Curated OER
A Civil Action
Students explore the roles of law enforcement officials, the news media, and civilians in crime prevention and criminal apprehension. They envision ways to build and strengthen community partnerships to address concerns about crime.
Curated OER
Community Building
Students explore the issues of urban and suburban sprawl. They work in small groups to create their own planned communities.
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At the Heights of Conflict
Students examine the historic and present conflict between Israel and Syria over the Golan Heights. In groups students present the class with information on the Golan Heights. They write an essay defending his or her view on the future...
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International Custody Battle
Students research the relationship between the United States and Cuba by identifying key players and events in Cuban/U.S. history. They also focus on a battle waged between Cuban-Americans in Miami and a father in Cuba over the custody...
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Home Away from Home
Learners explore ways that diverse populations impact cities by investigating local immigrant populations. They, in small groups, create 'immigration profiles' of the nationalities of immigrants reflected in their community's or city's...
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The Right to Know Your Rights
Students read a New York Times article in order analyze the Miranda Rights. They explore various legal views of these rights through group interviews and presentations.
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Ulster-ior Motives
Students examine the creation of the Northern Ireland Assembly as an historic step in the peace process in Northern Ireland. They work in four small groups, each exploring the history and objectives of one of the parties in the new...
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The Source of Knowledge
Students explore their impressions of several countries and the sources of information that informed those impressions. They examine the changing attitudes of South Koreans toward North Korean by reading and discussing "New Craze in...
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High-Risk Areas
Students create concept maps exploring causes of drug abuse that, in Siberia and around the world, often lead to the contraction of H.I.V., and develop solutions papers.
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Judicial Void
Students explore the impact of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court. They research potential nominees to replace her, in light of her resignation, and write letters to President George W. Bush to share opinions of the...
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Adding Fuel to the Fire
Young scholars consider global warming and the greenhouse effect, then explore how these issues affect other countries. They graph findings and write papers considering how continued usage can affect the future of the atmosphere and the...
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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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Two's Company; Is Three a Crowd?
Students explore the history of third-party politics in America. They research the impact of one third-party or independent candidate for president and develop a poster and stump speech representing that candidate's motivation for running.
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Legally Wed
Students explore the controversial topic of same-sex marriages in a fishbowl discussion. They write balanced news articles based on interviews exploring people's opinions on laws that define marriage.
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Civil War
Students explore rules of conduct in a political body, first drafting rules that apply to their classroom, then adapting them to political actions in Congress.
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Winning Tickets
Students research background, personal interests, family history, and positions on current issues of the leading presidential and vice presidential candidates. They create unbiased presentations aimed at informing voters about...
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Hollywood Candidate
Students consider how a political candidate creates a campaign image. They, in groups, create short biographical films promoting various candidates currently running for office in the United States.
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Where Will You Be November 2?
Students consider reasons why many Americans do not vote in national elections and explore the increase in new registered voters. They research a particular demographic and create an advertisement encouraging members of that group to vote.
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The Final Countdown
Students examine the United States electoral college system as it applies to the 2004 presidential election. They investigate the impact of the twelve battleground states in the 2004 election and develop informative pamphlets on the...
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Keeping an Appointment
Students studey about Bernard B. Kerik's decision to withdraw his nomination as homeland security secretary by President Bush. They hold a mock vetting process for other potential nominees for this position.
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Love It or Leave It?
Students identify flags by country, then research the symbolism and history of those flags in preparation for writing and delivering oral presentations. For homework, they write essays reflecting on the relationship between flags,...
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The Secret is Out
Students explore ideas about journalism ethics as they relate to Watergate and discuss various issues related to an anonymous source being revealed. They write letters to the public editor of The NY Times about credibility and anonymous...
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We Were Here First
Students explore the legal and historical experience of native peoples living in the United States. They write a letter to their United States senator commenting on the Hawaiian bill using information gathered during their research.
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FINDING A RESOLUTION
Students examine detailed Moon and Earth views provided by the NASA-sponsored "World Wind" computer program. They work in groups to create maps of different scales using landmarks of their choice, and challenge their classmates to...