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Are We Safer?
Learners discuss the meaning of feeling safe in their environment after September 11th. After reading National Intelligence reports and news articles summarizing the findings about national security, they write letters to their...
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Life Lessons
Students analyze various inspirational statements from graduation commencement speeches, and then write their own speeches that reflect lessons to help students succeed in the next stage of life.
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Give a Little, Get a Lot
Learners research a specific charitable organization on the Internet, focusing on the organization's history, services, and importance in society. They develop an outline for a charitable organization with a mission statement.
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Searching with Certainty
Students explore ways to determine credibility in sources of information. In small groups, students develop a thesis question for a research paper, then use three different methods to find Internet sites with credible information.
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Justices for All
Students examine role of Supreme Court justices in the American political process, research the qualities of the current Supreme Court justices, and write opinion papers evaluating the current justices and recommending future nominations.
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What Now?
Students consider local and national divisiveness over the presidential elections by examining a New York Times editorial and then writing op-eds suggesting how to address post-election discord in their schools and/or communities.
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Calling Names
Students explore how language shapes debate by researching the names and tags both advocates and opponents use when discussing a topical issue. For homework, they create name collages and write prose poems.
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Flight of the Imagination
Students study the success of video games by reading an online article. They work in groups to design settings, storylines, characters and technical features for their own fantasy video games. Finally, they write scripts for previews of...
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Intolerable Acts
Students examine the implications of North Korea's nuclear testing. They develop a K-W-L chart, read an article, write questions, conduct research on their self-generated questions, and create an exhibit of their findings.
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Behind the Cover
Students develop questions they would have liked to ask an author about their written works. They read an article about their forefathers and research a back story to a written work of their choice. They create posters to illustrate the...
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Let the Music Play
Students create auditory presentations on festivals and celebrations around the world. They begin by reading about how the New Orleans high school marching bands have overcome many obstacles to keep their music traditions alive. Then...
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Summer Bummers
Brainstorm popular summer activities and their risks after having your class read an article. They will discover the risks of sun overexposure and in groups develop public service announcements for young people. They also propose a media...
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Diplomatic Relations
Students discuss the Phillipines and its political history with the United States. Then, after careful examination of a 2004 hostage situation in Iraq, they write papers analyzing the decision made by then Filipino President Gloria...
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Home Cooking
Students explore the link between home and food in a writing exercise. They study and discuss how some Hispanic immigrants keep in touch with their culinary origins. They develop a recipe that represents their ethnic origin. They...
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Making the Future Present
Students draw and describe a new system for prison surveillance. After reading an article, they discover the use of a wearable computer by prison guards. In groups, they develop a proposal for a new type of technology to be used in a...
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All in the Family
Students develop family genealogy charts in search of noticeable genetic relationships between relatives. They research their family and write a reflection on the genetic relationships between individuals on the chart.
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The ABC's of DNA
Students describe genetics as if they were explaining it to a young child. After reading an article, they discover new discoveries in the human genome project. Using the internet, they research a pair of genetic terms and develop a...
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Straight Talk On Tough Issues
Learners engage in a lesson that is focused upon the concept of breast cancer and research is conducted using a variety of reference sources. They reflect upon how different people deal with the tragedy of cancer and then students write...
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The Monarch Butterfly Watch
Learners explore monarch migration through the Journey North web site. In this butterfly instructional activity, students use the internet to identify a butterfly's migration pattern. Learners write in electronic journals.
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Freedom and You
Students research the American Revolution. In this Revolutionary War lesson plan, students research facts about the American Revolution, write an expository essay, and peer edit for good content. The paper is suggested to be written...
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Manifest Destiny
Young scholars explore the concept of Manifest Destiny. In this Westward Expansion instructional activity, students discuss the impact of Manifest Destiny on different groups of people who inhabited the West. Young scholars create...
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Animal Poems
Learners create their own acrostic poems. In this poetry lesson, students read poetry book to view examples of acrostic poems. Learners then write an acrostic poem using their name.
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Closing the Gaps
Students examine the defining characteristics of their own generation. They apply their analysis to learning about previous generations, and synthesize their learning by creating improvisational skits and writing creative essays.
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Declarations of Independence
Learners examine what they know about American Indians past and present, then research key issues facing American Indian tribes today. To synthesize their learning, students write letters taking the perspective of an American Indian.