Curated OER
School Uniforms: Debating the Issue and Creating an Advertisement
Fifth graders debate the issue of school uniforms. They research, finding supporting evidence supporting their stance. Using the Lincoln-Douglas form of debate, 5th graders discuss the positive and negative issues of the topic. They...
Curated OER
Levies to Decide School Funding
High schoolers interview the district treasurer or other financial officer to see if their school district is planning a levy and conduct other interviews to gather opinions from the community. Students then write an analysis about the...
Curated OER
Schools Closings: What Are the Guidelines?
Pupils gather and read articles about school closures in Ohio or other nearby town or city, make list of criteria to use when deciding which schools should close, develop list into essay that argues for these criteria to apply in school...
Advocates for Human Rights
Creating a Welcoming School and Community
The final activity in a unit study of immigration and human rights asks class members to design a project for their school that builds support for immigrant classmates. To prepare for this project, individuals use what they have learned...
Nemours KidsHealth
School Lunch: Grades 6-8
School lunches are the focus of two learning activities. Activity one challenges small groups to create a lunch menu for an imaginary cafe. Activity two sheds light on one's afternoon eating habits. Asking scholars to record what they...
Curated OER
Safe schools, Scary Schools
Students write an essay discussing the balance between safety and restrictions when it comes to the placement of metal detectors in schools. They research the safety situation in their district, including discussions about safety issues...
BW Walch
Vending Machine Bans Increase in Schools Nationwide
Does a ban on vending machines infringe on student rights, or do school officials have an obligation to monitor foods sold on school grounds? Your class members will explore the educational, health, and financial issues related to...
Curated OER
Schools look for funding solutions
Students investigate the problem of funding for the school district. They conduct interviews with various school officials to gather both opinions and important information about the issue.
Curated OER
Sharing Information: Schools, Police and FERPA
Learners research Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), interview school officials to see how FERPA is interpreted in local schools, speak with community journalists to find out if they have ever had a hard time getting...
Social Media Toolbox
A Look at Social Media Policies
Should school news publications use social media if their district is against the use of social media in school? Pupils ponder the policy, then examine their publication's plan in parts seven and eight of a 16-part Social Media Toolbox...
National Wildlife Federation
Green Green Revolution
School budgets don't have a lot of extra money, so when students propose saving the district money, everyone jumps on board. The first lesson in the series of 21 introduces the concept of an energy audit. Scholars form an eco-action team...
Curated OER
The Impact of Hazelwood on School Publications
Ninth graders explore the Supreme Court Case Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier. In this American Government lesson, 9th graders research the recent history of censorship and how the courts have been involved in either...
Curated OER
School discipline includes paddling
High schoolers analyze corporal punishment, debating the pros and cons. Students investigate, collecting background information and interviewing school community members. If high schoolers disagree with the district's policy, students...
Curated OER
Levies to decide school funding
Student write a news analysis or editorial about Ohio schools possibly cutting busing, sports, and other extra-curricular activities. Students interview the district treasurer, and then interview community members. Students write about...
Curated OER
School discipline includes paddling
Students debate the pros and cons of paddling in schools. Students investigate the policy in their corporation. If students disagree with the policy, students write an editorial that helps your readers find ways to make the necessary...
National Wildlife Federation
Master P in the House: An All School Energy and Climate Change Plan
A person in the US uses 20 times more energy than a person in India—that's a drastic difference! The final lesson in the 12-part series goes back to the initial energy audits, analyzes which room showed the most conservation of energy,...
Newseum
You Can't Say That in School? The Case of Lee v. Weisman
The Supreme Court case Lee v. Weisman is the focus of a lesson that examines religion in public schools. After reading a summary of the case and before reading the verdict, pupils use their knowledge of the First Amendment to discuss the...
Curated OER
How Safe is Your School Bus?
Students research various aspects of school bus safety such as what makes a bus safe and unsafe. Using provided Internet sites and others students examine what the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has to say and also what...
Curated OER
The School Holiday Calendar
Various Muslim holidays and their meanings are researched and your students will predict whether or not they should be recognized on the New York City school calendar. An extension could be to write a letter to the Mayor about...
National Wildlife Federation
Lights, Camera, Action! Conducting an Energy Audit
Thirty percent of energy used by schools is used inefficiently! Part two in the series of 12 has groups perform energy audits of their schools as part of the Cool Schools Challenge. Each group is assigned a specific room, performs the...
Curated OER
Everyone Gets a Laptop
Students view a news segment on a local school district giving every student a laptop. After viewing, they interview the school principal and discusses what he expects the outcome to be. They interview parents and students in their own...
Curated OER
Visualizing School Equity
High schoolers examine how school segregation is affected by funding gaps. In this equity lesson,students read the article, "Crossing the Gap." High schoolers analyze funding gaps between schools. Students understand that every high...
Curated OER
Is Purple Loosestrife a Problem Near Our School?
Students explore to investigate if the distribution of Purple loosestrife around the school district area is relevant to its distribution and control. They create a comprehensive map to support their thesis and data and then head out...
California Department of Education
Planning for Middle and High School
So, what's the plan? Seventh graders begin their college and career journey in the first of six lessons. After creating their online profiles on a career resource website, individuals conduct extensive research to determine the courses...