Students revisit issues of civil rights in the U.S. They use the recent national discussion of retiring Senator Strom Thurmond's 1948 Dixiecrat Presidential campaign as a starting point.

Students, using a New York Times article as a springboard for discussion, investigate and debate the complex issues of First Amendments Rights and censorship for Hate Groups using Websites for propaganda.

Students explore issues that might be discussed at the G8 summit meeting hosted by the U.S. after reading and discussing the article "World Leaders Get a Glimpse of America's High Life" from The New York Times. Students work in groups...

Students participate in a round-table discussion about the juvenile justice system and investigate the 'age of accountability' debate. They write a persuasive essay supporting or refuting the punishment received by the children discussed...

Students study multiple land uses and their effects on one another. They assess multiple land uses in National Forests and Grasslands and evaluate the effects of each use on all other uses. They develop a comprehensive list of human...

In this presidential election worksheet, learners research the 2008 presidential candidates and create a booklet of candidate profiles that clearly differentiate each one. They also assume the identity of one of the candidates and hold a...

Students explore various forms of decision making including majority rule, executive, consensus and autocracy (as well as exploring the power of veto), when they debate a bill in a class parliament.

Students participate in a constitutional convention to debate whether Australia should become a republic. They form small groups to represent various sides of the debate such as parliamentary republicanism, popular republicanism and...

Eleventh graders, in groups, analyze newspaper articles and then debate and discuss if Virginia should succeed from the Union or not.

Students debate the advantages of using condoms. They participate in discussion about the various ways condoms help protect duing sexual intercourse. Students role play assertive communication with a partner about condom use.

Students consider First Amendment rights. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students complete an activity guide regarding plans to build an Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero in New York City. Students respond to discussion questions...

Students examine push and pull factors at work in China. In this modern China lesson, students research primary and secondary sources in electronic and print formats to investigate the plight of migrant workers in China today. Students...

Students interpret information from the video "The Lost Children of Rockdale County" through a series of written questions and answers, and group discussion and evaluate the parameters of parental responsibility in the lives of teenagers.

Did you know there are seven Articles and 27 Amendments to the US Constitution? Explore each and every one of them, including the Bill of Rights and other rights around the world, in a super neat US Constitution interactive. 

The battle over same-sex marriage is a prevalent issue in the United States, and a valuable topic to be discussed in your social studies classroom. Here is a basic outline of introductory questions, focus questions, vocabulary, and media...

A thorough lesson plan template allows teachers to design balanced and standards-based lessons for any grade. The template includes spaces for unit vocabulary and concepts, objectives, and additional resources.

Are video games sports? Pupils investigate this question as well as various nonfiction selections to learn more about claims and the support that defines them. All of the selections mimic the rigor on state tests and encourage close...

Is a college education necessary for success in today's world? The class investigates the question, along with others at the end of the sixth workshop in a 15-part series. The lesson has four parts with multiple activities and...

Have you ever wanted to do something so perfectly you wound up not doing it well at all? Young historians use primary and secondary documents to analyze the United States involvement in the Vietnam War. The issues surrounding the...

Don't limit your curriculum to texts! Young historians listen to a song, read an interview, and examine a cartoon as they explore motivations for immigrating to the US in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 

The burning questions is at what point do readers of Fahrenheit 451 recognize the many literary devices Ray Bradbury employs in his dystopian classic that warns of  a society that uses media to indoctrinate the public and denigrates...

At what point does the right of privacy end and the government begin? Scholars research rights under the Ninth Amendment to the Constitution. Using the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case as a starting point, along with small group work...

Around half of the states in the US ban first cousin marriage, but does science support that ban? Scholars work through genetic analysis of the risks to understand if more states should ban the practice—or if some should remove it. They...

Seventh graders perform a research project based upon the study of the types of bridges. After preliminary research, student groups will search for four examples of each type located around the world.