The New York Times
Researching the Researchers
Students match scientists with their major discoveries, choose one figure to research further, and co-author articles profiling the scientist and his or her achievements.
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A Tale of Two Wars
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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Be Our Guest
Young scholars share their own opinions about proper and poor etiquette in school. After reading an article, they discover matters of etiquette and conflict that occur during holiday rituals. They role-play the potential conflicts and...
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Summer Bummers
Brainstorm popular summer activities and their risks after having your class read an article. They will discover the risks of sun overexposure and in groups develop public service announcements for young people. They also propose a media...
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DNA-B-C's
Learners review what they already know about DNA. After reading an article, they discover a new technique to map the course of evolution. In groups, they create ways to present this material to younger children and research DNA's uses.
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Gunshots by the Numbers
Students analyze the incidence of gun injuries among children and what can be done about it by reading and discussing the article "Keeping Guns Out of Children's Hands." They convert statistics about gun injuries into visual...
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Team Works
Students define "group" and list American social and political movements throughout history. They examine one model of a successful team and positive group mentality by reading and identify the traits of a successful group and those of...
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A Nobel Cause
Students research the lives and accomplishments of Nobel Prize-winning scientists and compose stories about what the world would be like without the accomplishments of these scientists.
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Does Free Speech Exist in School?
Students examine their own First Amendment rights as students. They read and discuss a news article, discuss the Supreme Court case Frederick v. Morse, take an online quiz and conduct Internet research, and create a brochure outlining...
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In Search of Truce
Students explore the relationship between a country's political and social history and its position today. They study 8 African countries immersed in the present conflict in Congo. They present their findings.
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Reporter's Notebook
Students research the geography and history of a major city in Iraq. They write a journal from the perspective of a war correspondent stationed in that city.
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Exit to the Left
Students share their own thoughts about the United States' involvement in Iraq. They read an article about what the Democrats would do if they were in charge. They develop a poll for members of their community to take and analyze the...
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Magnetic Polls
Students explore the New Hampshire primaries and the polling process by analyzing polling information, examining the effects of polls, and creating graphs that represent polling data.
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Putting the Truth in Writing
Students define "nonfiction" and describe what they view as the best pieces of nonfiction writing. They determine criteria to evaluate whether or not a piece of nonfiction writing is good, and list categories of nonfiction writing.
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Seeing Stars
Learners explore the history of planetariums and the features of the Hayden Planetarium as a springboard to planning, developing and displaying their own planetarium exhibits.
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A Shot in the Dark?
Students ask and answer their own questions about smallpox and the smallpox vaccine. They create outlines for an informative CD-ROM that could be distributed to health care professionals.
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It All Adds Up
Students brainstorm reasons for politicians to expand recycling programs and find statistics to support recycling programs. They design posters, displaying a compelling statistic about recycling, to convince students at their school to...
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Playing By Different Rules
Students explore the concept of American imperialism by researching and analyzing historical examples of American imperialism. They draft a set of laws that would govern the actions of powerful nations in other countries.
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A Burning Desire to Move?
Learners consider the dangers of living around active volcanoes. They develop media campaigns to encourage different groups of residents around Mount Vesuvius to consider moving.
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Spaced Out
Young scholars explore the transit of Venus and the information that this minieclipse provides about the distance between the Earth and the sun. They create their own astronomical units.
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Web Writer's Block
Students evaluate Web sites banned in various countries, and investigate the reasons why particular countries would want to block information from its people.
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the Business of Good Ideas
Students consider economic factors in patenting a new invention. They research an already-patented health product and assess its profitability.
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Coffee Makes the World Go Round
Students examine the concept of "fair trade coffee," then research facts about coffee and the coffee industry and create original exhibits to be included in a "Global Coffee Awareness Fair."
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Different Strokes
Students explore a Maine community in which a sudden influx of Somali immigrants has resulted in tension between the Somalis and the local residents. They create a handbook explaining aspects of the Somali culture to an American audience.