Deliberating in a Democracy
Parental Liability
How many teenagers have wanted their parents to let them make their own decisions? The answer is ... all of them! Scholars investigate where parental liability begins and ends in the eyes of the law. Using case studies and legal...
C-SPAN
Foreign Interference in U.S. Elections
With election security looming large for 2020, pupils decide what should be done to protect them from foreign interference. A series of videos, including interviews with national security officials, elected representatives, and experts...
EngageNY
Grade 12 ELA Module 2
The second module in a series for high school seniors focuses on tracking the central idea of a text across genres and from multiple author and character perspectives. Twelfth graders read a speech by Benazir Bhutto entitled "Ideas Live...
Center for Civic Education
Lesson 2: Suffrage Amendments
Youngsters examine selected amendments to the Constitution to determine how voting requirements in the US have changed from the colonial days to the present.
Odell Education
Building Evidence-Based Arguments: “Doping can be that last 2 percent.”
Even the most thrilling sports career can end in an asterisk if the player uses performance-enhancing drugs. Focused on the topic of doping in sports, a seventh grade unit breaks down the arguments for and against steroids in five...
Carolina K-12
Political Parties and Conventions
The two major parties polarize many in America today, but it doesn't have to be that way in the classroom! Teach learners about political party platforms and modern campaigns with a mock political convention. After watching a PowerPoint...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Criminal Justice in America
The allure of true crime television shows often leads to intrigue of the criminal justice system. Using a six-unit curriculum, learners explore criminology and the justice system in the United States. Topics include the police, trial...
Curated OER
A Look At The Current Court
High schoolers examine the characteristics of Supreme Court Justices. Using the interent, they research current effects effecting the Court. They complete a worksheet after examine the biographies of the justices. As a class, they...
Curated OER
Timelines
First graders examine what a timeline is and how it shows a sequence of events. They look at a timeline of the teacher's life before they design a timeline of their own based on major events in their lives. Finally, they right one event...
Curated OER
Prepare for Class Hearing
Students participate in a simulation of a class hearing. In groups, they use the internet to research the topic for the hearing and answer specific discussion questions. During the simulation, they present their views on their assigned...
Curated OER
Images of Our Changing Earth
Students identify and explain that remote sensing can detect changes on the Earth's surface that occur over time, and name at least three: urbanization, deforestation, and succession. They select a global change issue to investigate and...
Curated OER
The Death Penalty - 03 January 2007
Students read a current events article about the death penalty debate in Italy. They review pertinent vocabulary and answer comprehension questions. They follow up with a class discussion on the death penalty and how to "agree to...
Curated OER
Educational Complacency Will Make U.S. Feel the Pain
Twelfth graders examine the educational system in the United States in reference to the job market and available expertise. In this Current Events instructional activity, 12th graders read an article and discuss their opinions with...
Curated OER
Connecting International Events with Values and History
Students explore international and global concerns. In this World History lesson, students discuss differences in values across the globe, then create a poster depicting their thoughts.
Curated OER
Podcasting and the News
Learners participate in a class discussion about pod casting. They access a podcast and practice using such features as pause, rewind, and fast-forward. They listen to a news podcast and complete a graphic organizer about what they have...
Curated OER
Journal Writing in American Studies
Students write their thoughts about political cartoons, photographs, and articles in their journal and then discuss them in class.
Curated OER
Lemony Snicket Series Comes to an End (Unfortunately)
An informational text about Lemony Snicket leads to a discussion of the books class members have read in the Series of Unfortunate Events series. Children then compare and contrast the settings, plots, and characters in the...
Curated OER
Government and Economics: The Ties that Bind
Students discover the relationship between government and economics. They examine concepts explained by Adam Smith and present them to the class. They also discover economists who have made a lasting contribution to the world.
Curated OER
Commercial Surrogacy: Questions & Considerations of Parties with Vested Interests
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...
Curated OER
Shasta Dam: How High is Too High?
Research water use in California, environmental protection laws, and the proposition to raise Shasta Dam by 200 feet. Researchers use their findings to build an argument which will be presented at a mock decision panel. Groups then...
School Improvement in Maryland
United States Foreign Policy
Policies of United States government which promote or fail to promote relationships with other countries—national defense, arms control, security of other nations, trade, human rights, economic sanctions, foreign aid, etc.—come under...
Curated OER
Native Americans - Searching for Knowledge and Understanding
What do you know about American Indians? Upper graders compose an informational essay based on the research they conduct. They choose a Native American group to study and, using the provided list of web links, gather information and...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
U.S. Immigration Policy and Hitler’s Holocaust
Though the Statue of Liberty welcomes political refugees to her shores, the welcoming sentiment has not always been reflected in the American citizenry. High schoolers read about the regrettable period in United States history...
Facing History and Ourselves
Preparing Students for Difficult Converstaitons
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...