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Representation: Majority Rule
Students explore government. In this decision making lesson, students discover the importance of majority rule in the passing of bills. They all participate in a class debate and practice the different forms of decision making. This...
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Intelligent Design
students research the "intelligent design" decision the Ohio State Board of Education reached in October 2002, following a lengthy debate. After analyzing what each side proposed, part of the class is assigned the roles of members of the...
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The Constitutional Convention: What the Founding Fathers Said
Middle schoolers list some ideas proposed and debated during the Constitutional Convention, and discuss the important issues requiring compromise during the Constitutional Convention.
Smarter Balanced
Intellectual Property
To prepare for a study of intellectual property rights, (or an assessment) introduce your learners to the legal concepts and key vocabulary associated with the debate. After defining intellectual property, copyright, fair use, and...
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The Search for a Meaningful Dialectic
Students explore a framework of political and social values to evaluate the validity of any public policy debate, bill, or law. They participate in cooperative learning in terms of the group investigation model.
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Commercial Surrogacy: Questions & Considerations of Parties with Vested Interests
Teenagers explore the topic of surrogate motherhood. They examine the technology involved, types of surrogacy, interested groups, and current laws. Each collaborative group is assigned an interest group. They work together to develop...
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Teaching Controversial Science Issues Through Law Related Education
A set of lessons help aspiring scientists practice the critical thinking skills required for facing controversial issues such as evolution. As a group, they discuss what controversy consists of. They compare and constrast the concepts of...
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Making Good Decisions
Students engage in some form of classroom decision making and look at possible options and consequences of each decision. In this investigative lesson plan students look at different options in solving social issues and can debate...
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A Salute to Flag Day
Use Flag Day as a learning opportunity for your classroom. Collect a variety of books and other resources on the subject of the U.S. flag. Have pupils conduct independent research at home and come to class prepared to share some fun...
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Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change
Students examine the potential impact of climate change to agriculture, coastal areas, forests, water, and human health. They hypothesize what might happen to a sugar maple forest and hold a debate about global warming.
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A Day in the Life of Parliament
Tenth graders watch excerpts from a parliamentary session, assume membership in a political party from a fictitious country and conduct a parliamentary session of their own covering a range of topics of current relevance.
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How Far Does Light Go?
Young scholars engage in research from the internet to search for facts concerning the scientific properties of light. The information is collected in order to gather evidence for a classroom debate. The debate includes a question and...
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Mexico and Its Neighbor to the North
High schoolers stage a debate about immigration between the United States and Mexico. Half the groups the "pro" position of the question and half the groups the "con" position. They research and print online information about U.S.-Mexican
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Extinction
Young scholars develop a definition of extinction. For this extinction lesson, students listen to What Happened to Dinosaurs? Young scholars research and debate theories of what happened to dinosaurs. Students present...
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Stem Cells: 5 Year Progress Report
Students explore different aspects of stem cells. In this human biology lesson, students complete numerous activities including reading an article and discussing it, watching a video on stem cells reproducing over time, and...
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Genetically-Modified Food
Students investigate the pros and cons of genetic engineering. They watch a short Bill Moyers video, conduct Internet research, create a poster, participate in a pro/con debate, and write an essay expressing their personal feelings on...
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Family Ties
Students explore what life is like for immigrant women in the United States. In this immigration lesson, students study about immigration through reading and watching a video, then share their thoughts and ideas by participating in...
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Which Sides Are You on? A critical Issue Debate
Students study public issues and become more aware of local issues. For this economics lesson students are given some local controversial issues and several viewpoints to analyze. They then research and review the topic with...
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Debating the Over-the-Counter Sale of the "Morning After" Pill
Pupils examine the controversy at the F.D.A over Plan B. They read an article, answer discussion questions, conduct research, role-play a panel of experts at a mock conference, and write a letter to the editor their own opinion about...
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Environment Debate Game
Students participate in a role-play activity to discuss environmental problems on which they have previously conducted research.
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Timber Harvesting: A Civic Debate, Day 1
Eighth graders develop an understanding of the strategies used in the sustainability of forests. In this timber harvesting instructional activity students identify and analyze the importance of forests and their management...
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Timber Harvesting: A Civic Debate
Eighth graders analyze and identify the importance of our forests and how to manage them properly. In this tree lesson students read forestry material and come up with different alternatives to the identified problems.
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Lost on a Deserted Island
Third graders practice brainstorming with their classmates as they discuss a role-play situation. In this group discussion instructional activity, 3rd graders must present ideas of ways to survive on a deserted island by discussing...
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Myth and Truth: The First Thanksgiving
Encourage learners to think critically about common myths regarding the Wampanoag Indians in Colonial America. They discover that behind every myth are many possible explanations—and that learning more about American history helps them...