Discuss controversial issues with your charges. More importantly, discuss how you have to research both sides of a controversy before taking a stance. In groups, middle schoolers research the controversial issue of dog sled racing. They...

Students share their opinions on controversial topics. They list their arguments and give reasons for thier position. A paper is written to reflect their views.

Is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) good for America? The informative website is a one-stop shop for ACLU debate resources. Scholars read about the topics surrounding the issue, including free speech, national security, and...

Students examine national security issues. In this Vietnam lesson, students research the background and controversy surrounding the Pentagon Papers. Students discuss press rights in light of maintaining national security.

Students take a closer look at the death penalty. In this U.S. government lesson plan, students watch a Discovery video about capital punishment in the United States and then compose letters to the editors of newspapers about their...

Two options for a health class project are presented in this assignment: a persuasive paper or an advocacy project. The persuasive paper is on students' choice of controversial topics, most of which require a high level of maturity. The...

Young scholars examine the Bush Administration's plan to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from varying points of view. They work in small groups in order to perform their research, but they compose individual journal...

Much of history is distasteful. Primary sources often reveal attitudes acceptable at the time that no longer are. But to understand controversial historical events, historians must examine primary sources that represent a wide variety of...

Present your seniors with a controversial topic while studying the first amendment: pornography. This multi-layer resource has scholars writing a pros and cons research paper. They also attend a city council meeting to prepare for an...

Learners identify controversial topics on which they have strong opinions and model their own persuasive opinion pieces after the featured article. They compose persuasive essays on controversial issues that "hit home" for them.

Students investigate several controversial issues in the criminal justice system relating to death row and give oral reports explaining how their issues safeguard or contaminate the issue of fairness in capital punishment. They offer...

Young scholars explore the controversial topic of same-sex marriages in a fishbowl discussion. They write balanced news articles based on interviews exploring people's opinions on laws that define marriage.

There are some historical events that may warrant greater reflection and more in-depth analysis, and the decision to intern Japanese-Americans in the United States during World War II, as well as to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and...

Pupils brainstorm and discuss ways genes can be altered, transferred and cloned. They will complete a subject sampler, opinion paper and prepare to debate their opinion on genetic engineering.

Are you teaching a high school language arts class and stumped for writing topics? Five pages of writing prompts for all kinds of writing should help you out. Many of these prompts refer to texts that are not included in this resource,...

Students after researching the science and the controversy around stem cell research, students create brochures to display their knowledge and a point of view.

Students read three case studies to focus on how the United States dealt with foreign policy issues. In groups, they read about the decision to drop the atomic bomb, the commitment of troops to Vietnam and wwhether to send troops to...

Young scholars conduct a debate. In this wildfire and controlled burning lesson plan, students watch the video "Legacy of Fire" and discuss the topic of wildland fires and controlled burns. Half of the class researches the arguments...

Students create age-appropriate, informational brochures examining health topics relating to sex, after learning about federally funded abstinence-only sex education.

High schoolers explore the connection between World War II and Jewish immigration to Israel after the War.  In this World History instructional activity, students discuss the details of what it might have been like to live through...

Students reflect on the events that lead up to the Cuban Missile Crisis in the early 1960s.  In this history lesson plan, students explore the conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union revolving around missiles in...

Students widen their understanding of the different points of view surrounding current news topics. They research a current controversy on which public opinion is divided and write a concise commentary on the topic expressing a strong...

Students explore the controversial 'harm reduction' approach to drug use and debate the various sides to this approach.

Students listen to a National Public Radio program. They summarize the program, and write a script from a controversial newspaper article that could be a part of the NPR program they listened to.