In order to give young scientists experience with critical thinking skills, introduce them to a current controversy and prepare them to debate. Choose a topic, such as genetically modified organisms, and assign groups to represent...

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...

Pupils research controversial statements about biological applications and write a persuasive essay. In this biology lesson plan, students are assigned a controversial statement as a research topic, then they use this topic to create a...

Learners examine the controversy surrounding evolution --- the challenges to science, the battles over teaching evolution in the schools, and the reconciliation of religion and science. They also examine an interactive time line of...

Students examine the genome and discuss the ethical and moral issues surrounding it. In groups, they discover the differences between ethics and morals and discuss where the concepts of good and bad come from in society. After reading...

Students examine the history of the National parks. In groups, they discuss the concepts of conservation and preservation. They discuss the use of natural resources and how some are renewable and non-renewable. To end the lesson, they...

After researching issues involving panthers, middle schoolers practice writing persuasive letters.  They  become familiar with a controversial issue related to panthers and write their position on the issue. This lesson...

Students identify relationships between scientific concepts and their historical roots. They discuss and debate issues of ethics in science, specifically on the concept of genetic engineering and describe the processes of cloning and...

Students examine the social and scientific implications of acid rain. In this acid rain lesson plan, students read an article about acid rain, the causes of acid rain, the effects of acid rain on the environment and the proposals to...

Students explore the dilemma of bioethics. Students review a cast study on a bioethical topic. They research the facts, values, and stakemakers in the controversial debate. Students consider the consequences and discuss their findings...

Students explore the endocrine disruption theory. They work in groups to research and develop a persuasive oral argument to support one side of the endocrine disruption theory. Students engage in debate and other activities to analyze...

Students analyze ethics issues as they read science fiction works. In this science and ethics lesson plan, students read science fiction short stories of their choosing, investigate the ethics issues raised in the stories, and...

The Electoral College's role in elections is sometimes confusing and controversial. Pupils use a debate topics website to research the pros and cons of the practice to debate whether the United States should still use the Electoral...

Is obesity a disease or just a preventable risk factor for other diseases? Scholars attempt to form their own opinions by reading a background of the issue and watching videos that explore the main pro and con arguments using an included...

Does the use of standardized testing improve American education? Scholars dive into the issue as they prepare to discuss the debate topic with their classmates. After reviewing the pros and cons, they watch videos to help them arrive at...

Research water use in California, environmental protection laws, and the proposition to raise Shasta Dam by 200 feet. Researchers use their findings to build an argument which will be presented at a mock decision panel. Groups then...

Explore how Galileo's controversial theory raised objections in his time. In this physical science activity, learners research about current controversial issues. They role play both sides of the issue, and decide which one has a...

According to the United Nations, climate change affects every country on the planet. This research project encourages scholars to explore the factors that affect climate change from different perspectives: climate scientist, policy...

Students research different perspectives and debate environmental issues. They consider different viewpoints when proposing solutions.

Twelfth graders explore controversy around genetically modified foods, identify source of controversy, and role play town hall meeting on genetically modified foods, to examine viewpoints and arguments for and against genetic modification.

Students go through the process of creating and passing a federal law. They select an environmental issue, research related policies for the issue, draft the bill, discuss it among committee members, bring it before the class and bring...

Students role play different stakeholders perspective on the debate about Channel Islands. For this marine science lesson, students identify different types of Marine Protected Areas. They research about their stakeholder's point of view...

Eleventh graders are introduced to the concept of biotechnology. Using the internet, they research the latest developments in this field and the tools used by biotechnologists. They share their information with the class and create a...

Learners examine the US Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Supreme Court cases in order to broaden their understanding of the US Judicial System. They research a variety of textual and Internet resources to create a tri-fold brochure,...