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Heredity
Middle schoolers create their own baby pets based on the genes of the two parents.
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Moot Court Preparation
Twelfth graders prepare themselves for a mock moot court. In groups, they are presented with an overview of each activity and research appellate cases related to the topic given to them. They identify regions of the country that have...
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Does the Supreme Court Affect Teens?: A Survey of Court Cases
Students read and restate the Ten Amendements of the Bill of Rights. They analyze Supreme Court cases using the Bill of Rights. Students make predictions about how the Supreme Court might have deicided each case. They evaluate how the...
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Learning about Vincent Van Gogh
Students conduct research on the life and artwork of Vincent Van Gogh. They explore various websites, answer research questions and write a paragraph about the information found online, and discuss as a class what makes Van Gogh's...
National Constitution Center
Address America: Your Six-Word Stump Speech
Stump speeches are the focus of this exercise that combines politics and language arts. After learning about this type of speech, the class listens to Obama's 2008 presidential campaign stump speech and answers a series of questions that...
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the Rights of Detainees At Guantanamo Bay
High schoolers identify the legal issues involved in the case of the detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay and surrounding the existence of the base itself. They explain the clash between civil liberties and national security during...
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How Does the USA Patriot Act Approach Race?
Students define and discuss the definitions of race and terrorism as a class. Using the Patriot Act, they analyze it and identify how it is a response to terrorism. They discuss how the documents could be viewed as one that supports...
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Democracy, A Basic Element In Our Society
Students investigate the concept of freedom with the context of the First Amendment. They research and take notes looking for the connections between democracy and freedom. They complete a writing assessment that includes naming all of...
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The Nuclear Option
Students explore the history behind judicial nominations as well as the filibuster process. They discuss and debate filibuster merits and detractions, its use and alleged misuse, and what some Congressional leaders are currently doing...
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Democracy in the Middle East
Young scholars explain that President Bush's foreign policy to promote democracy is a departure from the Cold War policy of containment, and examine the reasons this policy has been proposed at this time.
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Beauty Behind Barbed Wire: The Relocation Camp Experience of Estelle Ishigo
Eighth graders study World War II through art.
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Understanding Treaties: Students Explore the Lives of Yakama People Before and After Treaties
Students examine the impact of treaties on the Yakama nation. They discover the importance of land and how they felt when their land was taken away. They role-play the positions of both the Yakama and citizens of the United States.
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The Role of the United Nations in Postwar Iraq
Students study the history of the United Nations and answer study questions regarding the role of the UN in present day post-war Iraq.
National First Ladies' Library
Rock the Vote! But When?
Middle schoolers research and examine about voting turnouts in the United States and around the world. They assess about various aspects of the so-called "youth vote," and have an opportunity to consider the meaning of the vote in a...
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Planning a Railroad
Students use a topographical map to plan a route from Doknner Summit to Truckee, then compare it to the route selected by Theodore Judah.
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Lee Yick: Fighting Racism
Students study the 14th Amendment, then review and analyze a Supreme Court brief. There was much racism exhibited toward the Chinese immigrants by the European Americans; this came in the form of institutional racism and mob violence....
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Quotas and Jim Crow Laws
Students examine the use of quotas and Jim Crow laws. They discuss discrimination against minority groups both historically and in contemporary society. Students examine an affirmative action case and discuss the controversies involved.
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Cultural America
Seventh graders investigate the cultural differences that can be found in America. They discuss what it means to be called an American. The patterns of migration to America are discussed with the use of maps and geographical terms....
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The Cost of Saving
Tenth graders compare accounts provided by the two newspaper articles with the visual account provided by Sue Coe. They articulate how those accounts are alike and different. Students consider the economic choices that made the Hamlet...
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Unit on International Law and Organizations
Pupils participate in a debate between internationalists and the rights of sovereign nations. They read interviews and role play one of the sides in a mock interview.
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Immigration and American Life on African-Americans
Students examine how human migration started in Africa, and draw maps of Africa and place the names of the countries and capitals on the maps. They write essays on how Africans came to America.
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Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858
Students examine the transcripts of the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates and create a platform for each candidate in the 1858 Senate race. They utilize the candidates' arguments to explore the historical and political impact.
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Gov. Reubin Askew's Stand on Busing And Integration in Florida Schools
High schoolers research a straw vote placed on a Florida ballet in 1972 that asked if voters were in favor of prohibiting forced busing to further desegregation. They read primary documents, complete a worksheet and participate in class...
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Finding Buck Henry
Students read and demonstrate competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process via the novel "Finding Buck Henry." They recognize complex elements of plot. Students analyze devices used to develop characters in...