Young journalists use the E.S.C.A.P.E. (evidence, source, context, audience, purpose, and execution) strategy to evaluate historical and contemporary examples of bias in the news. The class then uses the provided discussion questions to...

Young journalists investigate the various ways to share news about a disaster and evaluate the pros and cons of each of these types of news. Individuals then select two different forms of media reports of a recent disaster. Using the...

If you knew that you were likely to develop Alzheimer's disease in your future, how would it affect your life in the meantime? This and other similar thought-provoking questions are discussed in a lesson plan about the availability of...

How do you get the truth unfiltered by middlemen? Tune into various sources and note the differences is the suggestion in a short video that begins by providing examples of how media gatekeepers have manipulated information and how those...

Though Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle shocked the American public into a thorough examination of the meat-packing industry, the author was disappointed that his book's main argument—the exploitation of American immigrants—was not...

Data is a powerful tool that your class can use for both good and evil! Help your classes become knowledgeable consumers of information through a game-based exploration. Learners examine a method of determining the reliability of a...

How can you tell if a commercial or salesperson is being misleading? Encourage your learners to protect themselves and their money with a lesson about consumer rights. They review laws that keep consumers safe from faulty claims and...

Students discover the resources that are available for consumer protection. In a database, they are responsible for entering two new vocabulary words each semester along with a sentence using the word. In groups, they create a...

Young consumers explore the concept of biotechnology as it pertains to the foods they eat, economics, and agriculture. They watch several videos, explore a website, complete worksheets, and engage in class discussion. Son they'll know...

Seventh graders explore the history of their town using old photos and interviews to compile data. They used pictures of a historical town event and interview residents who had participated in that event.

When gasoline is in high demand and on short supply, OPEC can raise the price to turn a significant profit. Help learners understand the economics behind demand, profit motive, and monopolies with a lesson that focuses on OPEC and...

How can social media help or hinder civil dialogue? How can information shared on social media be verified? As the investigation of media reports of the events surrounding the shooting of Michael Brown continues, class members read...

Fourth graders explore the life of the inventor of Kool-Aid to unearth concepts of a market economy. Vocabulary presented helps support the learning process.

High schoolers consider the power of advertisements. In this consumerism lesson, students dicuss advertising techniques, advertising regulations, and analyze advertisements. High schoolers also complete and evaluate and ad count...

Students explore fair and unfair practices in the judicial system. They are to find sources in their own community to find help for a problem.

High schoolers study John Wanamaker's department store and its attractions to 19th century consumers.  In this Civil War instructional activity young scholars compare the different styles of shopping pre department stores and...

Fourth graders delve into a hunt for information on an African American activist from the state of Nebraska. Primary and secondary sources of data are utilized in this search.

Kids are given a lot to think about, as they delve into the world of high-tech foods. They discuss GMOs, biotechnology, food enhancements and domestication. They view videos, engage in class discussions, complete worksheets, and learn...

Students examine kids.gov, FirstGov for Kids website, which provides links to both Federal kids sites and sites from other organizations. They complete a worksheet by finding answers at the website.

Students view images of New Deal programs to see its successes. They work in groups to create captions for the images and suggest captions that might indicate different meanings.

Eighth graders give their own definition to the terms race, religion, culture, character and ethnicity and write them on the board. As a class, they discuss the differences and similiarties between the terms. In groups, they complete a...

Students research the controversy of whether or not the National Do Not Call Registry is constitutional, and then hold a class debate. Students research the National Do Not Call Registry, the FTC, the FCC, and the most current status of...

High schoolers analyze the American culture after WWII.  Through a variety of activities, students gain an understanding of ecomonics and prosperity in the US following WWII.

Students consider the relationship between business and government. In this rural electrification lesson, students read "Battle of the Pole Holes," and then write editorials that address the way that business and government functioned in...