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Faces Behind the Guns
Learners 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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Integrated Social Studies and Storytelling Lesson
Fourth graders study the Civil War. They examine online photos that are connected to Indiana's role in the Civil War. They choose one of these photos and in a story circle, tell a story about it. They tell who is in the picture, what...
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Slanted Sentences
Students examine biased words in news articles, suggest synonyms, then rewrite the sentences to demonstrate how word choice can alter meaning.
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Do You Dread the Spread?
Students explore the increased reports of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in China. They hold a mock emergency health summit to address concerns and possible solutions on behalf of the affected countries and international health...
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Unraveling the Web
Students consider how a message might be traced along a complex network, then explore backbone maps as a basis for understanding the purpose and structure of the Internet.
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State of Affairs
Students examine the various roles and duties of state government officials and offices to create an Informative Guide to Our State's Government. They explore the changing relationship between governor and lieutenant governor in New York.
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Searching with Certainty
Students explore ways to determine credibility in sources of information. In small groups, students develop a thesis question for a research paper, then use three different methods to find Internet sites with credible information.
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Subsidized H.I.V. Treatments: Diamonds in the Rough?
Students examine and compare the AIDS management policies of several countries, using the Botswana case as a starting point
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Less Is More
Students explore the underlying principles behind the Minimalist art movement. They create their own Minimalist works of art that explore specific philosophical questions.
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Virtual Realities of War
Students outline the major events, mat??riel, and setting of a war or conflict. They develop a computer game narrative that draws on these historically accurate details.
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"I Cannot Tell a Lie"
Students examine and debunk historical myths, using the American Revolution as a starting point. They create and play a game of "American History: Fact or Fiction?"
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Happy Ending?
Young scholars explore different perspectives on withdrawing troops from Iraq. They examine the endings and consequences of other major conflicts in modern history to gain further insight into the situation in Iraq and its uncertain end...
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Liberty for Libya?
Students create a country profile on Libya in order to consider the viability of a transition to a democratic government.
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Good For You?
Students discuss nutrition and compare nutritional values of a snack product claiming health benefits with a candy product.
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Talking About a Resolution
Students explore Nobel Prize winning economist Thomas C. Schelling's strategic egonomics theory as it applies to making new year's resolutions. They make their own resolutions and develop plans to keep them using Schelling's strategies.
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Drawing Bugs Game
Second graders explore probability by playing a drawing game with dice. After they roll a die, they draw a tree diagram to illustrate each of the possible outcomes.
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Printing Error
Students explore the controversy surrounding recently published Danish political cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
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From America, With Love
Students research the experiences of specific immigrant groups in the United States. Letters are written from imaginary immigrants to relatives in their countries of origin, including historically accurate details.
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Bureau Stats
Students explore the role of bureaucracy in United States government; they then examine the history, leadership, organization, and goals of executive agencies.
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My Way or the Highway
Students read "Saudis Uneasily Balance Desires for Change and Stability" from The New York Times and discuss Saudi Arabia as it considers a change from monarchy to democracy. Students work in groups to research and create timelines on...
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Stateside Slavery
Students read "Slavery's Past, Paved Over or Forgotten" from The New York Times and discuss as a class. This activity is the introduction for researching a topic on the history of slavery in the U.S. Student groups present their...
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How Can We Make a Model of Lungs?
Fifth graders examine the function of the lungs and create a model of the lungs. Using a plastic cup, drinking straw, plastic bag, small balloon, and a rubber band, they follow step-by-step directions to construct simulated lungs. ...
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What's For Dinner?
Young scholars share their own views on eating genetically altered foods. After reading an article, they research any issues concerning these types of foods in the United States. In groups, they create a campaign slogan to help gain...