Curated OER
The Death Penalty
Students examine the controversy surrounding the death penalty in the United States. In this current events lesson, students research the history of the death penalty as well perspectives on the topic. Students interview others about the...
Curated OER
Biotechnology, GMOs and Food
Twelfth graders explore controversy around genetically modified foods, identify source of controversy, and role play town hall meeting on genetically modified foods, to examine viewpoints and arguments for and against genetic modification.
Curated OER
America's Stone Age Explorers
Students watch a Nova program examining the earliest in habitants of the Americas. In groups. they take notes on various topics covered in the program. Among the topics covered are: the Clovis people, Solutrean culture, migration...
Curated OER
Global Issues
Twelfth graders look deeper into a controversial or global issue. They complete five "Level 3" activities. Students complete three "Level 2" activities and complete one "Level 1" activity. They must complete a title page and table of...
Curated OER
Wild About Wildfires
Students conduct a debate. In this wildfire and controlled burning lesson, students watch the video "Legacy of Fire" and discuss the topic of wildland fires and controlled burns. Half of the class researches the arguments for these...
Curated OER
A Test Case for Individual Rights
Students examine the different points of view regarding testing students for drug use. They then work in pairs to create and perform dialogues that flesh out two sides of the argument around this controversial issue.
Curated OER
The Pentagon Papers
Students examine national security issues. In this Vietnam lesson, students research the background and controversy surrounding the Pentagon Papers. Students discuss press rights in light of maintaining national security.
Curated OER
Orchestra Tax Battle
Students read a newspaper article about the controversial taxation of an orchestra. They define vocabulary, complete comprehension worksheets, analyze the use of verb forms in the article and take a 'true or false' quiz.
Curated OER
Cultural Patrimony: What Belongs to Whom?
Cultural patrimony is a fascinating topic for your students to explore.
Curated OER
Just (Don't) Do It
Students create age-appropriate, informational brochures examining health topics relating to sex, after learning about federally funded abstinence-only sex education.
Curated OER
The Wilderness Concept: Our National Parks, History and Issues
Students examine the history of the National parks. In groups, they discuss the concepts of conservation and preservation. They discuss the use of natural resources and how some are renewable and non-renewable. To end the lesson, they...
Curated OER
Politics of Death
Students examine the topic of euthanasia. In this religion and ethics lesson, students investigate the cases of Terri Schiavo and Hugh Finn in order to gain an understanding of the euthanasia controversy.
Curated OER
Faith-Based Initiatives
Students consider the effectiveness of faith-based initiatives. In this religion and ethics lesson, students research issues relative to the separation of church and state. Students investigate the Bush faith-based initiative proposal...
Curated OER
Coral Bleaching: Making Our Oceans Whiter
Students study coral reefs and the controversy over coral bleaching. They role-play a debate over the issue and come up with a compromise to protect the reefs and the economies that depend on them.
Curated OER
Examining the Reasons for the Creation of the State of Israel
Students explore the connection between World War II and Jewish immigration to Israel after the War. In this World History lesson, students discuss the details of what it might have been like to live through the Holocaust. After the...
Curated OER
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Students reflect on the events that lead up to the Cuban Missile Crisis in the early 1960s. In this history lesson plan, students explore the conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union revolving around missiles in Cuba,...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Lesson 1: The United States Confronts Great Britain, 1793–1796
After the Revolutionary War, the success of the United States was far from guaranteed. Foreign powers coveted the new land, and Great Britain challenged American sovereignty. Learners consider the challenges facing the new nation using...
Sharp School
You Can't Buy Love - But You May Need Toilet Paper
What will I be? What do I want to be? What will I have to do to achieve this goal? These are the essential questions that launches a research project that asks like-minded individuals to identify their goals, the costs of the practical...
Teach With Movies
Learning Guide To: Gone with the Wind
The film version of Gone with the Wind is the focus of this learning guide that asks viewers to consider some of the issues that the Southern states faced prior to and during the Civil War.
Curated OER
Propaganda Flyer
Fourth graders create a persuasive flyer to sway the opinion of the class on a controversial issue. They read assigned editorials representing the viewpoint that they must defend.
Curated OER
Issues and Ethics
Awakening young scientists to the notion of ethics and its impact on developing topics, such as biotechnology, will be simple if you use this basic PowerPoint summarizing some of the current controversial practices.
California Academy of Science
Human Evolution
As the great and hilarious Tim Minchin once said, "Science is simply the word we use to describe a method of organizing our curiosity." Science is more than just a guess; it is based on questions, observations, and evidence. High...
Curated OER
Critical Path
Students widen their understanding of the different points of view surrounding current news topics. They research a current controversy on which public opinion is divided and write a concise commentary on the topic expressing a strong...
Curated OER
Economic Use of Public Natural Areas
High schoolers examine the public controversy between the use of public natural areas for economic activities by viewing video clips, researching on the Internet, and calculating sustainable land.