Classroom Law Project
What should I watch for in the debates?
Prepare your classes for election year debates with a series of activities that model how to watch televised debates and how to evaluate the moderators as well as the debaters.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
The Iran Nuclear Deal and Its Critics
What was the purpose of the Iranian Nuclear Deal? An insightful resource explains nuclear tensions in the Middle East and Iranian weapon development that contributed to the Nuclear Deal in 2013. Academics learn the agreement limited...
Curated OER
Model UN Simulation on Population Control Policies
Learners participate in a Model UN Simulation Activity in which they take the role of country delegates and NGO representatives in an attempt to develop and debate resolutions that seek to provide remedies to the problems of...
Student Handouts
Compromise, Resolution, and Synthesis
Provide your debaters with a graphic organizer that asks them to select a topic and then list for the first position key points and arguments, possible compromise and systhesis, and key points and arguments for their second position.
Curated OER
Racial Profiling
Students debate both positions on the controversial topic of racial profiling with support for each and then develop a consensus position on how racial profiling as a law enforcement tool should be used.
Curated OER
How Do Conflicts Escalate?
Students examine, evaluate and understand the concept of conflict, conflict escalation and colflict resolution through a variety of creative interactions.
ProCon
Net Neutrality
Should net neutrality be restored? Scholars prepare for a class debate on the topic using the included website. After reading a brief introduction to the issue, they review the main pros and cons in an attempt to arrive at an informed...
Curated OER
"We, the People": New Voices in the Constitutional Debates
Students study the goals set out for the Constitution. They examine the resolutions arrived at to resolve three major conflicts which arose during the writing of the Constitution. They discuss or write down a one-sentence summary of...
Curated OER
Debate: Oregon's Death with Dignity Act
Students hold formal debate on the Death with Dignity Act. After researching information in the library, they record it on index cards. They prepare construction, cross examination, and rebuttal speeches.
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...
K20 Learn
(Mis)Reported and (Mis)Remembered: The Vietnam War
What are the complicated legacies of the Vietnam War? Learners consider the question as they examine videos and primary sources from the conflict. After examining footage and documents such as the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and an op-ed...
Curated OER
Youth Voices: Fair Access to Resources and Quality of Life
Student delegates conduct "United Nations" style session in which they are challenged to develop resolution or resolutions that address how to feed growing population, taking into consideration quality of life and impact on environment.
Curated OER
Wall to Peace: Deconstructing Divisions Among People and Cultures
Students analyze quotes and poetry related to relationships in society. In this civics lesson, students participate in small group debate game and focus on communication skills that reinforce civil discussion. Students reflect and...
Curated OER
Supply & Demand: Finite Resources, Infinite Needs
Students discuss conflict resolution strategies they use in real life. They listen to "Getting to Yes" about principled negotiation. They negotiate the distribution of goodies on a table according to rules and time constraints. They...
Curated OER
Troop Surge vs. Redeployment
Students explore American foreign policy regarding the war in Iraq. In this Iraq debate lesson, students examine videos and documents about the pros and cons of keeping American troops in Iraq.
Curated OER
Setting Up Camp
Draw on what learners know about conflict resolution and the situation in the Middle East to build understanding of the Camp David summit meeting beginning on July 11, 2000. They develop an understanding of the functions of summit...
Curated OER
Join Gloria Steinem
Students research events relating to the Chicana rights movement and analyze the 1973 Chicana Caucus Resolutions. They draft a set of Chicana rights resolutions.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Naturalized Citizens and the Presidency
Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution takes center stage in a lesson that asks class members to assume the role of state senators, debate a resolution to amend the U. S. Constitution to permit naturalized citizens to run for...
Curated OER
Avoiding Armageddon
PBS has written a series of lessons on avoiding Armageddon. This is lesson 4 of 5 and focuses on defining terrorism. Upper graders watch episode 3 of "Avoiding Armageddon - The New Face of Terror," read how terrorism is defined by the...
Curated OER
Humor Theories
Providing ample examples of humor in literature, psychology, and sociology, this presentation studies the concept and function of humor in society today. Covering what is classically "funny" and what is not, and why, the slideshow will...
Curated OER
Bill of Rights
US history classes explore constitutional rights as they relate to court cases involving teens. Your class must already be familiar with the Bill of Rights before beginning this series of exercises. In preparation for a debate-style...
Curated OER
Heroic Actions
Students identify heroic actions in various situations. They discuss characteristics of heroes, analyze various scenarios, create their own scenarios and resolutions to the conflicts, and participate in role-playing activities.
Curated OER
EU Simulation: The European Council
Discover how government and the European Union works with this interactive activity. Small groups form to represent a country and create a profile. The instructor presents an issue to discuss and potential politicians then develop...
Curated OER
In-Group Favoritism
Students discover how to cross social boundaries. In this character education lesson, students discuss the positive and negative impacts of favortism they witness in their local community as well as the international community....