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Steer Clear of Trouble
Inform teenagers about safe driving techniques. Young journalists use the Internet to investigate safe driving practices and technologies then publish a manual for the teen drivers in their life.
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Cultural Capital
Students research the adaptation and acculturation of immigrant groups in the United States. They create culture capsules aimed at preserving the cultural heritage of new peoples in American society.
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Our City, Our Words
Students write poetry that captures their feelings about their city or town. After presenting their poetry at a class reading students compare their poetry to the work of published poets who have written about the same city.
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Settling Down
Students investigate the Umoja shantytown in Miami, Florida as well as other shantytowns around the world in order to create a Web site bringing awareness to the issue of slum dwelling.
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Love, American Style
Students examine the cultural diffusion of American popular culture around the world and create collages of visual representations of this phenomenon. Causes and effects of the cultural diffusion of American popular culture around the...
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Armchair Travelers
Students consider how other countries and cultures influence furniture and home furnishings. They create a design plan for a particular room using the influences of a particular country.
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"I Cannot Tell a Lie"
Students examine and debunk historical myths, using the American Revolution as a starting point. They create and play a game of "American History: Fact or Fiction?"
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Darwinist Dogma?
Students debate whether teachers should be mandated to present theories challenging evolution in their classrooms. For homework, they write letters to their local school board expressing their own opinions.
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Losing Face or Saving Face?
Learners examine the recent partial face transplant in Ameiens, France and the ensuing public debate on extreme plastic surgery. They participate in a fishbowl discussion on the ethics and implications of future face transplants.
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Nonfiction Genre Mini-Unit: Persuasive Writing
Should primary graders have their own computers? Should animals be kept in captivity? Young writers learn how to develop and support a claim in this short unit on persuasive writing.
Federal Reserve Bank
Monetary and Fiscal Policy in Times of Crisis
Following the 2008 financial crisis in the United States, why did fiscal policymakers increase government spending and reduce taxes? Discover the motivation behind these actions and learn about the separate functions of monetary and...
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Serving Up Reality
Students consider the factors that go into running a restaurant and examine how the restaurant industry impacts the economy of the United States. They create skeleton proposals for new restaurants and consider the costs of this type of...
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It's Your Move
Students study about the creation of a German village in South Korea for returning emigrants. They examine other cases of migration and relocation from modern world history.
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Once Upon a Word
Students explore the derivations and usage of common slang terms. Through internet research and discussion, students consider the Latin and Greek roots of contemporary slang terms. Groups complete an etymology chart documenting their...
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Women Call Out: The Personal Narrative
After reading and discussing several personal narratives written by women in the 1920's, class members write a personal narrative of their own about a time in their lives they felt controlled. Sample narratives can be accessed through...
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Living Legacies
Students explore the contemporary commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., research the positive impact another famous person has had on society and the images that best represent the actions and beliefs of that person.
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INVENTIVE LIVES
Learners consider the qualities that inventors possess and explore the history and uncertain future of U.S. innovation by reading and discussing the article "Are U.S. Innovators Losing Their Competitive Edge?"
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Printing Error
Students explore the controversy surrounding recently published Danish political cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
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Somewhere in the Middle
Students investigate the cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon in August of 2006. The geographic region known as the Middle East is examined and maps created with information on border and territory disputes.
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All Aboard the Innovation Train
Young scholars read "Next Stop for the Subway, a Fully Automated Future" from The New York Times and consider the effect of technology on their town or city. After discussing arguments for and against the new computer-based subway...
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All The Way to Timbuktu
Students discuss the concept of historic preservation and relate it to their own families and communities. After reading an article, they discuss the efforts of Mali to preserve their history. Using the internet, they research one...
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The Cost of "Living"
Students explore their memories of Sept. 11 and discuss how much they believe victims of Sept. 11 and their families should be compensated.
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Declaration of Independence and Acts of Courage
Students examine the trait of courage. In this Declaration of Independence lesson, students discuss what it means to be courageous and identify the courageous acts the signers of the Declaration showed. Students research the...
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Chinese Oregonians
Eleventh graders examine the reactions of Oregon natives regarding Chinese immigrants in late 1800's. In this Oregon history lesson plan, 11th graders visit the Portland Classican Chinese Garden and consider its impact for healing the...