Curated OER
Compassion on Death Row?
Students analyze and debate, through writing and discussion, the politics and ethics behind the ability of governors to grant clemency to inmates sentenced to the death penalty.
Curated OER
Bringing Peace to the Balkans, Piece by Piece
Students examine how the bond of traditions became the binding force of nationalism for which the Serbian forces now fight at the cost of the lives and livelihoods of ethnic Albanians. explore human rights issues surrounding the conflict...
Curated OER
Photo Forgery
Students inspect examples of manipulated photos and explore the technology and issues behind doctored photos. They hold an in-depth discussion about the responsibility of the photojournalist and news editor to show true photos.
Curated OER
Tally of the 1824 Electoral College Vote
Twelfth graders study the parts of the Constitution that address presidential election. They complete a variety of activities designed to spark debate about the flaws in the Electoral College system.
Curated OER
Foreign War and Domestic Freedom: A Delicate Balancing Act
Students investigate civil liberties in the U.S. They watch and discuss a PowerPoint presentation, conduct research on an event from a timeline, complete a worksheet, take an ideology quiz, and conduct a debate.
Curated OER
Children's Accountability for Their Crimes
Students participate in a round-table discussion about the juvenile justice system and investigate the 'age of accountability' debate. They write a persuasive essay supporting or refuting the punishment received by the children discussed...
Curated OER
Constitutional Convention
Students engage in a role-playing situation to illustrate the kinds of compromised that were made a teh Constitutional Convention. They write three short 1-2 paragraph arguments and then present their arguments to the class at the...
Curated OER
Belonging
Students examine their personal feelings regarding exclusive groups. In this character education lesson plan, students conduct mini-debates as they discuss how they relate to one another regarding exclusive social groups.
Curated OER
Cord Blood Banking and Transplantation
Students explore stem cells. In this stem cell lesson, students research print and Internet sources regarding types of stem cells and their attributes. Students discuss their research findings participate in a debate about cord blood...
Curated OER
Recycling Lesson Plan
Learners examine the role of choice in a democracy, the choice to participate and not to participate. They take a position on the role of recycling and whether in a democracy people can be forced to recycle. They break into for and...
Curated OER
The Lorax
Third graders identify environmental problems. In this natural resources lesson students participate in several activities that support critical thinking about the environment and natural resources. The students write, list, and verbally...
Curated OER
Causes of the Civil War: Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850 and Kansas Nebraska Act
How did the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act contribute to the growing tensions that led to the Civil war? To better understand the events that led to the Civil War, young historians engage in a...
Curated OER
Lesson 16: DNA Technology
Young scholars research different areas of biotechnology. In this biology lesson, students create a presentation about their research. They debate the topic presented and share their views on the subject.
Curated OER
That's Your Side of the Story!
Twelfth graders discuss the elements of effective debating. they debate governmental issues after reseraching selected topics. With student permission, the debate may be videotaped for viewing to other classes or during open house.
Curated OER
Words In the News US Execution Delayed Again
Students complete worksheets and an online quiz to increase their vocabulary before reading an online article about the death penalty in the US. They participate in a mini-debate on the issue.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Kennewick Man: Science and Sacred Rights
"Have respect for the dead!" Scholars investigate how science and religion often clash. As they look into the laws of science and the laws of religion, the legal ramifications at the federal level of both play into an argument they...
Administrative Office of the US Courts
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier
Freedom of speech is not always free. Scholars investigate how the First Amendment provides for the right to express opinions. Through the court case Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, they analyze free speech using primary documents—and hopefully...
Brown University
The Candidates and Their Values: Election 2016
Voting for the next president of the United States is about finding the candidate who most closely aligns with your own values and sense of democracy. High schoolers become acquainted with the candidates from the 2016 election with a...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Options for Affecting Public Policy
Letter-writing, e-mail and telephone campaigns, petitions, marches, meetings, with lawmakers. Options for influencing elected representatives are the focus of resource that details how to craft each of these approaches to influencing...
California Academy of Science
Exploring Our Growing Need for Water
Pupils explore the amount of water people use in agriculture and for personal use. They compare water usage for various crops to that of raising animals before considering solutions for increased access to safe drinking water worldwide....
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Arizona v. United States — States and Immigration Law
As part of a study of immigration law, class members read a summary of the Supreme Court case, Arizona v. United States. They then examine a series of examples and acting as federal court judges, must determine if the scenarios...
Council for Economic Education
New Sense, Inc. vs. Fish 'Till U Drop or Coase Vs. Pigou
Who is responsible for protecting the environment, and who should pay when it is damaged? The role of government and private industry is complicated. A role-play simulation prompts individuals to decide how to protect a fictitious town...
C-SPAN
Political Polarization
Dive into the political breach with pupils and explore the reasons for political polarization. Using clips from C-SPAN that include discussions from reporters and scholars, class members consider what is causing the political fault lines...
Bantam Books
The Tempest: Fishbowl Discussion Strategy
Readers learn together with a group discussion activity. As they read William Shakespeare's The Tempest, high schoolers prepare for a fishbowl discussion in which three or four learners sit in the middle of a large circle and...