Curated OER
Calling on Congo
Students listen to an interview with a former news coorespondent in Congo. They discuss an article about the instability in the country following their elections. They research Congo's history along with its connection to the United...
Curated OER
R U Talkin 2 Me?
Students discuss how they use communication devices. They read an article about communication technology. They create a poster depicting the impact of such devices on future generations. They also write a paper about what they have...
Curated OER
All the President's Men and Women
Learners research responsibilities, programs and government departments of leaders that make up the presidential cabinet, in the form of a Web Exploration, after reading "Dueling Power Centers" from The New York Times.
Curated OER
iRock
Learners explore, listen to and analyze songs that helped define rock and roll music. They read and discuss the article, "They're All Oldies, Dad Included." Research on contemporary artists is conducted and then the students choose who...
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It's About Time!
Students examine the potentials, both positive and negative, of adapting an international 'Internet time' system. They create and solve word problems that require them to translate between the current time system and Internet time.
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Re: Forest Station
Students read an online article to explore rainforests of the world starting with the Barro Colorado reserve in the Panama Canal. They participate in a mock international summit about rainforest conservation issues.
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Smoke and Mirrors
Learners 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...
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Watch and Learn
Students explore a particular problem with the development of new television shows and create original reality-based educational programming.
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Intervene or Interfere?
Students research the motives, actions, and results of U.S. intervention in foreign affairs between the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
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Bootleg Bytes
Students conduct background research to explore the positions of different groups involved in the digital piracy debate, then participate in a fishbowl discussion that seeks to find a consensus on the issue.
Curated OER
When Moore Is Less for Microprocessors
High schoolers in technology classrooms review how microprocessors work, examine Moore's Law, and relate it to the predicted end that is in sight for silicon dioxide-based transistors used in billions of chips.
Curated OER
Popular Mechanics
Students explore the five essential parts of every robot and design their own robots to perform everyday tasks. They explore robots created for fighting competitions by reading and discussing "When Nerds Collide: Robots at War."
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You've Got Infected Mail!
Students use New York Times articles to trace the causes, effects, and predicted impact of the Melissa e-mail virus. In small groups, students create diagrams of the information about the virus that serves as ongoing timelines of this...
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What's Old Is New Again
Learners explore cultural trends in the United States in the 20th century and examine the resurgence of some of those trends in today's society.
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It's Just a Game?
Students consider their attitudes toward concrete and abstract violence in the media before developing hypotheses that assess the effect of gender and age on people's attitudes toward such violence and designing a survey to test those...
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Occupational Oxymoron
Students consider their own notions of poverty, examine the life of a woman classified as "working poor" from a variety of perspectives, and present their findings to the class. Then, students synthesize their knowledge in a paper.
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Over-the-Counter Culture
Learners explore the changing consumer habits of Americans of various socioeconomic classes. They examine the exact costs of products, services and interest rates mentioned in the article and reflect on their own spending habits and...
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A Maya Masterpiece
Students analyze the symbols presented in a Maya artifact. They create collages that depict a theme related to contemporary life in their community, and write brief analyses explaining the symbolism of the images they chose.
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Spirit Bear Speaks
Young scholars read an online article about Canadian efforts to preserve Great Bear Rain Forest. They create ecotourism brochures on the forest and write and essay.
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Let the Good Times Roll
Learners read an online New York Times article and investigate the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans. They examine how Hurricane Katrina affected the celebration. They design a float that represents the Mardi Gras celebration.
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Eyes Worldwide on the Prize
Students examine Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and see how it has been produced in China by reading an online article. They study discrimination in the world and write responses to the speech.
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Our Town
Students read and discuss an online article as they consider what makes a center of activity in a city or town. They produce a documentary film of the hub of activity in their school.
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Flight of the Imagination
Young scholars study the success of video games by reading an online article. They work in groups to design settings, storylines, characters and technical features for their own fantasy video games. Finally, they write scripts for...
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To Freeze or Not to Freeze
Students examine the non-verbal elements of a theatrical performance. They read an article, answer discussion questions, conduct Internet research, and stage frozen tableaux based on lines from Shakespeare's works.