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Through the Eyes of a Child

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore how documentaries can present realistic and sometimes difficult perspectives on events in our world. They choose current issues that interest them and create their own documentaries.
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Modern Conditions Placed on Traditions

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the role of traditions in world cultures. They read a New York Times article dealing with recent changes in the traditional clothing worn in England's House of Lords
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Diamonds Are Forever Fueling Civil Wars

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the failures of the UN embargo on conflict diamonds from Sierra Leone. They participate in a trading game to explore the international trading system and the ways in which it rewards and punishes countries.
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A Fallen Giant

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate the economic concepts related to the fall of Enron in order to begin unraveling this complex scandal. They do research in small groups to identify such things as the Securities Exchange Commission.
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The Uncertain Future of Kosovo

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate the ongoing peace process in Kosovo through thorough discussion of the underlying issues of the Kosovo conflict and the evolving resolution.
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Dangerous Waters (and Lands)

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate the dangers of various geographical locations and the threat they pose to humans and other living things. They, in groups, research dangerous geographical locations and create a group "front page" highlighting these...
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Working It Out

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students participate in a simulation in which they are arbitrarily assigned different work roles and compare their experiences to those discussed in a New York Times article about the racial divisions in a pork production plant.
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State of Affairs

For Teachers 6th - 12th
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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Casting a Ballot for New Freedoms

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students use a New York Times article about the first free election in Indonesia in over four decades as a tool for learning about the government and politics, economy, religion, international relations, and people of Indonesia in the...
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Is Monopoly the Microsoft Board's Game?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students first participate in an in-depth discussion about capitalism, monopolies, trusts, mergers, and the Sherman Antitrust Act. They work in groups to investigate past examples of corporations tried for antitrust act violations.
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Diplomatic Field of Dreams

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars explore past U.S.-Cuban relations, by researching key events in the past century and creating a class timeline, in order to evaluate restrictions in policy on Cuba and the potential for exhibition baseball games.
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Amidst the Rubble of Ruined Cities

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students, in committees, develop and propose solutions to rebuild various elements of Colombia's infrastructure in the wake of the January 25, 1999 earthquake, as well as compare and contrast the earthquake's affects on Colombia to an...
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A Meat By Any Other Name. . .

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students, using a New York Times article as a springboard, discuss how food reflects different aspects of a culture and reasons why cultural differences in food are seen as bizarre or, oftentimes, cruel by members of other societies.
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Hate-Crimes and Punishment

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners research and write about the effectiveness of hate-crime legislation in the United States
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Striking Out At the Serbs

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students are introduced to the most recent stage of the conflict in Kosovo by allowing them to examine the positions and actions of various key figures (people, countries, and organizations).
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Unearthing the Past

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students analyze artifacts from an early society to determine information relating to daily life in that society. They consider which artifacts from our society would be most valuable to future archeologists.
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Africa Falls Prey to H.I.V.

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students use maps, statistics, and written texts to recognize the H.I.V. explosion in Africa.
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And You Were (Almost) There

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the genre of biography in both its traditional and nontraditional forms. They examine Edmund Morris's unorthodox biography of Ronald Reagan. They conduct research on an historic American and write their own biographies.
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Birmingham Blues

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate racial inequality and prejudice in American history through the words of Langston Hughes, an American black poet. They develop and share thoughtful collages and presentations inspired by the words of Langston Hughes.
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Stop Signs

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students research the positions of different interested parties regarding the current escalation of violence in Israel and the Occupied Territories. They formulate proposals to take part in a "Stop All Violence" emergency intervention.
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Executive Decisions

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the reasons behind key presidential decisions throughout American history and, by debating the pros and cons of these decisions in retrospect, students consider how these decisions affect us still today.
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On the Air

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars explore the issue of race in television since the 1950's, focusing specifically on African-American entertainers. After researching important issues, events, and television personalities of specific decades, students...
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Follow the Leaders

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students research current world political leaders, as well as the opinions of their supporters and critics, in order to create a "Present Political Leaders Hall of Fame" display for the classroom.
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Olympic Obstacle Course

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars examine the obstacles that Salt Lake City must overcome to host a successful Olympics in 2002. They draft proposals for their own city and/or state to host future Olympic Games.