Need topics that are sure to engage your debaters? This list of public policy questions includes such topics as school mascots, regulation of major league baseball, physician-assisted suicide, and violence in video games. A great...

Synthesizing information from a PBS documentary Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey, its companion website, and several other resources (links to which are provided), high schoolers evaluate whether Bunche did all he could to advance the...

The modern presidency is defined by the development of television—including the use of televised debates in the campaign. Using debates going back to the first one between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, young scholars evaluate...

SAC is a specific approach to discussing history and controversial issues. Rather than adhering to an either/or debate-style paradigm, it fosters speaking and constructivist listening to enable learners to build consensus through...

Most Americans profess their love for the US Constitution, but this was not always the case. An informative lesson overviews the debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists by summarizing the main arguments of each side. It...

Students research the issues and platforms of candidates and separate propaganda from process in order to choose a candidate to support. Students examine political parties and their contributions to shaping the foundation of the...

Unfamiliar with the Lincoln-Douglas Debate format? Check out this resource that details the procedures of the debate, the roles and responsibilities of each participant, and the timing of each round.  

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...

Learners defend their political views, plan and participate in a political debate, and choose a candidate based upon political views.

Considering including Tatyana Kleyn's Immigration: The Ultimate Teen Guide as part of your course? Check out this curriculum guide designed for use with her book. The activities help learners understand the complexity of the...

The class explores and debates, from multiple perspectives, a petition to allow Hopi Indians to take golden eagle hatchlings from a federal wildlife sanctuary for use in a religious ceremony. Pupils defend their personal views on the...

Staging a debate is a great way to class members to think deeply about issues, especially those related to rights guaranteed by the US Constitution. The Supreme Court case, Cox V. New Hampshire, focuses on the First Amendment's...

Explore New England's economic and cultural past and possible issues New Englanders will face in the future. Middle and high schoolers research the fishing industry and the need for regulation. They analyze the topography of New England...

Young historians research the debate over slavery; some students take the pro-slavery side and others the anti-slavery side. They take the role of a character such as a plantation owner, a legislator, a free Black, a slave, or a northern...

Can a negative perception of a president's foreign policy harm his or her historical legacy? A project that winds the clock back to the date of Theodore Roosevelt's death puts students at the editorial desk of a fictional newspaper....

Read and examine primary source material in order to analyze, synthesize, and debate information about the Great Depression. Critical analysts research various source materials related to the Great Depression. They work in teams to...

Study opposing viewpoints with this lesson plan, which examines President Bush's September 2004 address at the United Nations. Middle schoolers study the text of the address, and then stage formal debates arguing for or against the...

Rising sea levels, strong storms, melting ice ... who or what is to blame? Scholars browse the website in preparation for a class discussion or debate about whether human activity is causing climate change. They gain a balanced...

Students study the concept of legislation as it relates to passing a bill in the House of Representatives. In this legislation: passing a bill in the house of representative lesson plan, students identify why and how bills are introduced...

Many of the issues facing 21st Century learners are challenging and even discussing these issues can be a challenge. So how do teachers prepare learners for these difficult conversations? How do instructors create a safe classroom where...

Political cartoons have been used to decades. What do they symbolize? Why use a political cartoon instead of an editorial piece? Look at the two political cartoons illustrated here and analyze them as a class or in pairs. Consider...

Kids analyze a cartoon that deals with the hot-topic debate of whether a mosque should be erected two blocks from the place where the twin towers stood. They'll look critically at the techniques and symbolism used by the artist to convey...

Warm up the class with this political cartoon analysis. They use the provided guiding questions to analyze a cartoon depicting issues of debate regarding Federal debt. Critical thinking is a must with this worksheet.