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You Be the Judge
Young scholars research and evaluate a case considered by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. They watch a Bill Moyers video, conduct a debate, and write about the decision they would make if they...
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Clash of Civilizations?
Students identify common misconceptions people have about cultures different than their own. After reading an article, they discover how the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations was founded. They research the misconceptions of the...
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Debate: "Indoor Air vs. Outdoor Air Pollution: Which Is the More Serious Threat to Public Health?"
Students work in teams to synthesize their air, asthma, air contamination, and environmental health knowledge as well as additional research to represent a particular point of view persuasively. They create a handout and presentatin...
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Can Justice Be Taylor-Made?
Students examine and discuss a quotation used as a slogan for Liberia's former president Charles G. Taylor. After reading an article, they consider the allegations against Taylor. In groups, they research a time period of his life and...
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A Glacier Ran Through It
Students learn basic geological concepts while researching how ice age floods sculpted the plateau of the Columbia Basin. They synthesize their learning by creating annotated illustrations of the geological principles they studied.
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Getting into Hot Water
Students discuss the effect of global warming on bodies of water after reading "An Icy Riddle as Big as Greenland" from The New York Times. Students work in groups to research topics related to global warming and Greenland's ecology...
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Case in Point
Students read about and discuss the re-opening of the Emmett Till murder case. They research and write about a famous civil rights trial and create a poster highlighting the importance of the trial.
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Safe Driving Solutions
Students act as commissioners researching needed safety standards for vehicles and highways. They then draft recommendations to be included in a new highway safety bill. They cite reasons a particular measure would reduce fatal highway...
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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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Destination Red Planet
Students explore reasons why people are interested in exploring other planets. After reading an article, they identify developments in the mission to Mars. Using the internet, they research the history of exploring Mars and create a...
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Electing Economies
Students examine the economic and political challenges the past six presidents have faced during their terms of office, and how those challenges may or may not have impacted their chances for re-election. They create campaign slogans...
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Plasma 101
Students examine the definitions and characteristics of plasma. After reading an article, they analyze new technologies to study plasma. In groups, they create a poster on how the different types of plasma work and write letters to their...
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Star Politics
Students discuss the advantages of a celebrity running for a public office. After reading an article, they examine the results of the California governor recall vote. In groups, they research the aspirations and career of a celebrity...
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It's Up for Debate
In this lesson, students investigate the different platforms of each of the Presidential hopefuls for the 2000 election. Small groups each carefully research the platforms of an assigned candidate and then create a political pamphlet...
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Brace Yourself!
Students create a list of dental problems and tactics that can be used to correct them. They then study about how the field of orthodontics is changing, and work in cooperative groups to research and build models of how various types of...
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The Struggles Between "Something Old" and "Something New"
Students explore traditional life in Africa and assess how modern society may be impacting the values of the continent's traditional peoples. Students work in small groups to research various aspects of the infrastructures of African...
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Eye on the Storm
Students discover the way geologists collect information about past hurricanes to determine patterns that may help with storm prediction. They then research the history of natural disasters in different regions of the United States and...
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Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Students gain a greater comprehension of the anatomy and physiology of the muscular system, the skeletal system and connective tissue by researching joints in the body. They also reflect on the effects of injuries on their joints and...
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Far Out!
Students research and compare/contrast how routine tasks on Earth would be without gravity. They read and discuss the article "The Life Galactic: A Lot of Work, a Little Play, Plenty of E-Mail." In groups they write a pitch for a TV...
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Cut and Paste Biographies
Students explore the influence of African-American artists, writers, and musicians on American culture. After researching different figures in these areas, they create collages representing each person's life and legacy.
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Reaching for the Sky
Students consider features of skyscraper using descriptive words, reflect on notion of skyscraper as orientation point in a city, and explore New York Times Building in Manhattan by reading and discussing article, "Pride and Nostalgia...
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1984: How Much Fact in Fiction?
Students compare and contrast the society in Orwell's 1984 with modern society. In this 1984 lesson, students research the historical climate in which Orwell wrote the novel. Students create a comparison chart of privacy issues in the...
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Can Diet and Exercise Help?
Students research information on diabetes. In this health and or language arts lesson, students develop Power Point presentations to demonstrate how life style choices affect the risk of developing diabetes. This is a great activity to...
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Internet and Right-to-Privacy Issues
Students explore the role of the Internet in people's daily lives. In this Internet ethics lesson, students examine right-to-privacy issues as they research privacy policies on popular websites. Students also discuss Internet safety.