A thorough lesson plan template allows teachers to design balanced and standards-based lessons for any grade. The template includes spaces for unit vocabulary and concepts, objectives, and additional resources.

From baseball and tennis to capture the flag and four-square, here is a great document that will help you design your next unit on a sport-related activity. 

Coming up with a menu of engaging year-end projects can be a challenge. Never fear, help is here with an article that suggests eight projects sure to capture the interest of learners of all ages.

Criticism of news and entertainment journalism is at an all-time high. Help 21st-century learners develop the media literacy skills they need to become critical consumers with a three-lesson guide the looks at persuasive techniques used...

The debate over voting rights continues. To begin their study of voting rights, class members first vote on proposed new classroom rules. After a discussion of the activity, groups are given a copy of the 1965 Alabama Literacy Test and...

Learners explore government. For 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...

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...

Learners list some ideas proposed and debated during the Constitutional Convention, and discuss the important issues requiring compromise during the Constitutional Convention.

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...

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.

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...

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...

Students engage in some form of classroom decision making and look at possible options and consequences of each decision.  In this investigative lesson students look at different options in solving social issues and can debate...

Pupils 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.

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.

Students 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 answer...

Students develop a definition of extinction.  In this extinction lesson, students listen to What Happened to Dinosaurs? Students research and debate theories of what happened to dinosaurs.  Students present their arguments.

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...

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...

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...

Pupils 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...

Students 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...

Students participate in a role-play activity to discuss environmental problems on which they have previously conducted research.