ProCon
Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
Should physician-assisted suicide be legal? Using a debate topics website, pupils prepare to discuss the morality and legality of euthanasia. Scholars discover historical case studies involving assisted suicide, explore state-by-state...
ProCon
Electoral College
The Electoral College's role in elections is sometimes confusing and controversial. Pupils use a debate topics website to research the pros and cons of the practice to debate whether the United States should still use the Electoral...
ProCon
Student Loan Debt
Should college loan debt be easier to discharge in bankruptcy? Scholars sort through the top three pros and cons to decide for themselves in preparation for a class debate or discussion. Learners may also participate in an online poll to...
Curated OER
Multas
Combine history and Spanish instruction with an exploration of descriptions of fines given in Florida in 1790. Partners read the brief text, fill out a graphic organizer about the crimes described, and interview each other about fines....
Curated OER
Civics: Juvenile Justice in Missouri
Students investigate their rights and responsibilities as juveniles in the Missouri legal system. After taking a poll on juvenile justice, they discuss their responses and suggest changes which they could send to the state legislature. ...
Curated OER
For Whom Does the Bell Toll?
Students, gauging Public Opinion about Death During War, conduct surveys to gather and report information on a variety of key issues surrounding the war with Iraq. April 9, 2003).
Curated OER
Class Actions
Learners examine the many facets of the term "class," defining the term and exploring some of the ways that class plays into life in American society. They participate in a poll about class-related issues.
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
From Basketball Court to Supreme Court
Students discuss scenarios about unfairness and retaliation in school sports. They read about a recent Supreme Court ruling about Title IX, and research, conduct polls and write articles about public opinions on gender issues in sports.
Curated OER
Finding Political Answers
Students discuss the 2006 midterm elections. They read an article about exit polls. They create a scavenger hunt using articles of the New York Times. They write a paper about the importance of midterm elections.
Curated OER
Iraq In-Depth
Students examine public opinion about the war in Iraq. They read and discuss an article, participate in a poll, analyze statistics, create annotated scales demonstrating their findings, and write a reaction paper.
Curated OER
QUALITY OR QUANTITY
Students share opinions about the criteria they consider important in an online search engine. Using Google and Yahoo, they investigate various subjects and compare their search results. To synthesize their findings, students prepare...
Media Smarts
Thinking About Television and Movies
As part of their study of the influence of TV and films, class members consider how music, lighting, costumes, camera angles, etc. are used to influence the response of viewers.
Showbie
Student Clicker - Socrative
Ask your class a question, and they can submit their responses in no time. Just like that, their work has been sent to you for review. Try out this super-simple app to increase engagement and inform instruction.
The New York Times
Dark Materials: Reflecting on Dystopian Themes in Young Adult Literature
The Hunger Games. Maximum Ride. Why is so much of young adult literature so dark? What is the appeal of dystopian literature to young readers? The six activities in this resource ask kids to reflect on some of the reasons this genre has...
ProCon
Is Homework Beneficial?
Does homework improve student achievement, or does it increase stress? Scholars use the included debate topics website to prepare for a class discussion or debate about whether homework is advantageous. After reading a brief background...
Curated OER
Nuclear Storage on the Goshute Reservation
Students discuss weather or not the Goshutes should be allowed to store nuclear waste on their reservation. They work in groups and research an assigned topic, locate relevant sources then present their investigation to the class
Constitutional Rights Foundation
U.S. Immigration Policy and Hitler’s Holocaust
Though the Statue of Liberty welcomes political refugees to her shores, the welcoming sentiment has not always been reflected in the American citizenry. High schoolers read about the regrettable period in United States history when the...
Curated OER
To Vote or Not to Vote? that is the Question!
Students examine voting rights provided by the United States Constitution. In this voting lesson, students focus on 3 amendments that extended voting rights to all citizens. Students discuss the importance of expressing opinions through...
Curated OER
H.D. Thoreau's Philosophy of Government
Students read an essay by H.D. Thoreau as analysis of his philosophy on government. In this Thoreau analysis lesson, students work in groups to paraphrase two of Thoreau's criteria for his beliefs about government. Students write a...
Curated OER
Designing Samples/Simple Random Samples
Students explore the concept of sampling techniques. In this sampling techniques lesson, students identify possible sources of bias in situations such as phone polls, supermarket surveys, and drawing names from a phone book. Students...
ProCon
Fighting in Hockey
At best, fighting in hockey makes the sport more entertaining; at worst, fighting could lead to death. Pupils read background information about the prevalence of fighting in hockey since the 1917 formation of the National Hockey League....
Curated OER
What Is Hot?
Middle schoolers explore why: Schools are hotbeds of popular young opinion about what to wear, which music to listen to, and what TV shows to watch. In this activity, students extend their fascination with "what's hot" to the books they...