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Bureau Stats
Students explore the role of bureaucracy in United States government; they then examine the history, leadership, organization, and goals of executive agencies.
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Haunting Music
Students discover music that was inspired by the spooky and bizarre. In this music of Hector Berlioz and Camille Saint-Saens lesson, students identify elements of music and listen to the Symphonie Fantastique and Danse Macabre....
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Operation Iraqi Democracy
In this instructional activity, students consider various forms of government and examine the idea of political sovereignty, then prepare outlines for oral presentations on international models of government. For homework, they write...
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Vocabulary - Unfolding Meaning
Students write the "word for the day" onto a note card. They add a definition, discuss in class and file the card in their own metal box. At the end of the week students play a game with the words from that week.
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Computers: Caught in the Web
Young scholars conduct Internet research about various websites noting the design and appearance of them. Working in small groups, they compare and contrast the sites and share their opinions of them with classmates. They also examine...
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Home Bound
Students consider the detainment of students by the Immigration and Naturalization Service and, imagining that they are detained Students, compare and contrast what life as a child is like in their homelands versus in I.N.S. custody.
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Substance Use, or Abuse?
Students identify the medicinal benefits, and ill effects, of a variety of controlled substances. They determine whether or not they think hallucinogens should be researched for possible medicinal purposes.
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Civil War Letters
Learners put themselves in the shoes of American Civil War soldiers. In this Civil War activity, students examine letters from the time period written by soldiers, edit the letters for grammatical errors, and then present the letters to...
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Intervene or Interfere?
Students research the motives, actions, and results of U.S. intervention in foreign affairs between the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
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Imperial Notions
Students research how and why different parts of the world were colonized, considering the pros and cons for both the rulers and the ruled.
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What Constitutes a State?
Students examine the differences between various state constitutions in the United States. Then, using their own
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Empire State-Building
Students explore how empires around the globe have impacted the world in which they have existed. They analyze whether or not the United States is an imperialist nation and create their own empires based on their understanding of empires...
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Delegating Authorities
Learners compare and contrast democracies around the world after reading a New York Times article. They create posters and participate in a "democracy roundtable" in which they discuss two democracies.
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Where Does History Stand on the Last Stand?
Students examine the Battle of Little Bighorn and its impact on United States and Native American culture through reading current and historic New York Times articles and by creating a research-based exhibit about this historic event.
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Fighting for Fair Farming
Students consider various economic terms, examine the impact of subsidies on farmers and other industries, write essays explaining the subsidy process, and illustrate through posters how subsidies affect both domestic and foreign markets.
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To Tell the Tale
Students explore how themes common to the human condition can be found in literary and oral traditions across cultures. They compile traditional folk tales around these themes and write their own tales to reflect their own cultural context.
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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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Reality Film
Students propose and create documentary films depicting a slice of "ordinary" life that reveals something unique or surprising about its subject. They, in groups, make films and present them to the school.
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Just Can't Get Enough
Students research modern addictions and create public service announcements about them. They research modern additions such as food, shopping, and video games.
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Opinions, Please!
Young scholars discuss the meaning and purposes of polls and surveys. After reading an article, they analyze the results of a poll given to residents of New York City. They create a survey of their own and analyze the data to write a...
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Laurence Yep's Dragonwings
Students read independently the novel, "Dragonwings," by Laurence Yep and make connections between a text and the world. They summarize, paraphrase, analyze and evaluate skimming and scanning techniques when reading a novel. Each student...
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Wolf Fact Cards
Students write a non-chronological report about wolves. They read and discuss wolf fact cards in small groups, complete a KWL chart, observe the teacher model the steps of writing a report, and conduct research and write an original...
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Entrepreneurs in History
Students examine the contributions of American entrepreneurs. For this industrialization lesson, students complete the provided handouts to determine how Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Hill, and Rockefeller impacted American society. Students...
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Online Reading Logs
Students record book reading and practice spelling and vocabulary on this free online reading-log site. In this lesson, students work online to complete reading logs. Students are assigned 30 minutes a night in reading.