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Joltin' Joe Has Left and Gone Away
Learners assess admirable qualities in entertainers. They discuss Joe DiMaggio's obituary, focusing on his accomplishments and place in American society. They research and create their own descriptive biographies of athletes and...
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Has Peace Finally Settled in the Middle East?
Students evaluate the changes made in the Palestine National Council charter and their potential impact on the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations. They write a brief essay focusing on an article from an Israeli or Palestinian...
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The Surreal World
Learners explore the concept of Surrealism and how it can be expressed in various art forms. They next create a Surrealist collage, and engage in a Surrealist process to invent a title for their work. They critique a class exhibition of...
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Spreading the Word
Students analyze the use of propaganda in the war against terrorism, focusing specifically on the attacks in Afghanistan, exploring the distinction between ideas spread to benefit a cause and those spread to damage an opposing cause.
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Is All Cinema Verité?
Young scholars explore the relationship between movies and culture, looking at movies as both a part of and a reflection of popular culture. They research the specific historical and cultural realities present during the run of a...
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Jingles All the Way
Students explore various tactics used in advertising by studying the advertising campaigns of well-known companies. They earn about methods of political advertising in China by reading and discussing Political Power Grows From the Point...
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Making the Personal Political
Students identify controversial topics on which they have strong opinions and model their own persuasive opinion pieces after the featured article. They compose persuasive essays on controversial issues that "hit home" for them.
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Consider the Source
Students explain how to critically compare news reporting from around the world, focusing on coverage of the Taliban regime. They compare and contrast television and print media reporting on the issue.
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The Long and Short of It
Young scholars take a look back at the week's news by exploring the news summaries article offered in The New York Times' Week in Review section each week. They look further into ongoing news stories of interest to them in order to...
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It's a Draw!
Students assess the ways in which editorial cartoons, both current and historic, offer insight into events that shape our world. They create a poster that includes a current editorial cartoon and their explanation of the details of the...
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Charity Begins At Home
Students read and discuss "Prosperity Extends Its Reach, but Not Far Enough to Benefit All," and examine the difficulty, for the working poor, in making ends meet, and propose philanthropic solutions.
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Saving Face
Students research the allegations of unfair or illegal business practices of various corporations, then create media campaigns that seek to improve the companies' images.
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CNN Interactive: Reading, Discussing and Writing
Students access the internet for current news articles; increase awareness of issues in world news; to read critically; and to write critical reactions.
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Environmental Rhyme and Reason
Students employ poetry as a medium to relay information and express views about significant environmental issues that exist today and to assess their effects on The State of the Planet as we enter the next millennium.
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Newspaper Poems
Ninth graders appreciate the value of words, review the parts of speech, create original poetry, shape the poem, and write an explanation of the images he/she has created.
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Notable "Quotables"
Learners select their own Quotes of the Day from articles of their choosing for analysis on a Quote of the Day poster for the classroom.
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A Report From the 21st Century - Mark Twain
Students look at Twain, the humorist - considered America's favorite storyteller and the funniest man in the world at the time. Students stretch the truth about a personal experience, and consider how delivery affects impact.
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Problem Solving and the Sports Page
Fourth graders create and solve sports-related word problems.
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Defining Issues
Students work on a 'campaign committee' to define civic issues that are important to them and their community. They write letters to city officials with proposals for how to address these issues.
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Stop Signs
Students research the positions of different interested parties regarding the current escalation of violence in Israel and the Occupied Territories. They formulate proposals to take part in a "Stop All Violence" emergency intervention.
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Mom, Where Do TV's Come From?
Students explore the history of television using the lifetime achievements of Milton Berle as a springboard for studying social and technological advances in American entertainment. They, in groups, examine the role of television through...
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Follow the Leaders
Students research current world political leaders, as well as the opinions of their supporters and critics, in order to create a "Present Political Leaders Hall of Fame" display for the classroom.
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Long-Lasting Impressions
Students evaluate how their reactions to certain images have been altered by the events of September 11, 2001 and the subsequent world events that followed. They share their personal memories associated with that day.
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Alliance or Compliance?
Students examine the relationships between and among powers inside and outside Afghanistan in connection to United States military aggression in the territory. They examine the interaction between the Northern Alliance, the Taliban,...