Curated OER
Feeding the Soul
Students share memories of a special meal. They research, write and peer edit a newspaper column about a favorite food associated with Thanksgiving (or other holiday or celebration).
Curated OER
Urban Legends
Students consider how people of color and minority culture are represented in video games. After debating the issue as representatives of various interest groups, students reflect on their personal feelings regarding this issue.
Curated OER
It's Just a Game?
Students consider their attitudes toward concrete and abstract violence in the media before developing hypotheses that assess the effect of gender and age on people's attitudes toward such violence and designing a survey to test those...
Curated OER
More Power to You
Students explore renewable and nonrenewable energy sources and develop a documentary that explores multiple energy sources and draws conclusions about their uses.
Curated OER
Tell It Like It Is
Students consider the accuracy of the Web sites they regularly use, then prepare for a formal debate on the reliability of Wikipedia and similar Web sites. For homework, they prepare note cards and practice delivering their orations.
Curated OER
The New Fant-"Asia": Contrasting Animated and Live-Action Filmmaking
Students consider different stories and story-telling techniques of animated and live-action filmmaking, write proposals for animated films, and storyboard individual scenes.
Curated OER
Order in the School
Students consider goods and services that might be at the base of successful Web-based delivery services geared to students their age while they are in school. They act as entrepreneurs to develop plans for such services and create...
Curated OER
Safety Catch
Students consider their own beliefs about gun control after examining the effects of and speculations about a decade-long ban on semiautomatic assault weapons.
Curated OER
War Fair
Students gather a general understanding of terms related to international rules of warfare and human rights, then discuss hypothetical applications of those rules. They write letters expressing their opinion on the current application of...
Curated OER
For Richer or for Poorer
Students read about one cross-class marriage and create scenes to dramatize interactions among the family members and consider how class shapes relationships. They imagine the issues faced by cross-class couples by writing a short story.
Curated OER
Do the Right Thing
Students consider the relationship between gang violence and the factors that can contribute to its increase. After researching the issues behind one such factor, students make recommendations that may help reduce gang violence.
Curated OER
People Who Need People
Students study The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund and several immigrant families who have benefited from it. They assess needs of people in their own community and create a plan for an organization to help address some of those needs.
Curated OER
A Good Government Is Hard to Build
Students explore the challenges that Iraqi leaders are facing while working to create a new government. They engage in a class simulation in which they create a new governing council to preside over their school.
Curated OER
Security and Savings for All?
Students act as either Democrats or Republicans to debate plans to alter Social Security. For homework, they consider whether Social Security has become too politicized and propose their own solutions.
Curated OER
Class Actions
Learners examine the many facets of the term "class," defining the term and exploring some of the ways that class plays into life in American society. They participate in a poll about class-related issues.
Curated OER
Separation of Church and Class?
Young scholars examine the changing socioeconomic status of the evangelical Christian population in the United States. They discuss the relationship between class and religion in American society.
Curated OER
All Talk, No Action
Students act as senators to negotiate a compromise on judicial filibusters. For homework, they write letters to their senators analyzing the filibuster debate and making recommendations for the future.
Curated OER
Over-the-Counter Culture
Learners explore the changing consumer habits of Americans of various socioeconomic classes. They examine the exact costs of products, services and interest rates mentioned in the article and reflect on their own spending habits and...
Curated OER
Members Only
Students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of private communities and the lives led by their residents. They design ideal planned communities for people featured in other Class Matters articles.
Curated OER
Trials and Tribulations
Students explore their beliefs about objectivity and the United States justice system. They examine the facets of a criminal case by researching various aspects of the judicial system and apply what they have learned to the Michael...
Curated OER
Justice For All?
Learners study about President Bush's nomination of federal appeals court judge John G. Roberts to the Supreme Court. They compare coverage of the nomination in different sections and articles in The New York Times.
Curated OER
Nightmare in Minnesota
Students read and discuss the article "10 Are Dead in Minnesota After Rampage at School." students explore their reactions to school violence and interventions to prevent its occurance.
Curated OER
Connecting Immigrants In Black And White
Students explore the many ways that ethnic newspapers help immigrants in the United States stay connected to their cultures and countries of origin. They write articles for ethnic newspapers.
Curated OER
Trendy T's
Students consider popular trends, such as rock fashion. They create designs for t-shirts that represent current pop culture and write pitch letters selling their ideas to the clothing industry in the year 2030.