Practice persuasive writing skills in this thorough lesson plan. After selecting issues and discovering viewpoints, middle schoolers write letters or brochures created to express the individual's perspective. The ideas are presented to...

Use political cartoons for a multiple-perspectives strategy, as pupils learn about the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. After an anticipatory discussion, they are split into 2 groups. The class reads a primary source account...

Marijuana can affect every part of a user's life—starting with the delicate nervous centers of the brain. An informative article and worksheet prompt teenagers to learn more about how the THC found in most forms of marijuana can...

Connect art to social issues with a extended inquiry project. Individuals or small groups select a social issue and a type of art to explore. They complete a KWL chart for both the social issue and the art strand and take time to create...

You know global warming is real when your squirrel feeder is full of popped corn instead of kernels! Activity two in a series of five allows learners to explore climate change through the eyes of another. After briefly analyzing their...

Students identify and state a tobacco-related decision problem/issue, viable options regarding the selected problem; research and discuss risks and benefits associated with the decision problem; and state a decision based upon rational...

Is cloning good or harmful? Help your class understand the risks and benefits as they read, research, and discuss human cloning. Individuals form teams, research information, and present to the class before concluding with an in-depth...

Pupils, in groups, research and map the effects of a proposed airport three miles outside of town. They prepare a presentation based on a set of maps they make and explains its different points of view from the viewpoints of the town...

As part of a unit on personal safety, class members are asked to assess the level of risk in a series of 20 situations and then share their ratings, and the reasons for these ratings, with others. The goal here is for young people...

Sometimes, the best solution to a problem can be found by walking in someone else's shoes. Here, scholars use character cards to take on the roles of people around the world. They determine how their character's...

Sixth graders listen to a story titled "Thin Ice!" then partake in a whole-class discussion asking and answering questions about what was read. Scholars brainstorm risky behaviors in preparation for a game of RISKO—a game similar to...

Students participate in an activity to examine the concept of risk. They discover that not all risks have the same consequences. They work together to complete a worksheet on probability and their perceptions.

Middle schoolers learn how to protect themselves from risky behaviors with a instructional activity that has them role play several scenarios and demonstrate ways that they might do to stay safe. Class members then use what they have...

Unplugging from technology for one day per week will decrease your carbon footprint—are you up to the challenge? Part two in a series of three allows individuals to explore their personal carbon footprints. By first taking a quiz at home...

Should people be more worried about cell phone radiation? Scholars read extensive background information about the issue to prepare for a class discussion or debate. As they explore the website, they learn the main arguments for and...

Students explore issues surrounding language norms, including the distinction between prescriptive and descriptive norms, the differences between norms for spoken English and those for written English, how word meanings change, and...

Teenage brains are different! Understanding that the teenage brain is still developing and thus more impacted by substance abuse is the key concept in a three-lesson high school health unit. Participants learn about how the brain and...

Learners explore human elements that are a part of natural disasters, read a Hawaiian myth, conduct a survey, discuss why people choose to live in high risk areas, and participate in a writing activity based on studenT real life accounts...

Are there factors that put some individuals at a higher risk for drug addiction than others? Learn more about the risk factors that may make some people more susceptible to addiction, as well as protective factors that help prevent...

Students research "risk." They complete a guided worksheet to help them find relevant answers. They complete an analysis of the Space Shuttle Challenger. Students determine pros and cons of technology

Learners determine how the Korean people dealt with the loss of their land and traditional lifestyle in response to invasion and emigration. They create a list of items and people they have lost. From this they complete a journal...

Purifying air and water, providing soil in which to grow crops, and moving water through its natural cycle are all services an ecosystem provides that benefit humans. Lesson four in a series lets learners explore and discuss the value of...

Ecosystems provide many things humans not only use but also need in order to survive. The last lesson in the series of seven introduces scholars to the idea of ecosystem services, that ecosystems provide humans with many things we need....