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The Last Meow
Students explore the popular culture phenomenon of the musical 'Cats' and the T.S. Eliot poems that were its inspiration. They write original poems about animals, and read them aloud to their peers.
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Fight For Your Rights
Young scholars explore issues related to tenants' rights in New York City, or in the area in which they live. They then create informational pamphlets designed to inform tenants of their rights.
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Having the Last Word
Students discuss the influence of foreign languages in their everyday speech after reading an article from The New York Times on language legislation in Brazil. Students are divided into 4 groups in order to research languages spoken...
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Teens on Trial
Students read about the public reaction to the conviction of Alex and Derek King, and explore the issue of child offenders being tried and sentenced as adults. They compose letters to Florida Governor Jeb Bush, outlining their opinion on...
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Show Me the Story
Learners examine the elements of a story, read a review of Chris Rock's new sitcom, "Everybody Hates Chris" and create original sitcom episodes based on their own lives.
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Ghosts of Holidays Past
Students write in their journals to analyze the use of nostalgia. After reading an article, they identify aspects that are universal for holidays. They describe and examine their own memories of a specific holiday and interview someone...
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Food's Altered Ego
Students write in their journals where they believe food comes from. After reading an article, they examine the proceses of cultivation and sale of genetically modified foods. Using the internet, they research specific countries and...
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Acts of Defiance?
Learners contemplate, discuss and share responses to critical and analytical questions regarding impending war in Iraq. They write persuasive essays arguing the pros and cons of the United States waging war unilaterally.
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Facing Reality
Students explore social issues that are meaningful to them and create documentaries in which they share their information, thoughts and impressions.
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Too Free, Or Not Too Free?
Learners create a survey that examines what level of electronic surveillance might be acceptable to members of the school and community. They poll the community, and analyze the results in the form of graphs and a written news article.
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High Anxiety
The Learning Network section of the New York Times produces high-quality teaching materials. This issue gets middle or high schoolers reading an article about how people use art to express their response to high-stress events. They work...
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Can Justice Be Taylor-Made?
Students examine and discuss a quotation used as a slogan for Liberia's former president Charles G. Taylor. After reading an article, they consider the allegations against Taylor. In groups, they research a time period of his life and...
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Stop the Flow!
Students brainstorm creative solutions to economic problems in Mexico and the US to help stem the flow of perilous border crossings. They formulate a coherent plan to present to lawmakers.
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Community Building
Young scholars explore the issues of urban and suburban sprawl. They work in small groups to create their own planned communities.
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A Sense of Emptiness in the House That Michael Built
Young scholars investigate different journalistic techniques used to add color and new dimension to fact-based news stories. They write a journal discussing techniques that journalists could use to make Michael Jordan's retirement from...
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A Nation in Mourning
Students reflect on what the deaths of John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and Lauren Bessette mean to them. They then work to compose and read aloud found poems from The Times' coverage of the burial and memorial services.
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Fair Judgment
Learners consider the demands of the judicial process and work in small groups to write editorials in response to the one that is read in class. For homework, they grade a television judge and write reflective essays.
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The Life You Save...
Learners identify common warning signs of depression that, if not addressed, could lead to suicidal behavior. They write skits and create booklets in which they document appropriate suicide prevention techniques.
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A Fallen Giant
Students investigate the economic concepts related to the fall of Enron in order to begin unraveling this complex scandal. They do research in small groups to identify such things as the Securities Exchange Commission.
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Same Old Story
Students relate their favorite childhood stories to their lives today. Through personal interviews, students discover the connections between their favorite stories and their own choices and characters, as well as connections to the...
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Weathering the Odds
Young scholars explore the limitations of weather forecasting and how consumer-driven weather forecasting companies attempt to meet the demand for accurate, long-term weather forecasting. They act as meteorologists, researching the weather.
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Crime Time
Students examine fundamentals of American criminal justice by analyzing each step of the criminal process. They follow the process of a well-known or publicized criminal case in The New York Times, and keep a journal of its newspaper...
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Our City, Our Words
Students write poetry that captures their feelings about their city or town. After presenting their poetry at a class reading students compare their poetry to the work of published poets who have written about the same city.
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A Different World?
Students share their opinions in a brainstorming session on the factors that contribute to their quality of life. They read the article "Life Is Better; It Isn't Better. Which Is It?," from the NY Times and discuss the article as a...