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The View
Students explore the structure and purpose of Op-Ed pieces in the newspaper. They then write Op-Eds from the perspectives of United States presidents on important issues of their day.
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Adopt a Geographic News Story
Students explore geography and the environment by reading the news. They discuss why it is important to follow the news. Students adopt a geographic news story, research the topic, and design posters to illustrate the story.
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There's a Hurricane Out There
Young scholars use information technology to conduct research. They become hurricane hunters and predict where, when, and under which conditions a hurricane will be likely to hit.
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Telling the Stories the Past Tells Us
Students create historical stories based on factual evidence. In this Telling the Stories the Past Tells Us lesson, students write historical stories using strategies such as characters, plot, setting, and voice. Students analyze several...
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Historical Presents
Students research events, trends, and phenomena of specific years in the twentieth century, then design "time capsules" to commemorate those years.
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Prize-Winning Profiles
Pupils read a profile of Luiz Inácio da Silva, the currently favored presidential candidate in Brazil. They use this article as a model for writing their own profiles of noteworthy people recently featured in the news.
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Passion for Change
Students reflect upon traditional, cultural, or ritualized events. They research and document the evolution of a familiar tradition or ritualized event and creatively represent the changes to the tradition.
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Strong Vibes
Pupils consider how the tension of a rubber band relates to the stress build-up in earthquakes. They conduct research and write fictional television coverage about a Pacific Northwest town that is hit by an earthquake.
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Sioux Treaty of 1868
Students explore and research the history of Native Americans in North America.
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D-Day Message from General Eisenhower to General Marshall
Students use documents in the National Archives of the United States to evaluate the effectiveness of D-Day.
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One, Two, Three. TMV
Students, in groups, design their own experiments to determine how the mode of application of the virus extract affects the various plants that students have grown from seed.
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Animal Act
Young scholars create original tales that use animals to portray human behavior.
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Seeing the Forests for the Trees
Students explore changing logging practices in the Congo Republic and research the many roles of tropical forests as a natural resource. To synthesize their understanding, students write letters to loggers in Africa, urging them to adopt...
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Beauty in the Eye of the Scientist
Students research science's 10 most beautiful experiments and the historical periods in which these experiments were conducted. Then, students create magazine covers for issues of a fictional magazine.
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Official Statements
Young scholars research the viewpoints of famous Americans, and then write commencement speeches reflecting these viewpoints to be delivered to high school graduates of today.
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Dysfunctional Eating
Sixth graders write a 1.5 page paper explaining how to make their favorite nutritional snack. They need to assume that the audience has never seen or heard of the snack before.
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Friends or Foes?
Students discuss Spain's relationship with Europe and the U.S. and research incidents of American-European disagreements regarding international actions and policy. They write essays on how the world might be different if a multipolar...
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A Civic Duty to Protest
Students examine the concept of religious freedom by evaluating Hong Kong's security laws. In pairs students investigate the levels of religous freedom allowed in various countries around the world and present this information to the class.
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War and Remembrance
Students explore the controversy surrounding the ban of Nazi memorabilia and other hate-related artifacts from online auction sites.
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Flying Off the Threatened Species List
Students research the status of species that have been removed from the Federal Register of endangered and threatened species to help them determine whether or not the American bald eagle should also be removed from the list.
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Philanthropy in Literature Lesson 2: Common Good
Students listen to a number of children's books that describe private citizens participating in acts of kindness, sharing their time, talent or treasure. They identify the characters, problems, and solutions in the books.
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Artistic License
Students consider the venues in which they prefer to view art. They research art institutions' efforts to stimulate and fulfill the public's appetite for art, then compare them with similar efforts by commercial venues.
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Who Wants to Be a Thrillionaire?
Students explore the investments undertaken by the "thrillionaire" Paul G. Allen, and propose future areas of high-tech scientific investment for Mr. Allen to pursue.
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In the Eye of the Storm
Young scholars share opinions about what information the public needs about an impending hurricane. They research and report on a major U.S. hurricane and compare different reports about Hurricane Katrina.