Campaign propaganda has evolved from 1952 through the presidential election of 2008. A social studies activity prompts class members to analyze the devices used in ads and political cartoons, noting strategies they believe would work to...

Students collect campaign literature and investigate what signs local candidates are using. Students contact local politicians/candidates and interview them about the concepts and creation of their campaign literature. Students compare...

Design a public information campaign to improve understanding of the coral reef crisis. Read about and discuss the biology and threats to the coral reef. The class creates a public information program about the problems facing the coral...

In this exercise, learners identify characters from an "Archie" comic and discuss the relevance of "Archie" to today's youth. They create public service advertisements featuring celebrities to address common concerns among teenagers in...

Spark an animated debate in your class! Young adults consider some of the fads or trends that are prevalent at their school, as well as their own level of participation in them. Just how much of a role does popular culture play in their...

Students consider their personal opinions about the news and politics, read about the public relations drive behind the 2004 presidential election, and gather information for a press release promoting either Mr. Bush or Mr. Kerry.

Students conduct a critical investigation of the West Nile Virus. They assess the relationship between the sources of information and their credibility. Students use their findings to create a public health campaign about the virus.

Young scholars read "Public Is Wary but Supportive on Rights Curbs," at the New York Times online. They explore how opinion polls are created and conducted, focusing on the wording of questions and the methods of sampling a population.

Students state their opinions about school funding and the use of monetary resources by school districts and use reasons, facts, and examples to support their ideas. They compare sets of data related to school funding and draw...

Can word choice affect a candidate's likeability? Use a New York Times lesson to explore how a presidential candidate's likeability factor can fluctuate in public opinion polls. Young readers choose a presidential election from...

Advertising for the purpose of influencing public policy regarding the use of alternative fuels is the focus of an innovative and engaging lesson. Learners are split up into six team in order to create an advertising campaign that...

Young scholars utilize an interactive map to explore the 1858 Senate campaign in Illinois. They examine how factors such as population, transportation, and party strongholds can affect campaign strategies. Students write an essay...

Students use the National Archives to researcj cout coduments related to Martin Luther King, Jr.

Learners consider whether or not there are generalizations that can be made about people who are infected with H.I.V. or who have the AIDS virus. They create public service ad campaigns to educate the public and consider other ways to...

Critical thinkers consider how word choice in speeches impacts the meaning and effectiveness of the message being presented. They examine and respond to some of the speeches made at the 2004 Republican and Democratic National...

Students relate the ethical and practical arguments in favor of cloning and against cloning. They research the issue and plan a public service advertisement campaign for or against cloning.

Students consider how a political candidate creates a campaign image. They, in groups, create short biographical films promoting various candidates currently running for office in the United States.

Brainstorm popular summer activities and their risks after having your class read an article. They will discover the risks of sun overexposure and in groups develop public service announcements for young people. They also propose a media...

Students study the changing public perception of cigarettes over the century. They create a visual timeline for classroom display, and design a survey on people's views on cigarette smoking for homework. In addition, they design and...

Students analyze the incidence of gun injuries among children and what can be done about it by reading and discussing the article "Keeping Guns Out of Children's Hands." They convert statistics about gun injuries into visual...

Students identify problems and potential improvements for U.S. public school education. They research and debate the pros and cons of the "No Child Left Behind Act".

Students consider opinions regarding the Vietnam War. In this Vietnam lesson, students compare Nixon and Johnson's policies about the war. Students also research the anti-war movements as well as the sentiments of the those how supported...

Working in small teams, learners analyze a variety of primary source materials related to lynching (news articles, letters written to or written by prominent Americans, pamphlets, broadsides, etc.) in order to assess the effectiveness of...

Ninth graders view the film "Pay It Forward" and discuss what kind of public campaign is needed to move people to positive action. They consider different ways of presenting information (graphs, visual displays, etc.) as tools for...