relating to search and seizure. They analyze various scenarios, participate in an opinion poll, and discuss difficulties in balancing individual privacy rights with the need to fight...

Ninth graders determine how to set up an e-mail account. They send and receive e-mail using the account. They discuss privacy and legal issues associated with e-mail messages.

Students use their definition of "reasonable expectations" of privacy with regard to camera cellphones and digital cameras, to draft recommendations to send to Congressional representatives.

Learners, upon completion of the "Knighting Ceremony" and reflection, research the meaning of privacy, plagiarism, pirating, computer viruses, or hacking. Then they design a survey of high school students to find the level of acceptance...

Students investigate how government legislates the protection of citizens from natural disasters such as earthquakes in California. They read the Alquist-Priolo Special Studies Act and debate its pros and cons. They discuss how much...

Students explore and discuss the issues of personal freedoms and safety as they apply to HIV/AIDS. They consider whether doctors, co-workers, teammates, etc. have the right to know someone else's disease status.

Civil rights meets biotechnology in a instructional activity that scrutinizes the collection of DNA of citizens who have been arrested, but not yet convicted of a crime. Real-life cases are examined in which the DNA of a relative was...

Prompted by a viewing of Emiko and Chizu Omori’s Rabbit in the Moon, a documentary about the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, high schoolers examine a series of documents, including the Bill of Rights and the UN’s...

Young people today have to be very careful with how they present themselves online. Show them the possible impact of their online activity and what employers might see when performing a basic search. The instructional activity provides a...

Start off a unit on YouTube with an introduction to the service and all that it offers. Learners watch various video clips before participating in a brief discussion about YouTube. The plan includes an activity based around...

Inspire critical thinking with this activity, which prompts students to compare lesbian, gat, bisexual, and transgender rights with the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. By collecting topical articles about...

Put your feet up and grab a cup of coffee before going through this extensive field work unit plan! Based on folklorist studies of traditional culture and ethnography, several activities focus on topics such as cultural sensitivity;...

A great resource for informational texts as well as writing topics, the New York Times website provides writing prompts about various news articles through The Learning Network. This particular worksheet provides a very short...

Choosing your first credit card can often be an intimidating and confusing experience for young adults. Give your pupils the foundational knowledge they need for tackling this process head-on, including learning to...

How to establish a safe classroom environment for discussion is the focus of this introduction to a series of six resources devoted to personal safety.

A set of quizzes and assessments would make a great companion to your lesson on making decisions and opportunity risks. Learners watch a PowerPoint before answering multiple choice questions about interest rates, saving money, and the...

Big Brother is always watching you! Scholars analyze the impact security cameras have on the legal system in a democracy. Primary documentation, case studies, and video clips investigate the use of video in prosecution and provide an...