Curated OER
Caste In Stone?
Students examine India's caste system. After learning about the history and development of the caste system, students discuss how new political power granted to women in lower castes is affecting the political and social climate of India.
Curated OER
Forever in Our Memories
Students consider reactions to various plans for building on the grounds of the World Trade Center. They explore ideas and opinions that went into creating other memorials of events in American history and propose ideas for improving...
Curated OER
Muppets as Mediators
Learners explore current social issues in the Middle East to create their own student television programs for Palestinian and Israeli Students.
Curated OER
Suitable Schools
Students explore education requirements for different professions, and define the skills and knowledge that adults use in their everyday lives. They define and describe what students, teachers and parents expect from formal schooling.
Curated OER
Persuasive Pressures
Students investigate various lobbying groups, then practice lobbying tactics by writing and presenting speeches advocating important local issues.
Curated OER
Getting the Message Across
Students discover the emergence of e-mail as a popular communication tool and explore its impact on society. They consider the advantages and disadvantages of different types of communication tools in various creative contexts.
Curated OER
Charity Begins At Home
Students read and discuss "Prosperity Extends Its Reach, but Not Far Enough to Benefit All," and examine the difficulty, for the working poor, in making ends meet, and propose philanthropic solutions.
Curated OER
What's the Story?
Students explore how the same news story can be presented differently through various journalistic styles. They discuss the unique characteristics of each style and find articles on the same event in each of the different styles.
Curated OER
Mixed Blessings
Students investigate the recent federal appeals court decision finding the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional. They further investigate the notions of constitutionality and separation between church and state by analyzing a patriotic...
Curated OER
Who Decides Who Dies?
Students explore various state laws concerning capital punishment and conduct a mock meeting of the United States Congress to set standards for the death penalty.
Curated OER
When Building Up Leads to Breaking Down
Students examine where one develops his or her views about health and ways in which teen-agers exhibit these influences, focusing particularly on the rising trend of anabolic steroid use in teen-age girls.
Curated OER
Mom, Where Do TV's Come From?
Students explore the history of television using the lifetime achievements of Milton Berle as a springboard for studying social and technological advances in American entertainment. They, in groups, examine the role of television through...
Curated OER
A Whale of a Problem
Students evaluate the possible causes contributing to the decline of the killer whale population from a number of differing perspectives. They present their findings in a talk show format and in letters of advocacy regarding
Curated OER
Defense Mechanisms
Students examine the Cold War roots of the recent debate over the construction of United States and Russian missile defense shields. They begin by reading and discussing the article, Putin Says Russia Would Counter U.S. Shield.
Curated OER
Media Literacy
Students evaluate the effectiveness of Internet book clubs, present their findings to the class, and design their own on-line book club (under the umbrella of a fictional television program) to encourage non-readers to read more.
Curated OER
To Tell the Tale
Students explore how themes common to the human condition can be found in literary and oral traditions across cultures. They compile traditional folk tales around these themes and write their own tales to reflect their own cultural context.
Curated OER
Stanza Proud
Students examine different decades in American history, finding connections between the historical events and the poetry written during these time periods. They write their own poetry based on current world events.
Curated OER
Confronting College
Young scholars investigate what they need to meet their future academic goals, then investigate the college admissions process by preparing materials for a mock college fair.
Curated OER
See You Later, Alligator
Students explore the historical and social significance of animals as cultural symbols in various countries around the world, as well as the impact that humans have made on the population and natural habitats of these animals.
Curated OER
It's A Dog-Eat-Dog World
Learners examine the dangers of owning and breeding aggressive dogs. They debate whether aggressive dogs should be kept as pets. They write an essay from their point of view about aggressive dogs as pets.
Curated OER
The Writing's on the Wall
Students examine a job-training/violence reduction program that removes gang graffiti in East Los Angeles. They discuss issues confronting their own communities and propose community service programs to address these issues.
Curated OER
Legends in Their Own Times
Students learn folk tales from many different cultures and retell them using the medium of their choice. They write about the cultural indications found in these tales.
Curated OER
Work Cut Out For You
Students read about teenagers who forgo college for work. They plan their own progression toward their careers of choice by creating 'fantasy résumés' that list both their present accomplishments and things they hope to do in the future.
Curated OER
The Last Meow
Students explore the popular culture phenomenon of the musical 'Cats' and the T.S. Eliot poems that were its inspiration. They write original poems about animals, and read them aloud to their peers.