Each presidential election year, the debate about the electoral college rages. Michael C. Maibach's "A Defense of the Electoral College" offers young political scientists an opportunity to examine a reasoned argument for why the...

The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Confederate states. The Thirteenth Amendment banned slavery in the United States. However, neither document defined freedom. The second lesson in the Reconstruction Era series examines...

Bilingual education, voting rights, and Congressional redistricting come up often in the news. Explore these topics from another view—the perspectives of Hispanic members of Congress. Activities include an article with comprehension and...

Getting a bill through the legislative process to become a law in the United States is a very long and difficult procedure by design! To understand the deliberation, debate, and compromises involved, class members take on the role...

The controversies surrounding migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. have recently been a hot topic. To understand some of the issues involved, young scholars investigate the Migrant Caravans of 2018. A 10-page packet, including photos, a...

Pupils prepare for and hold a classroom debate via typed text on a literary topic. Two groups conduct an iChat debate using iChat AV software to document the debate as it happens. Pupils conduct a post-debate analysis of the debate an...

Young scholars debate government funding of the Human Genome Project. In this ethics lesson, students use the stuctured controversy framework to research the opposing viewpoints regarding project funding.

Tenth graders watch excerpts from a parliamentary session, assume membership in a political party from a fictitious country and conduct a parliamentary session of their own covering a range of topics of current relevance.

Should refugees fleeing poverty be allowed the same entrance into the United States as those fleeing persecution? High schoolers read about US foreign policy in the late 20th century regarding refugees from Cuba and Haiti, and engage in...

Illegal immigration is an ever-changing source of consistent controversy. A reading passage about the rights of undocumented workers and illegal immigrants—and the lack thereof—guides high schoolers into a mock trial activity. Three...

Young scholars research the laws and policies for school dress codes in their school and others in their state or area and explore what others say about these policies. After research is complete, students divide into two teams to...

Middle schoolers research a variety of controversial articles to gain knowledge. They form an opinion and defend their position with supporting data. They evaluate opposing arguments and present their viewpoint both verbally and in the...

Twelfth graders discover how to debate important social issues in a civil manner. They explain the importance of knowledge in public discourse.

Students study public issues and become more aware of local issues.  For this economics lesson students are given some local controversial issues and several viewpoints to analyze.  They then research and review the topic with...

Students explore the controversial issues surrounding the energy debate in Canada. They research recent initiatives being taken in this area and analyze their implication. Students then assume the roles of pivotal stakeholders in this...

For this critical reading worksheet, students read a passage about The Great Debates between Kennedy and Nixon and answer questions based on the reading.

Students research how the development of the atomic bomb affected people in World War II.  In this American History lesson, students participate in a debate about the bombs use.  Students investigate how it has affected...

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.

Students give two practice speeches to captain or other group member. They perform a speech which is videotaped; view and critique the performance. Finally, they videotape another student.

Are e-marketing or traditional marketing promotions more effective in business? Scholars explore the topic as they discuss and debate e-commerce. To finish, they develop marketing plans to demonstrate learning. 

Sometimes explaining an argument can lead to confusion and miscommunication. Narrow down the details in written arguments with a group activity in which learners pretend to be aliens from another planet, struggling to understand each...

Archaeologists have discovered a cache of Native American relics. They want to preserve these relics by removing them from the rapidly eroding site to a lab where they can be studied. Native American traditions demand that the items...

Students engage in a debate regarding the Passover vs. Fourth of July holidays for American Jews. They form teams, one for the Fourth of July and one for the Passover and research their topic to build their arguments. After time to...

Prepare your pupils for a debate or argumentative writing assignment. Students can use the two columns here to take notes on two different arguments about the same topics. They then note down their own positions and briefly explain their...