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I Do Solemnly Swear: Presidential Inaugurations
Students examine the process of presidential inauguration. They examine and discuss primary source documents and complete worksheets.
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In Search of Truce
Students explore the relationship between a country's political and social history and its position today. They study 8 African countries immersed in the present conflict in Congo. They present their findings.
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The Long and Short of It
Learners 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 create...
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Pandemic
Students compare and contrast the conditions of the 1918 influenza outbreak with those of today. They try to identify prevention strategies for infectious diseases.
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Improbability of Evolution
Students disprove evolution. In this science lesson, students disprove evolution by attempting to prove that creation is the way it all began. They use the improbability that evolution could exist and expose its fallacies, frauds and...
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The Selection and Variation in the Egyptian Origami Bird
Students participate in a contrived natural selection simulation in which they build and modify simple paper airplanes. They study divergent and convergent evolution and how it is isolated in sub-populations.
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Paper Airplane Contest
Students research principles of flight. They design their own paper airplanes and make predictions about the performance of different designs. Students keep track of their findings in an electronic journal.
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Social Issues Facing Children
Middle schoolers examine the issues facing children in society. In groups, they participate in a simulation to discover the lack of connection between child-support and how it affects the children and society as a whole. To end the...
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Fifth Grade Photoshop: Change That Background
Students explore the Photoshop program. In this technology lesson, students use cropping tools to crop photos out of the background on a Photoshop file. Students edit and paste a picture onto a new background.
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Is the Ruble Becoming Rubbish?
Students analyze the effects of economic turmoil on the Russian economy and relate them to the local economy and their own lives. They trace the ripple effect of a troubled economy from a local business to the rest of the community.
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Patriotic Music: Three Cheers for the Red, White & Blue
Students examine the patriotic songs of the 1940's and compare them to those of today. They identify elements that classify a song as patriotic, listen to several examples and complete Venn diagrams contrasting different examples.
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Impressionism
Students explore and discuss Impressionism and artists, like Monet and Renoir, who defined the Impressionism Art Movement, choose an artist to research, and create web sites based on their research.
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"When They Came for Me, There Was No One Left to Speak Up" - Exploring Personal and Collective Responsibility in WWII
Learners examine the underlying meaning of the phrase spoken by Pastor Martin Niemoller in 1945, "When they came for me, there was no one left to speak up." In this World History lesson, students share in a class discussion on...
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Know Your Rites
Students examine ceremonies in cultures around the world that celebrate young peoples' entry into adulthood.
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Democracy in Action
Students consider words that reflect their knowledge and opinions about democracy. They work in groups to research countries that have recently transitioned to democratic forms of government.
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Sixteenth Street: Civil Rights at the Crossroads
Middle schoolers study the Civil Rights movement constructing definitions of discrimination, prejudice and racism. They use varied media to study the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, write a newspaper and complete a mock...
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A Clone of Your Own: The Legal Issues and the Future of Genetic Engineering on Humans
Twelfth graders define cloning in their own words and examine the different types of cloning. After reading an article, they summarize it in their own words and use the internet to research the history of cloning. In groups, they...
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First Aid
Young scholars consider the giving and receiving of aid from political rivals in the aftermath of natural disasters by learning about an earthquake in India and the international relief response it has induced. They read and discuss an...
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Bringing Justice Home ~First Steps toward Community Action
Students explore activities that might some day bring "justice for all" to their communities. They assess how justice is a day-to-day, life or death matter that faces their communities. Interviews are conducted to explain how justice is...
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A Problem with Authority?
Students consider the prospect of inviting a controversial leader to speak in their community. They analyze the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's controversial invitation to speak at Columbia University. Students create...
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Introduction to the Caribbean
Students examine the history and culture of Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. They conduct research on Christopher Columbus, create a quiz, watch a video about Cuba, and write an essay comparing and contrasting Puerto Rico...
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Count The Letters
Students perform activities involving ratios, proportions and percents. Given a newspaper article, groups of students count the number of letters in a given area. They use calculators and data collected to construct a pie chart and bar...
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Disaster Relief - Power, Generosity and Leadership
Middle schoolers explore the concept of philanthropy. For this service learning lesson, students discover philanthropy's role in 4 economic sectors. Middle schoolers examine how organizations responded to the Hurricane Katrina...
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I Live in Kansas!
Student research and apply information about communities in Kansas. In this Kansas lesson plan, 3rd graders study ten communities in the state, complete a booklet, and compare the communities to their own. They use the information to...