Students investigate the water wars taking place in East Africa. In this global issues lesson, students watch video clips and read selected articles about the water shortages in East Africa. Students estimate their own average daily...

Students research the 2000 presidential elections. They explain why the presidential winner was initially too close to call, discuss how the winner was determined and predict how the 2000 election might change the process of electing a...

Pupils identify the issues that concern them and determine where they stand on each issue.

Students brainstorm what they believe makes a good reality TV show. Students compile a set of attributes that they feel distinguishes the best of the reality TV shows from the others. Using the attributes that the class agrees determine...

Students learn about the guiding ethical principles of professional journalists, evaluate hypothetical dilemmas and determine if these stories should "go to press", and determine how to frame a story and when/where to report it.

The murder of Emmett Till is the focus of a guided inquiry that asks scholars to research the events, the trial, recent attempts to reopen the case and the effect of the murder on people today.

Students research background material about voting in their community. They interview local/county election officials to see what is going on in the community. They also interview teachers, and students to determine if they are newly...

Students study World Press Photo prize-winning photos in small groups and compare them with memorable personal photos.

Students research an aspect of Michigan's involvement in the Civil War and prepare a two page research paper. They present their research findings in a news style presentation while role playing parts of a news team.

Students process news of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in American custody and explore international laws that dictate the treatment of prisoners during wartime.

Students assess the credibility of various Internet sites that advertise and review Hoodia weight-loss products. They review news stories on Hoodia products and compare to the claims made by advertisers of Hoodia. Each student also...

Young scholars explore how famous people, through newspaper Op-Ed articles, often inform the public about issues of national importance. They write Op-Eds in the voice of famous people on current news topics.

Students discuss their pets and read about pets that have lived in the White House. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a vocabulary activity and pet survey, then the students read the news article and...

Students read a newspaper article about a compilation of information on human life that is to be projected into outer space from a pyramid in Mexico. They define vocabulary, complete comprehension worksheets, analyze the use of 'to' plus...

Statisticians take things to new heights using a set of height measurements. Students use TI-82 or TI-83 calculators to determine extreme values and the median for the data. They also construct a box-and-whisker plot to summarize the...

Students examine the importance of good quality safety gear. In this investigative lesson, students will tests various polymers, collect data, and analyze the data to determine which polymer is best for safety helmets. They will design a...

Students study the impact of social media. In this Iranian election instructional activity, students examine the outcome of the 2009 election and the public protests that followed it. Students determine how citizen journalism informed...

For this preposition worksheet, students determine what preposition is missing from the dialogue between two people. This exercise is particularly useful for English language learners.

In this use or make a table worksheet, students examine data given in a story problem.  They use logic to determine the best way to begin organizing the data and creating a table.  This one-page worksheet contains three...

Observe images and discuss what messages they convey. In this critical thinking lesson plan, students determine whether works of art are trying to persuade their audience. They also consider the media and how they communicate messages to...

Students explore how different people on local, national and international levels respond to a destructive natural disaster and the needs of its victims and how various facets of the media cover such an event. The August 1999 earthquake...

High schoolers explore the current economy and determine what items will or will not sell in a poor economy and why. After researching aspects of the current economy, reviewing a provided case study, completing the provided...

Students investigate the determination of the boundaries of various countries. They work in small groups to research a country's political history and past boundary issues and territorial disputes.

Students calculate simple area calculations in real-life situations. They determine simple wage computations. They use critical thinking skills. They demonstrate their ability to use writing in order to express mathematical thoughts and...