Curated OER
Inform Your Vote
High schoolers examine and participate in the election process, analyze current event topics and offer their opinions. They then share their viewpoints on civic issues. They are encouraged to do additional research on the election's hot...
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Stand Up and Sing
Students locate historical references in songs. They create music/lyrics to illustrate an historical topic.
C-SPAN
Voting Discrimination and the Effects of Shelby County v. Holder
Show learners that every vote counts as they debate the federal government 's role in protecting voting rights in historically racially discriminated areas. In the Supreme Court case Shelby County v. Holder, the high court found that...
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In the Eye of the Storm
Students share opinions about what information the public needs about an impending hurricane. They research and report on a major U.S. hurricane and compare different reports about Hurricane Katrina.
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The President's Day Has Arrived
Students state and defend their opinions regarding all aspects of the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton after completing a survey and researching the topic. They also consider opinion polls, media bias and global politics.
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Bigger, Faster, Stronger . . . Higher
Learners analyze popular feelings and beliefs about two major disasters: the sinking of the Titanic (1912) and the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger (1986). They compile evidence, through research and interviews, about how much...
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Check Mate
Students share opinions about the goals and strategies of the games they play. They investigate the World Chess Championship by reading and discussion the article "In Major League of Chess, Next Year Comes So Soon." Students study the...
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Theories of Crime and Punishment
Learners examine goals of two major theories of punishment, Utilitarian Theory and Retributive Theory, develop opinions about ethics and effectiveness of both theories, define legal duties of prosecutors and public defenders, and discuss...
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Hemispheric Harmony
Young scholars express their opinion on issues related to Central America. After reading an article, they discuss the relations between the Presidents of Mexico and the United States. Using the internet, they research a part of the...
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Exploring 9/11 in Historical, Cultural and International Context: Why Here, Why Us, Why Now?
Students examine the international conflicts that might have caused the terrorist attacks of 9/11. In groups, they research the similarities and differences between the three major religions and how they connect to 9/11. To end the...
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My Brother Sam is Dead: A study of the Revolutionary War
Fifth graders complete an analysis of the Revolutionary War through literature. After "My Brother Sam Is Dead," students create a time capsule containing items that would be relevant during the Revolutionary War. They identify key...
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Safe and Secure: More or Less?
Students discuss what they believe to be the state of security of the nation since September 11, 2001. Reading articles on security, they gather insight into new reports on security. They write letters to major newspapers expressing...
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Calculating the Cost of a "Sound Basic Education"
Students state their opinions about school funding and the use of monetary resources by school districts and use reasons, facts, and examples to support their ideas. They compare sets of data related to school funding and draw...
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Anne Frank: 'Everything Changed For Us'
Students discuss the rights that we take for granted, comparing them to the rights lost by the Jews under Hitler. They determine the types of discrimination that led to more acute persecution and explain the impact of majorities and...
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Artful Installations: 3D Constructions
Students create a larger than life recreation of a famous painting after becoming familiar with a famous artist's work through reading and exploration. They view and discuss slides from a variety of major art museums. They analyze and...
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Runaway Indentured Servants
Students compare and contrast indentured servants and slaves. In this US history slavery lesson, students discuss the owners' perceptions of indentured servants and slaves, then view ads for runaway slaves to support their opinions....
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Reformation Simulation
Young scholars discover the Medieval reformation. In this ethics lesson, students simulate council and government bodies to determine responses to various opinions regarding religion and ethics. They determine what postilions to take and...
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A River Runs Through It; Anticipation Guide
Students answer questions to consider before they read A River Runs Through It. In this anticipation guide lesson, students complete a worksheet responding to declarative statements and then discuss their responses in groups in which...
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An Analysis of Jim Crow Laws and their Effects on Race Relations
First graders analyze the role of the Jim Crow laws on race relations. As a class, they are segregated based on the color shirt they have or some other simple criteria and wear either a square or circle sticker representing the majority...
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What's in a Name? The Use of Native American Images in Sports
Students discuss and analyze the pros and cons of using Native American names and images to represent sports teams. Using primary sources, including position statements from Native American tribes, interviews with school alumni and...
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When am I of Legal Age?
High schoolers investigate the age of majority in the US and voice an opinion of the multiple age system as opposed to a single age designation.
C-SPAN
Campaign Endorsement Project
So many politicians, so many endorsements! Learn to differentiate between facts as well as the process of endorsements with an informative resource. Class members watch current endorsement videos, research candidates from three different...
Library of Virginia
Antebellum Freedom
From indentured servitude to involuntary race-based servitude, slavery has taken many forms in American history. Class members examine three manumission petitions that reveal how the rights of African Americans and African American...
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Socratic Seminar
After reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and an article about the use of the novel, class members engage in a Socratic seminar focused on whether or not Twain's book should be banned.