Teaching Tolerance
Critiquing Hate Crimes Legislation
The high school instructional activity explores what hate crimes are and how the government has responded to those crimes. Academics read legislation, analyze political cartoons, and complete hands-on-activities to understand what...
Crown Prosecution Service
Racist and Religious Hate Crime
Address the current political climate with a series of thought-provoking activities. A resource packet provides pupils with strategies for challenging racist behavior and religious prejudice, and moves them from being passive bystanders...
Curated OER
Character's Motive
Sixth graders determine a character's motive while reading a text. In this motive lesson, 6th graders discuss motivation and how that can impact a character's actions. Students read passages about suspects and try to solve a crime while...
Curated OER
Character's Motive
Create a list of possible suspects for a crime based upon each character's motivation. Middle schoolers discuss the motives of each main character in The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. This lesson is part of a larger unit on this novel.
Curated OER
Character's Motive: Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy
Sixth graders explore language arts by completing a reading comprehension worksheet. In this character study lesson, 6th graders read a crime story and investigate which character they belive committed the crime. Students complete a...
Curated OER
Character's Motive
Why do people commit crimes? Middle schoolers investigate characters' motives for committing a crime in a character analysis lesson. First, they read the book Chasing Vermeer and identify the suspects. They then record the details about...
College Board
2000 AP® Psychology Free-Response Questions
The New York City police chief wants to know if teens commit more crimes after watching violent television shows. What kind of study helps answer the question? Learners must describe a successful study. They also examine the...
Curated OER
Should Hate Be Outlawed?
Learners investigate hate crime legislation. For this hate crime lesson, students examine the St. Paul city ordinance that outlawed hate crimes. Learners explore the fine between hate crime legislation and First Amendment rights.
Facing History and Ourselves
Raphael Lemkin: Identifying Lemkin's Outrage
Students examine World War I war crimes. In this world history lesson plan, students use primary and secondary sources to research Armenian genocide and the trial of Soghomon Tehlirin.
Curated OER
Mystery Writing Lesson Plans
Introduce your class to the genre of mystery. Included is a vocabulary list, a rubric, and a sample mystery story called "Lethal Lesson." There are very limited directions on what to do with these resources, so you will need to plan some...
Curated OER
DNA Detectives
In order to understand DNA fingerprinting, advanced biology aces divise a crime scenario and analyze three different samples of lambda DNA. This creative lesson plan provides practice with micropipettes, electrophoresis boxes, and other...
Curated OER
Measure for Measure: Anticipation Guide
Be bold and never fearful! Tempt your scholars with an Anticipation Guide for Measure for Measure. Before reading Shakespeare’s problem play, class members label a series of statements as either true or false in their opinion. (It’s okay...
Curated OER
Themes in Literature - Langston Hughes "Thank You Ma'm"
Eighth graders study Langston Hughes, "Thank You Ma'am" to discover the elements of plot, character motives and reactions. They express the effects of trust and kindness by writing a reflective personal narrative. They illustrate the...
101 Questions
Bone Collector
Feel like a detective yet? Pupils first watch a brief clip from the movie The Bone Collector. Using a photo of the suspect's footprint next to a dollar bill, they then use proportions to determine the size of the suspect's shoe.
Curated OER
Detective Fiction: Focus On Critical Thinking
Turn your 6th graders into detectives while growing their love of reading. Using critical thinking skills, they will be able to describe the five basic elements of detective fiction, read detective novels, make predictions, use the...
Curated OER
Lessons from the Holocaust
In an ultimate instructional activity about listening to opposing points of view, your young historians read testimony from the Nuremberg Trials by Nazi SS officers regarding their actions during the Holocaust and a brief speech by...
Curated OER
The News Behind the Story
What a fun way to analyze plot, setting, and character. Learners review story elements, read a short fictional story, then turn the events of that story into a headlining news paper article. Not only does this lesson engage critical...
Curated OER
Write It, Read It, Solve It
Writers create an original mystery and have a chance to put it into movie format. The classic elements of a mystery must be present: the crime, the suspects, the motive, the solution and clues. Use iPhoto and Quicktime Movie to integrate...
Curated OER
Macbeth: What's Up with the Crime Scene?
Students are introduced to Macbeth by having them act out the scene where Duncan's murder is discovered. This activity enable students to use dialogue only to discover the structure and format of a scene and explain plot.
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Interdisciplinary Applications of Chemistry Through Engineering in Modern Medicine
Students explore the different techniques used in forensic science. In this chemistry lesson, students investigate a fictional crime and identify the culprit. They create a brochure or collage career bulletin.
Curated OER
Who Ate The Cheese?!
In this crime scene investigation worksheet, students simulate DNA sequencing and DNA restriction analysis using paper strips of DNA. Students compare the crime scene DNA to the suspects and determine who is guilty.
Curated OER
Investigation of Immigration
Students assume the role of a crime scene detective and examine the lives of various immigrant groups. In this immigration instructional activity, students examine evidence, websites, and pull from existing knowledge to determine which...
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Mock Investigation
Students explore detective investigations. In this introduction to mysteries lesson, students role play eye witnesses and investigators related to a "crime" committed in their classroom. Students collect evidence and record information,...
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"Lista Negra-The Black Lists"
Students review the history and political motivation behind the U.S. adoption of the Monroe Doctrine and how national security measures collide with the issues of due process and human rights during times of war. They learn about how the...