Students view a television program that depicts the history South African Apartheid and the United States' system of segregation. They discuss how laws were used to uphold these institutions and compare and contrast racism and...

Students view a television program tracing religious fundamentalism in Iran and the United States. They participate in a discussion exploring the similarities of fundamentalism in different religions and cultures and outline the goals...

Students view a television program exploring social and economic changes at the close of the twentieth century. They discuss changes from differing perspectives including poor and rich citizens from various countries. Students write an...

Students study human evolution and the scientific process. They complete the Origins of Humankind Web activity to become familiar with the hominid species as well as the associated evidence found, in the form of fossils and artifacts.

Students demonstrate how scientists use evidence to formulate hypotheses. They write an essay describing the Cretaceous and Paleocene time periods from the point of view of someone living in that time. In addition, they formulate...

High schoolers research the events described as: In March of 1857, the largest sale of human beings in the history in the United States took place at a racetrack in Savannah, Georgia. During the two days of the sale, raindrops fell...

Students explore the history of the government's involvement in medicine. They examine the popularity of alternative medicine in today's society and the dangers that some alternative medicines may pose. Students research the...

Pupils explore the war in Iraq. They use videos, newspapers, and other media to examine the circumstances leading up to the invasion, the war's major battles, and the post-war situation on the ground. Students read letters from Iraq to...

Sixth graders identify how to use pulleys to change the direction of force. Students develop ways to evaluate designs, noting that no one best design exists and that different tasks require different designs. Students designs will vary.

Students investigate how levers can be used to lift objects. They participate in hands-on activities to explore the distance a load is lifted when comparing the amount the lever arm was pushed down. Students discover the how placement...

Students analyze a simple machine and use "reverse engineering" to create an exact replica. They interpret incomplete information to build a simple wheel-and-axle machine. Students discuss how building a machine activity correlates to...

Learners create a time line of scientists involved with E = mc2. They describe experiments that led to an understanding of energy, mass, the speed of light squared, and the equivalence of mass and energy. Students relate challenges...

Learners test the skin's range of sensitivity. Students complete a "Touch Areas" activity. They discuss their results with the class. Learners make conclusions about which parts of the body are most sensitive to touch.

Students view six optical illusions and explain why the visual system might interpret them the way it does. They explore how illusions distort our sense of perspective, because they deceive us into seeing what we expect to see. ...

Students practice some of the analytical skills used by people with visual agnosia. They discuss what it may be like to have this disorder. Students share strategies used to decipher pictures.

Learners debate ownership by researchers and commercial dealers of fossils found on public land. They research and collect information on collecting, buying, and selling fossils from public land. They suggest ways to enable the...

Learners explore some of Earth's extreme environments and the possible dangers they present. They describe some of the potential dangers found in extreme environments around the world. Students discuss ways to deal with potential...

Students explore the conditions needed for combustion to occur. They participate in activities to understand combustion. They observe the aspect of fire behavior. They discuss fire containment strategies.

Students construct a model of a river system. Students observe the effects caused by water rushing through riverbanks and across plains. They predict what will happen when levees are added to the model. Students test their hypothesis.

Students identify the best time of year and place to position spotters for possible tornado outbreaks. They research tornado formations, spotting, and safety. Students present their information using a poster, a mock-up of a newspaper,...

Young scholars explore earthquakes. They build and test models to see if they will withstand an earthquake. Students explain their reasons for constructing buildings in a particular manner.

Students compare and contrast continental ice sheets and a glacier. They discuss how glaciers form. Students research the average winter and summer temperatures for their area. They predict what might happen to the Greenland...

Students explore hurricanes, the factors that contribute to them, and the role warmer sea surface temperatures may have on them. They perform experiments to observe energy transfer. Students explore the possible causes and effects of...

Students collect and identify micrometeorites from space. Students create collection devices and retrieval methods for matter. They prepare slides and view particles found. Students discuss where the identifiable particles originated...