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Land of the Rising Guns?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss the decision after World War II of Japan's to follow a policy of pacifism. After reading an article, they identify the ways Japan is strengthening its military. They watch a video to discover how their Constitution was...
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Diseases Without Borders

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students use the European Union's struggle with Mad Cow Disease as a starting point to study the spread of infectious diseases across geographical boundaries.
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Bureau Stats

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the role of bureaucracy in United States government; they then examine the history, leadership, organization, and goals of executive agencies.
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Dude, I'm Interviewing the President

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Student define issues and questions they would discuss with a president. Learners read "Bill and Leo's Excellent Encounter". Students choose famous personalities, research their celebrity, and create a mock interview with them.
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Has Peace Finally Settled in the Middle East?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students evaluate the changes made in the Palestine National Council charter and their potential impact on the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations. They write a brief essay focusing on an article from an Israeli or Palestinian...
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Acting Up

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students, in groups, study a Tony Award winner from the past through researching its history, watching the production, and reading the written origin of the production. They create programs for these productions and assess
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Kashmir in the Crossfire

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students, in groups, research specific decades and then create multi-tiered timelines representing Indian and Pakistani relations and politics during those decades.
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Defense Mechanisms

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the Cold War roots of the recent debate over the construction of United States and Russian missile defense shields. They begin by reading and discussing the article, Putin Says Russia Would Counter U.S. Shield.
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Intervene or Interfere?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners research the motives, actions, and results of U.S. intervention in foreign affairs between the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
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Atmospheric Pressures

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students research past, present and proposed climate change policies. They develop timelines based on different predictions of climate change effects and assess the likelihood of each timeline playing out in reality.
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A City Lost and Found

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students hypothesize about the origins of the Incan lost city of Machu Picchu. They examine archaeological methodologies used by researchers to piece together the history of the site and create an audio tour of the location for visitors...
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Forever in Our Memories

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students consider reactions to various plans for building on the grounds of the World Trade Center. They explore ideas and opinions that went into creating other memorials of events in American history and propose ideas for improving...
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Reign of Terror?

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students research acts of terrorism around the world over the past thirty years to create a visual timeline of these events for the classroom.
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The Way to Venezuela

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate various facets of Venezuelan culture, politics, history and current events to develop an introductory chapter of a guidebook to the country.
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Life, Camera, Action

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate the history, politics and culture of Somalia. They analyze media coverage and portrayal of the country. They focus on the role of media in reporting on Somalia and the current debate over the film Black Hawk Down.
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Tackling Race Issues on the Field

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars explore what it means to be 'in the minority.' students experience what it feels to be treated differently by peers in which they are 'labeled' with statements that determine how others in their groups relate to them.
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Love It or Leave It?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners identify flags by country, then research the symbolism and history of those flags in preparation for writing and delivering oral presentations. For homework, they write essays reflecting on the relationship between flags,...
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Right About Now… and Then

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss significant figures in music history and read an article about the Smithsonian's Hip-Hop exhibit. In groups, they develop and curate an exhibition of hip-hop music and history using artifacts that represent relevant...
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Asking About Armenia

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners explore the modern history, culture, economy, conflicts, social conditions, and geographical boundaries of Armenia and present their findings to fellow classmates at a teach-in.
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A Tale of Two Wars

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students create Venn diagrams comparing and contrasting the Vietnam and Iraq wars. They write informed letters to their senators expressing their opinions and possible solutions to the war. They also create mock bumper stickers...
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Global Faith

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students review their prior knowledge of religious symbols and their meanings. After reading an article, they discover the comeback of the Muslim faith in Spain. In groups, they research and compare the evolutions of two religions in a...
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Changing of the Guard

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students reflect on their knowledge of democracy. After reading an article, they examine current plans for the placement of a democracy in Iraq. In groups, they research past regime changes and democratization attempts and discuss the...
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Alliance or Compliance?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the relationships between and among powers inside and outside Afghanistan in connection to United States military aggression in the territory. They examine the interaction between the Northern Alliance, the Taliban,...
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A History of Conflict

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore issues contributing to current tensions between Pakistan and India, drawing conclusions about how the conflict came about and where it may be heading. They Participate in an in-class "diplomacy summit"; create a...