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Bringing Facts Into Science Fiction
Students develop a setting, plot and characters for a science fiction story based on current news themes, and then individually write drafts of the story.
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Understanding Bias
Students participate in an interactive writing and discussion activity, on the study of bias, as it is used in political debate and decision making. They evaluate the presentation of material and its importance in making informed decisions.
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Media Literacy
Students evaluate the effectiveness of Internet book clubs, present their findings to the class, and design their own on-line book club (under the umbrella of a fictional television program) to encourage non-readers to read more.
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It's My Party
Students compare/contrast the Republican and Democratic platforms using Venn diagrams, then read and discuss, "The Conventions Are Over. The Party's Just Starting." students then participate in a mock press conference and write editorial...
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Making Waves, Making Music, Making Noise
Students construct "talking cans" and instruments to explain how vibration of objects produces various sounds.
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The New Fant-"Asia": Contrasting Animated and Live-Action Filmmaking
Students consider different stories and story-telling techniques of animated and live-action filmmaking, write proposals for animated films, and storyboard individual scenes.
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Storytellers: Bruce Springsteen
Young scholars use the music of Bruce Springsteen to learn literature techniques.
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Getting to Know the Emperors of Rome
Heredity rule? Absolute power? Class members access Internet sites, view videos, and engage in a educational game to examine the achievements and leadership style of nine Roman emperors. Individuals then select one of these figures, and...
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The Earth and the Compass
Fifth graders construct a water compass to investigate the effects of Earth's magnetic field and other sources of magnetism. They predict, observe and draw conclusions from their investigation.
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Inside The Harlem Renaissance
Students explore the Harlem Renaissance to discover where, when, and why it took place and who was associated with the experience. They decide what are the most informative facts, interesting people, and events in this lesson.
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Debating the Control of Scarce Resources
Students examine the issue of government versus private sector control of natural resources. They read an article, evaluate the need for international law governing resource allocation, and participate in a class debate.
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Parodies of Shakespeare
Students view a video clip about parodies. They identify the characteristics of a parody in Mark Twain's work as well. They practice writing Shakepeare like verses.
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Can You Afford to Retire?
Students participate in a game in which one group acts as the company and the other group acts as the employees. They examine what happens when the company files for bankruptcy. They discover labor strategies as well.
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A Blending of Socialism and Capitalism
Young scholars conduct Internet research on China's economic development and use a worksheet to organize their findings. They participate in class discussion and compare and contrast the economies of the U.S. and China.
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The Lost Year in Iraq
Students view a video clip from Frontline. They discover the characteristics of three postwar reconstruction plans. They identify the goals and actions of each plan and compare and contrast them. They discuss the effectiveness of each...
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Language Arts: Writing Skills Development
Students improve writing skills by expanding their self-perceptions. Next, they develop idea lists for writing topics. Their ideas become the basis for a class newspaper. following the creation of a group composition, students write...
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The Hurricane
High schoolers analyze three different ways a story is told, determine truth and fiction in each story, and discover and apply techniques to narrate a good story.
Students listen to Bob Dylan's "The Hurricane" and watch the "R" rated...
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"What Was Rome"
Eighth graders study the richness, diversity and significance of Roman Civilization. They demonstrate in what ways Rome has influenced subsequent civilizations and what is meant by the "Fall of the Roman Empire". They clarify that...
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Storytelling in the Oral Tradition
Seventh graders research Greek mythological characters. They write about problems faced by middle school-aged children and how the character would handle them. Students also create story boards to accompany their oral narratives.
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Costume And Make-Up Shakespeare Style
Students create original costumes and make-up for a puppet presentation of a scene from Shakespeare in this week long creative project. Performances of the Shakespeare scenes end this lesson geared towards state and national standards...
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Investigating Electrical Circuits
Sixth graders draw and construct a complete circuit. In small groups they develop a list of questions about electricity, listen to a teacher-led lecture, construct a complete circuit, test circuits, and create an illustration of a...
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Aquifer Model
Students, after researching and brainstorming about aquifers and locating aquifer maps of Texas, participate in the building of a model of an aquifer complete with a pumping station. They also answer a variety of questions at the...
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Microfinancing Works for Local Citizens and Foreign Business
Students define social responsibility. They describe examples of social responsibilities businesses have to society. Analyze special challenges in operations. Identify entrepreneurial opportunities available in international business.
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Translating Science Into Public Policy
Students role-play participants at a panel on climate change. They represent either scientists or policymakers. "Scientists" use the information they've learned in other classes and assignments to present information to "policymakers,"...