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36 Public Policy Questions to Energize Your Government/History Classroom Debates
Need topics that are sure to engage your debaters? This list of public policy questions includes such topics as school mascots, regulation of major league baseball, physician-assisted suicide, and violence in video games. A great...
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Investigation of a Key Public Policy Issue
Twelfth graders select and analyze a public policy issue. In groups, they create a hot list of web sites that have been explored and investigated as a result of a web search. Using their research, 12th graders individually produce a...
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A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History
The Nashua River serves as the focal point of an investigation of the treatment of and care for natural resources. A reading of A River Rand Wild: An Environmental History by Lynne Cherry, launches the study and class members consider...
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Express Your Opinion
Students explore local, state, and national levels of government and discuss which level of government they should contact to get information, express their opinions, or get help on specific issues.
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Choose Your Own Adventure: School Nutritional Policy
Mature audiences are required for this lesson on implementing health-related policies. First, they openly explore the CDC obesity page while taking notes about what they discover. Then they view a PowerPoint about the success of public...
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Friday Forum (Day 4)
Have your young speakers participate in a discussion/debate with their whole class on their prepared argument. They listen and analyze other student's arguments and refute arguments using logic and not emotion.
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The Formation of Public Opinion: Ch 8
After reading about the formation of public opinion, the class can complete this quiz. They answer 5 true/false statements regarding public policy, political attitudes, and public opinion. Then they answer 5 multiple-choice questions...
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American Idealist Lesson 3: Participation through Public Policy
Learners explore America's War on Poverty. In this American history instructional activity, students research the work of Sergeant Shriver regarding poverty during the Johnson administration. Learners share their research finding in an...
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Public Policy Research
Young scholars explore a public policy issue of local importance. Through research and survey, they identify a public policy issue affecting people in their local area. Students determine how this issue affects the lives of those...
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Using Current Events to Understand Elections
Eleventh graders explore the the major phases of the electoral process for president. For this US Government lesson, 11th graders compare and contrast the delegate system of nomination and the electoral college.
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Developing An Action Plan
In this action plan worksheet, students complete a table after they create an action plan. The table lists activities, resources, and responsibilities necessary to complete the plan.
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Influencing the Agenda: The Impact of Interest Groups on Policy Making
Students examine the role of interest groups and how they affect voters. In groups, they research how the groups have affected policy making in the county. They examine a specific issue and discover whether or not a vote was changed...
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Public Policy Changes Using Technology
Young scholars discuss the problem of wrestling on the playground that has resulted in injuries to classmates. They research the problem using print and Internet resources. They listen to a presentation by the high school wrestling...
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Learning about Interest Group Politics
Students identify and interpret major interest groups and think tanks of the government. Students evaluate, record, and discuss the viewpoints of guests on the News Hour. Students select several Web-based transcripts of interviews,...
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Making Public Policy
Eighth graders examine a Legislative website to view the biography of a member and a map of the district that the member represents. They are then visited by the member who engages students in a discussion about how legislators make...
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House Bill No. 4097
Students identify healthy and unhealthy foods while considering a bill that would ban certain foods in schools. Through survey and discussion, they discuss a proposed legislative bill that would ban certain types of food in schools....
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Citizen Involvement Action Plan
Learners create an action plan based on their research of a public policy issue. Working in small groups, they discuss a public policy issue and research possible solution within certain guidelines. After completing their plan, they...
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Growing Pains
Students comprehend the process of working within a commission engaged in examining public policy. They use a simulated commission that has been charged with the task of making recommedations for dealing with issues surrounding sprawl.
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Analyzing Public Policy Options
Middle schoolers discuss what is meant by the term "public policy". In groups, they use the internet to research a specific public policy issue affecting Fairfax County, Virginia. They analyze and report their findings of the...
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Analyzing Public Policy Opinions
Middle schoolers brainstorm a list of the major issues affecting Fairfax County, Virginia. Using the internet, they choose one topic to research in depth. To end the instructional activity, they analyze the effectiveness of an actual...
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Influencing the Agenda: The Impact of Interest Groups on Public Policy
Pupils define the terms "interest groups" and "public policy". In groups, they discuss the ways in which interest groups can have an effect on how a Board member votes. Using examples, they discover the effectiveness of interest groups...
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Public Policy Analysis
Students read an article about a pressing public policy issue. Using the text, they identify the themes, facts and ideas presented and develop an argument supporting or disagreeing with the position of the author. In groups, they...
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Making Laws
Students list examples of how laws have impacted their daily lives, and describe how legislators debate, discuss, and pass into law public policies that affect individuals and society.
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Influencing Public Policy
Students read the local newspaper, identify a currrent community issue and develop plans to influence the formation, development, and implementation of a policy to affect the issue. They write a biography about someone who has influenced...