Channel Islands Film
Restoration Channel Islands Debate
Introduce learners to the debate format with an activity that uses the National Park Service's controversial Channel Islands restoration program as a topic. Class members learn how to generate provocative debate questions, how to prepare...
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Genetic Engineering: Friend or Foe?
Students brainstorm and discuss ways genes can be altered, transferred and cloned. They will complete a subject sampler, opinion paper and prepare to debate their opinion on genetic engineering.
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Planning the Persuasive Paper and Debate
Ninth graders work in pairs, using the big six research method, to research a controversial subject of their choosing, write a persuasive paper expressing their views, and then debate with other teams.
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Writing Prompts for High School
Are you teaching a high school language arts class and stumped for writing topics? Five pages of writing prompts for all kinds of writing should help you out. Many of these prompts refer to texts that are not included in this resource,...
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Stem Cell Research Policy Lesson Plan: Create an Advocacy Brochure
Students after researching the science and the controversy around stem cell research, students create brochures to display their knowledge and a point of view.
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Questions of War and Peace: Using Case Studies to Teach the History of American Foreign Policy
Students read three case studies to focus on how the United States dealt with foreign policy issues. In groups, they read about the decision to drop the atomic bomb, the commitment of troops to Vietnam and wwhether to send troops to...
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Evolutionary Exchange
Learners discuss the difference between designed and natural elements. After reading an article, they discover information about current controversies in evolutionary science. In groups, they research and write dialogues between two...
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Wild About Wildfires
Students conduct a debate. In this wildfire and controlled burning lesson, students watch the video "Legacy of Fire" and discuss the topic of wildland fires and controlled burns. Half of the class researches the arguments for these...
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Just (Don't) Do It
Learners create age-appropriate, informational brochures examining health topics relating to sex, after learning about federally funded abstinence-only sex education.
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A Test Case for Individual Rights
Young scholars 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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Examining the Reasons for the Creation of the State of Israel
Students explore the connection between World War II and Jewish immigration to Israel after the War. In this World History activity, students discuss the details of what it might have been like to live through the Holocaust. After the...
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The Cuban Missile Crisis
Students reflect on the events that lead up to the Cuban Missile Crisis in the early 1960s. For this history lesson plan, students explore the conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union revolving around missiles in Cuba,...
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Critical Path
Students widen their understanding of the different points of view surrounding current news topics. They research a current controversy on which public opinion is divided and write a concise commentary on the topic expressing a strong...
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More Harm Than Good?
Students explore the controversial 'harm reduction' approach to drug use and debate the various sides to this approach.
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Becoming familiar with National Public Radio
Students listen to a National Public Radio program. They summarize the program, and write a script from a controversial newspaper article that could be a part of the NPR program they listened to.
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Skating on Thin Ice
Students read an article describing a controversial new theory for treating anorexia nervosa, research other eating disorders, simulate case studies and suggest possible treatment for these cases.
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The Great Scientific Debate
Fourth graders examine scientific issues that affect the public by debating their classmates. They also write brief essays that show they have learned how to express their reasons for their pros and cons of a particular topic.
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Agriscience
Students research and write a paper on any agriscience related topic. In this series of agriscience instructional activity, students create a presentation to teach their peers about the animal industry. They explain the uses and...
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Latex Helium Balloons: Any Alternatives?
Students discuss the latex balloon release controversy and review suggested alternatives to the latex balloon.
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Why Be An Independent Learner?
Learners discuss why research skills are important to have as a skill in life. As a class, they identify their prior knowledge when it comes to researching a topic and discuss why it is important to be an independent learner. In...
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Class Forums: An English Language Arts Lesson for Information Resources
Tenth graders listen to a controversial piece of writing. They with opposing viewpoints face one another. After ground rules are suggested and adopted by the group, 10th graders articulate their positions in successive turns.
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NCTA Lesson Plan on Japan
Students investigate a controversial issue of discrimination based upon a caste system in Japan. It is compared to India and they use research methods to make discoveries concerning the history and similarities to the two systems.
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Draft Dilemmas
Consider the possibility of a new U.S. draft with this lesson, which encourages class debate and persuasive arguments. Middle and high schoolers discuss how such a draft might be enacted and how they would feel about it. They write...
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Ask a Librarian
Discuss how asking questions is a vital part of not only the research process, but the lifelong process of information literacy. Middle schoolers work in small groups and practice the skill of asking questions. Afterward, they complete...