21st Century Russia Lesson Plans

Students examine Constitution and what it says about war-making power, contrast roles and responsibilities of executive and legislative branches of government when it comes to making war, become familiar with important 20th and 21st Century Congressional resolutions and acts, and analyze and evaluate contrasting opinions concerning respective roles that should be played by executive and legislative branches when it comes to making war.

Students gain insight into how and when Islam was spread to various regions from the 7th century to today. They are able to identify and asses the importance of cultural and political factors in the spread of Islam and the effect it has on the global society today.

Students examine why the relations between the US and other European nations are critical to future collaborations. In this global studies lesson, students will engage in a variety of activities, view film clips, and use Internet research to better grasp the relationship between the US and Europe.

Students complete a variety of activities as they examine the historical significance of the Transcontinental Railroad and the Golden Spike Ceremony in Promontory, Utah, which honored its completion. In one activity they plan and recreate a grander, more appropriate Golden Spike ceremony.

Students make estimates on how many people they believe live on Earth. While watching a video, they take notes on the issues facing Kenya, Japan and India. In groups, they calculate how long it takes for a country to double in size. To end the lesson, they discuss the challenges countries face with increasing populations.

Students consider what it takes to rebuild a country. In this current events lesson, students access a PBS news video about Haiti online, watch it, and then complete activities that require them to examine U.S. foreign policy and consider the importance of rebuilding the nation.

Students view the film Fog of War and discuss the most striking elements of the film. They focus on chosen lessons from robert McNamara's life such as: empathy, rationality and proportionality.

Learners examine the global economy. In this economics lesson, students participate in reading and research activities about gross domestic product, consumer prices, inflation, consumer price index, industrial production, and unemployment rates in the global marketplace. Learners examine the global economic crisis of 2008 as they conduct further research on the economies of selected nations.

Students analyze the main themes of President Bush's UN Speech and discussion of the NewsHour report on the Iraq Debate. In this debate lesson, students answer pre-listening questions and view a transcript of the speech. In groups of two or three they take the side of a member of the UN or the National Security Council. Students also create synonyms for the terms used and create sentences using the terms correctly.

Students participate in different activities and discussions to analyze the energy crisis in the United States and other parts of the world. In groups, they research the availability of fossil fuels and the possible alternatives. Using the internet, they identify the role of OPEC in international politics and develop possible solutions to help solve the energy crisis.