Curated OER
Justices for All
Students examine role of Supreme Court justices in the American political process, research the qualities of the current Supreme Court justices, and write opinion papers evaluating the current justices and recommending future nominations.
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State of the "States"
Students consider indicators that mark a country's progress, examine how last year's State of the Union address has affected U.S. foreign policy, research issues deemed important in that speech, and create report cards assessing the...
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Winning Tickets
Students research background, personal interests, family history, and positions on current issues of the leading presidential and vice presidential candidates. They create unbiased presentations aimed at informing voters about...
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Hollywood Candidate
Students consider how a political candidate creates a campaign image. They, in groups, create short biographical films promoting various candidates currently running for office in the United States.
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Where Will You Be November 2?
Students consider reasons why many Americans do not vote in national elections and explore the increase in new registered voters. They research a particular demographic and create an advertisement encouraging members of that group to vote.
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Keeping an Appointment
Students studey about Bernard B. Kerik's decision to withdraw his nomination as homeland security secretary by President Bush. They hold a mock vetting process for other potential nominees for this position.
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Love It or Leave It?
Students identify flags by country, then research the symbolism and history of those flags in preparation for writing and delivering oral presentations. For homework, they write essays reflecting on the relationship between flags,...
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Intimidation of a Nation
Students discuss their understanding of "intimidation." In groups, they analyze and discuss recent terrorist threats to the scheduled democratic elections in Iraq, and then reflect on whether they believe the elections should continue as...
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Get Surreal
Young scholars analyze and write text for audio guides about particular pieces of art from the Surrealism movement.
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We Were Here First
Students explore the legal and historical experience of native peoples living in the United States. They write a letter to their United States senator commenting on the Hawaiian bill using information gathered during their research.
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FINDING A RESOLUTION
Students examine detailed Moon and Earth views provided by the NASA-sponsored "World Wind" computer program. They work in groups to create maps of different scales using landmarks of their choice, and challenge their classmates to...
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Fighting Fire With Satire
Students consider satire in the news by exploring various sources of "fake news," and then creating their own political satire in the form of a skit, news article, or cartoon.
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Soldier's Payback
Young scholars examine their thoughts about enlisting in the Army, then consider the question of whether former soldiers should be called up for active duty. They debate the issue in a town hall meeting, and write proposals offering...
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Stand Up For Her Rights
Learners consider how different cultural and religious groups perceive girls' education. By addressing differences and identifying common ground, students attempt to arrive at a philosophy of girls' education that takes varying...
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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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Trading Up?
Young scholars explore the benefits and drawbacks of free trade from the perspective of the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Chile and Mexico. For homework, they each write a letter to the editor expressing their...
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Whose Fate at the G-8?
Students explore the 2005 Group of 8 Summit, investigating the member countries' views on the summit issues, as well as the views of the African Union and G-8 protesters. They offer predictions on outcomes of the summit given this...
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A State of Her Own
Learners investigate current elected female leaders from around the world and use their research to create challenging crossword puzzles.
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Of Amulets And Scrolls
Students come to an understanding of the time period covered in the first five books of the Bible by researching and recreating ancient artifacts. They recreate artifacts that represent the people, lifestyles, and culture of people...
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Conversations With The Past
Learners consider what they already know about the Holocaust and reflect on the sixtieth commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz by reading and responding to testimonials of victims. They create artwork to honor those who...
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Pranks With Paint
Young scholars consider what they already know about graffiti and explore the pranks and work of a graffiti artist. They research a famous painting and create original artwork by adding thoughtful graffiti to it.
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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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Does Security Mean Safer? Exploring Issues of Security in Public Places
Students explore various scenarios that may or may not make them suspicious in the post-September 11 world, and discuss and write position papers about a fatal shooting involving air marshals and a mentally ill passenger.
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A Maya Masterpiece
Students analyze the symbols presented in a Maya artifact. They create collages that depict a theme related to contemporary life in their community, and write brief analyses explaining the symbolism of the images they chose.