Upper elementary schoolers investigate philanthropy and selflessness by reading a children's book. For this ethics lesson, they read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, and research Mahatma Gandhi's troublesome, yet inspiring, life....

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...

A debate continues regarding same-sex marriage as a constitutional right. This lesson requires learners to define marriage then formulate an argument that reconstructs the national debate perspectives. Many standards are addressed but a...

Students research the rights and the responsibilities of journalists in dealing with First Amendment issues. In this First Amendment lesson plan, students research the Alien and Sedition Acts and study the five elements of...

Students learn about ethical issues and its connection to journalism. Students examine examples of ethical issues some journalists have faced. in small groups, students collaborate to write a code of ethics for their school newspaper....

Learners in a special education class examine the United States Constitution. Using the text, they answer five research questions and discuss the amendments that concern medicine, ethics and law of the right to die issue. They develop...

The ancient Greeks used performance enhancing drugs, such as opium juice, when they participated in the original Olympic Games. Pupils research a website with debate topics to decide if athletes' use of such drugs in modern sports is...

How do journalists balance bias and ethical reporting? The final lesson in a series of five from iCivics examines the different types of bias and how they affect the news we read. Young reporters take to the Internet to find examples of...

Some of today's technologies are controversial, in vitro fertilization being one of them. Mature high school biology classes examine the technology involved in and dilemmas created by this procedure. They play different roles in an...

Students explore U.S. immigration policies. In this immigration lesson plan, students read about the history of immigration policies in the U.S., uncover controversial issues regarding immigration, and speak to immigrants as well as...

Students examine the topic of euthanasia. In this religion and ethics lesson, students investigate the cases of Terri Schiavo and Hugh Finn in order to gain an understanding of the euthanasia controversy.  

Students debate whether college athletes should be held to a higher behavioral standard than non-athletes. Students determine whether behavior outside of school should be punishable by university administration, then write letters to the...

Students research a legal or ethical aspect of radon. They create their own legislation regarding radon and real estate. They present their information to the class.

What do you know about GMOs? Meet this trendy topic head on with a debate-centered research project. Science scholars work in groups to learn the facts about genetically modified organisms, create a dialog around their position on the...

The debate over the integrity of stories in media is not new. Young journalists analyze historical sources that reveal freedom of the press controversies and draw parallels to challenges freedom of the press faces today. 

What do Mike Tyson, Ellen DeGeneres, and Paul McCartney have in common? They're all famous vegetarians. Using the resource, scholars learn about the pros and cons of eating a vegetarian diet. They read a fascinating history of...

Explore genetic engineering through an engaging "Jurassic Park" unit, which is an extensive use of a cross-curricular teaching event. Planned for AP Biology, English, and Calculus students, learners and teachers are involved for 4-6...

Students work in teams to develop a presentation and handout representing a particular point of view in a Lead Debate. They synthesize their varied knowledge of lead and its issues, organize this knowledge, and present it persuasively to...

Students study the Human Genome Project and participate in a debate about the project. In this genome lesson, students review the terms related to the genome project, take a poll about the ethical issues of the project, and watch a video...

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...

An Online NewsHour article about scholarly ethics launches this study of plagiarism. Since historians are supposed to bring original ideas and perspectives to their publications, they must give credit to the ideas of others. After a...

Review the aspects of human cloning and the moral issues associated with it. Individually, your students will keep a list of the articles related to this issue and research issues related to the ethic issues people are concerned with....

Students use Internet, video and text resources to gather information about the Amundsen/Scott race for the South Pole in 1911-12, dog sledding, and the ethical treatment of animals for science. They set up a debate to determine the...

High schoolers work in teams to synthesize their air, asthma, air contamination, and environmental health knowledge as well as additional research to represent a particular point of view persuasively. They create a handout and...