ProCon
Voting Age
Should age matter when it comes to voting? Scholars read an article discussing the pros and cons of lowering the voting age to 16. They then consider both the advantages and disadvantages of having younger voters. After thinking about...
State Bar of Texas
Tinker v. Des Moines
Freedom of speech allows anyone, even those in school, to say and do what they feel—right? The 1969 Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines serves as the backdrop for a study on First Amendment rights. Scholars use a short video along...
Curated OER
The blues highway: An integration of music with geography
Students analyze the movement of the blues from rural Mississippi to urban Chicago and how place and the environment affected the development of the blues. They define the blues, where it originated and how and why it moved to Chicago....
Judicial Learning Center
Your 1st Amendment Rights
Why should classes care about the First Amendment? An engaging lesson serves as a powerful tool for answering just that. As all four cases in the lesson relate directly to freedom of expression in schools, young scholars explore the...
Curated OER
Memorializing September 11, 2001
Pupils use the Internet to research monuments. They design models of appropriate memorials which would honor the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. They complete oral presentations that...
Curated OER
Why Was the United States Filled With Self-Doubt at the End of the Carter Administration?
Students research the events of the 1960s and 1970s using the internet. In groups, they draw their own political cartoons about one of the events. They also write a summary about how one specific event of their choosing gave the United...
Curated OER
An American Ballad - Lesson 1
Students listen to and analyze the ballad "American Pie." They utilize a worksheet imbedded in this plan. They circle the appropriate descriptive words of the song's medium form, melody, tempo and dynamics, and style.
Curated OER
AM to FM - Lesson 4
Students examine different music styles played on AM radio versus FM radio. They compare a 1972 music hit from AM radio with a 1972 hit album on FM radio.
Curated OER
Artistic Influence - Lesson 3
High schoolers discuss how musicians' messages can influence society. They think of examples of artistic expression in music, the visual arts, dance, and theater that can lead to a society's self-examination.
Curated OER
A Songwriter Not Silenced - Lesson 2
Young scholars discuss how a musician's message can influence society and government. They debate if political viewpoints should be publicized in music.
Curated OER
Songs of Unrest - Lesson 4
Students identify popular songs from 1968 and make connections with the year's current events. They pretend that they are producing a new CD. The CD includes four songs that comment on today's social issues. They write the liner notes.