Anti-Defamation League
Student Dress Codes: What's Fair?
The controversy over school dress codes continues. The debate involves questions like, why is there a policy? Who sets the policy? Who enforces the policy? What is a fair policy? Tweens and teens have an opportunity to engage in the...
Penguin Books
An Educator’s Guide to Chraisma by Jeanne Ryan
Often, science fiction makes a lot of connections to real life. An educator's guide for the novel Charisma by Jeanne Ryan, has readers discuss many of the real-life issues that come in the text. A brief summary helps garner interest in...
Penguin Books
An Educator's Guide to the Works of Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Middle school years can be tough. An educator's guide for the works of Lynda Mullaly Hunt introduces readers to two texts that discuss the struggles pre-teens face during middle school. Chapter-by-chapter questions and activities for two...
Curated OER
Media Coverage
Students research news coverage to examine how a local issue does not receive fair attention in the news. For this new coverage lesson, students discuss where they get their information and why some issues are ignored. Students research...
Curated OER
Lesson plan: Today's young leaders
Students explain teen involvement in integrating society, and determine programs for teens in different organizations.
Curated OER
9-11: Looking Back...Moving Forward
Students watch and discuss a video about teens living in and around New York and how 9-11 changed their lives. They answer discussion questions, read and discuss newspaper/magazine articles, take a self-test on depression, and create a...
Curated OER
Resistance to Parents
Middle schoolers examine family life issues. In this interpersonal relationships lesson, students discuss typical resistance to parents from teen children. Middle schoolers also discuss options for children dealing with difficult or...
Curated OER
Safe Driving
Young scholars explore the implications of teen driving. In this personal health lesson, students research and discuss impaired driving, seat belt usage, speeding, and distracted driving. Young scholars then create public awareness...
Curated OER
Minority Teenage Fathers: Rights and Responsibilities
Students examine current laws and use problem solving activities designed to develop in students the knowledge and skills necessary to evaluate situations they may/ be confronted with as potential teen-aged fathers.
Curated OER
Young Blood
Learners take a closer look at youth crime. In this current events lesson, students research the listed Web sites that include information about British teen violence and poverty statistics in the nation. Learners then discuss how to...
Curated OER
CLOSE TO HOME - Overboard
Students read a comic about a teen drug overdose that leads to death. In this drug awareness lesson, students role play characters in the story that react to the death of their friend due to drug use in an online forum. Students evaluate...
Curated OER
Family Conflict Resolution
Students identify the issues that cause conflicts in families and determine ways to manage conflict. For this conflict resolution lesson, students brainstorm issues that cause conflicts. Students work in groups to find ways to solve the...
Curated OER
Universal Suffrage
Students explore concept of suffrage. In this voting rights lesson, students participate in a classroom activity that excludes girls from voting. Students discuss gender issues and write essays regarding the restriction of voting rights.
Curated OER
Using Facebook with Literature
Students use online social networking to learn about characters in literature. In this literature and technology lesson, students visit Facebook website and set up character profiles for a piece of literature they've read.
Curated OER
Debating the Issues of Rockdale County
Students interpret information from the video "The Lost Children of Rockdale County" through a series of written questions and answers, and group discussion and evaluate the parameters of parental responsibility in the lives of teenagers.
Curated OER
Cutting Athletics = Cutting Scholarship Chances
Learners identify athletic programs to be cut from school district budget, find out how many students have received college athletic scholarships in past, and interview learners and coaches to find out how scholarship search is going if...
Curated OER
The Influence of Hip Hop
Students consider the influence of Hip Hop on their own language use and various segments of American society; they reflect on and demonstrate their knowledge of Hip Hop vocabulary and its use.
University of Kentucky
Bullying Awareness
As a teacher, it's likely you're seeing bullying at your school in some capacity. Use three activities as a refresher course for junior high schoolers on what bullying is, the severity of its consequences, and how they can make a...
Administrative Office of the US Courts
Snyder v. Phelps
Does the Westboro Baptist Church have the protection of the Constitution when protesting military funerals? High schoolers examine the 2011 Supreme Court case of Snyder v. Phelps before comparing the situation to a fictional scenario of...
YMCA
Turning Courtrooms into Classrooms
Turn the class into the next episode of Law & Order! Scholars work together to create a mock trial over the course of several weeks before going before a judge for the case performance. They take on different roles, go through...
US Institute of Peace
Defining Conflict
Conflict is everywhere—but is it avoidable? The first activity in a series of 15 peacebuilding lessons examines the nature of conflict at home, school, and across the world. Learners develop a definition of conflict through group work...
Smithsonian Institution
Comparing Confederate and Union Soldiers
The Civil War, a war that divided a nation. Comparing and contrasting the Confederate and Union soldiers is not always an easy task, but the eighth of 15 resources makes it easy to teach the concepts. Exercises include watching videos in...
Social Skills Central
Ready, Set, Respond!
When faced with a difficult situation, do you respond selfishly, face it head on, or ignore the problem? This game encourages learners to evaluate the wide range of reactions we can have to problematic situations, and how our responses...
Florida Department of Health
Nutrition: Developing Healthy Habits Unit
The focus of the fourth unit in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey Curriculum is on healthy eating and exercise. Class members examine healthy habits data from the YRBD Youth Online Tool, learn about the importance of a healthy diet and...