California Academy of Science
Kinesthetic Astronomy: The Meaning of a Year
How many times have you traveled around the sun? Aspiring astronomers grasp what a year is and they differentiate between orbit and rotation by walking around the sun right within your classroom. Place a lamp in the center of the room to...
Curated OER
Constitutional Amendments Survey
Students conduct Constitutional Amendments Survey to create an opinion poll forum.
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Civics: Juvenile Justice in Missouri
Students investigate their rights and responsibilities as juveniles in the Missouri legal system. After taking a poll on juvenile justice, they discuss their responses and suggest changes which they could send to the state legislature. ...
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Hark, the Herald Atheists Sing
Students complete a one minute interview on their classmates views on religion and holiday traditions. They read an article about how Americans celebrate Christmas in different ways. Creating in-depth questions, they practice...
Teaching Tolerance
The True History of Voting Rights
Explore what voting rights really are in an intriguing activity that explores the history of American voting. The resource examines the timeline of voting rights in the United States with group discussions, hands-on-activities, and...
NASA
Planning Time
Ever feel there's just not enough hours in the day? Young adults explore an important part of personal development using a group of activities. After comparing how they actually spend their time with how they would like to, scholars...
ProCon
Right to Health Care
Is health care a right or a privilege? Scholars review pro and con arguments to decide if all Americans should have the right to health care. They also watch informative videos and review information on the United States and...
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The 2004 Utah Priorities Poll
Students participate in a lesson that focuses on a state survey for Utah. The survey is intended to find the public opinion of how the state is doing in the public eye. They analyze the survey and create their own to research the status...
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H.D. Thoreau's Philosophy of Government
Pupils read an essay by H.D. Thoreau as analysis of his philosophy on government. In this Thoreau analysis lesson, students work in groups to paraphrase two of Thoreau's criteria for his beliefs about government. Pupils write a...
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Lower the UK voting age?
Students explore the designs of the voting age in UK. Students relate the topic to their own legal rights to vote. Students take a quiz to poll all the answers. Students present findings to the class.
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California Primary 2000
Students explore the open primary system and the candidates that appeared on the ballot in California's Presidential Primary in 2000. A variety of issues and sites are explored and form the focus of this instructional activity.
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Unity Through Understanding
High schoolers identify skills and attitudes that allow individuals to form functioning groups within the Canadian Parliament. The issues examined are applied to national unity concerns.
C-SPAN
Electoral College Pros/Cons and Alternatives
If every vote counts, why do we need the electoral college? Middle and high schoolers study the Constitutional precedent of the electoral college, as well as its place in historical and modern elections, with an engaging social studies...
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Reading Comprehension 1
Bring this non-fiction text into your eleventh and twelfth grade classrooms. Your high schoolers will read the long passage provided, and use the information to complete eight multiple-choice questions. The answer sheet details where one...
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How We Vote
Students fill in a graphic organizer and discuss the struggles in groups about the history of voting in Louisiana. Students also explore a voting timeline to see who could and could not vote before and after 1850.
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Comparing School Bus Stats
Engage in a lesson that is about the use of statistics to examine the number of school buses used in particular states. They perform the research and record the data on the appropriate type of graph. Then they solve related word problems.
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Shoplifting
Students demonstrate knowledge that shoplifting is a crime and choose a socially positive course of action.
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Exploring Diversity: What We Share and How We Differ
Students discuss the amount of diversity at their school. They examine a culture other than their own and share it with their classmates. They discuss the importance of diversity to end the lesson.
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Is Anyone Out There? Examining Astrobiology and the Value of SETI
Blow their minds with a lesson on the search for life outside of our planet! A brief video proposes the question of how to define life. A couple of articles investigate the possibility of alien existence. Finally, the class is divided...
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A Look at Virginians During Reconstruction
Fourth graders examine slavery and Reconstruction in Virginia. In this Virginians during Reconstruction instructional activity, 4th graders research primary sources for the story of William Jasper and other slaves. Students hypothesize...
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Healthcare Reform Lessons
Lesson plans about healthcare reform can help students get a better sense of the issues, and people involved.
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The Ultimate Punishment
Students discover information about the death penalty debate. They explore the history of the death penalty and how it has changed over time. They examine supporting and opposing viewpoints of the issue.
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Shoebox Dig
Students participate in a simulation in which they dig for artifacts in a shoebox filled with objects. In groups, they record the types of material and artifacts found in each layer. To end the lesson, they answer questions on the...
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One Survivor Remembers: Anti-Semitism
Students analyze and discuss how propaganda influenced anti-Semitism and it's role in World War II. In this propaganda lesson plan, students define the terms involved in this assignment. Then they will discuss their reactions to a film...