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Think Small

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners explore current applications of nanotechnology in various industries, including medicine, space development, environmental protection, and defense.
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Industrial Light and Magic

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate early mass production in various industries, and then create presentation posters outlining how a typical 19th-century factory, mill or refinery worked.
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Picking Up the Pieces

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students recall and write about a time in which they felt helpless, focusing on how they coped with the situation then and now.
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Painting Portraits with Words

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine how an exhibition of an author's writings can become a portrait or biography of that author . They work in small groups, analyzing various poems by Yeats.
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Whose Rights are Right?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars consider the concept of 'human rights' in relation to the current conditions and history of East Timor and discuss the terms "human rights" and "force," applying their responses to specific historical examples.
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Curiouser and Curiouser!

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students imagine that they are casting directors for a student story-turned-movie, and assess considerations for making the book's characters as accurate, interesting, and fun as they are in the original piece.
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Leveling the Gender Playing Field

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore whether or not the gender 'playing field' is becoming more level. They share their views by responding to questions regarding changing attitudes about women and men in the past, present and future.
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Let the Truth Be Known

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore authenticity in written works and the responsibilities of the media. They read two Holocaust accounts, one that is factual and one that was fabricated. They further examine, the importance of authenticity in the media.
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Fan(tom) of the Opera

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the ways in which the worlds of popular music and opera can work together to complement the other. They work in small groups to analyze plot, characters, setting and themes of a popular opera using a summary of that...
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Joltin' Joe Has Left and Gone Away

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students assess admirable qualities in entertainers. They discuss Joe DiMaggio's obituary, focusing on his accomplishments and place in American society. They research and create their own descriptive biographies of athletes and...
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Literary Criticism

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students evaluate and debate whether movies, television shows, and other mass media cause violent behavior in students and whether books are the same as or different from these other media in their potential for causing violent behavior...
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A Test Case for Individual Rights

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the different points of view regarding testing students for drug use. They then work in pairs to create and perform dialogues that flesh out two sides of the argument around this controversial issue.
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When Students Don't Clique

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the roles of cliques in schools and ways in which schools can foster tolerance among diverse groups by reading and discussing "Alma Maters: Two Words Behind the Massacre."
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Counting on the Havoc of Hurricanes

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners define and classify all the different ways in which numbers are used in forecasting and coping with the effects of a hurricane. They conduct research to compare and contrast these numbers as they apply to Hurricane Floyd and
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The Lore o' the Irish

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the importance of folklore in Ireland and how that folklore reflects Irish culture. They first interpret various Irish folk tales, focusing on what about Irish culture can be better understood from these stories.
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The Fabric of America

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the theme of independence in American history by participating in a class-wide paper quilt project. Each student creates three quilt squares representing the past, present and future of independence in the United States.
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May the Force Be With(in) You

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the characterization of heroes and their representation of the values and beliefs of the society in which they are created. They first examine the creation of the 'Star Wars' heroes and plots, and then develop their own...
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The Heat Is On!

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students research severe weather conditions common to their geographic location and create weather emergency guides. They, in groups, develop guides for extreme weather conditions such as heat waves, tornadoes, floods, and storms.
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A Walk Through History

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the relationship between relics found in history museum exhibits and the meaningful ways in which those relics are presented. They, in groups, select objects for a history exhibit about the event or time period of their...
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Prize-Winning Prose

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners develop criteria for 'Kids' Pulitzers,' awards in categories of writing determined by Students. Each student then bestow a 'Kids' Pulitzer' upon a piece of writing which they deem to be distinguished based on the established...
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Species for Sale

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore wildlife conservation by investigating animal species that are near extinction due to their value as commodities. They defend the protection of an endangered species researched in class by creating an informational poster.
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Testing Bangladesh's Waters

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students assess the causes and effects of massive arsenic contamination in the water supplies of 43 of Bangladesh's 64 districts. They evaluate why this contamination occurred, and how it affects the population of Bangladesh.
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World Consumption: Unequal Slices of the Pie

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students interpret the United Nations Human Development Reports and explain the relevance and use of the human development index in offering insight into a nation and its challenges. They draft a letter to the United Nations.
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Kicking It Around

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students analyze the recent boom in women's sports, focusing on the Women's World Cup Soccer tournament to examine various people's views about women athletes. They write a newspaper article summarizing what they learned in their...