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Using NewsHour Extra Feature Stories

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students read NewsHour Extra's feature story and answer the questions on the reading comprehension handout.
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Thomas Jefferson's Concept of America

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Learners study Thomas Jefferson's concept of America. They read a chapter from the book, Thomas Jefferson's America, and discuss its main events comparing it to current events. Role-playing a citizen from the 1790s, they write a letter...
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Thinking inside the Box: Dangers of Tanning Beds

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research their assigned position pro- or con- for the statement "The use of tanning beds by teens should be regulated" and write a short position paper. They participate in a debate concerning the statement. Students write a one...
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Why Do People Do What They Do?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students, in groups, develop questions on topics listed on a worksheet. They compare the results with other groups.
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Economy Or Environment: Which Comes First?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students compile a portfolio of work from a unit on Maine's natural resources and economy. They choose four of their best assignments from the unit then synthesize the ideas in each to write an essay or construct a visual history on the...
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Journalism: Quoting Sources

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the use of sources and their quotes in news writing. They determine the reasons specific persons are used as sources and why their opinions are relevant to the article. In groups, they identify sources in articles and...
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When I'm 75

For Teachers 1st - 12th
Young scholars pretend they are a senior adult, around 75 years old. After observing pictures of older people, students write sentence, using future perfect and future continuous to answer questions. In pairs, they complete a...
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Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson - Lesson 3

For Teachers 7th - 12th
students create song lyrics for two verses and one chorus. They compare their song writing process to the process described by ie Nelson and Sheryl Crow.
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The Ethics of Embedded Journalists

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils reflect upon the role of embedded journalists in today's media climate. They write about why would journalists not want to consider themselves part of the "group" that makes up the military unit they are assigned to. Also, they...
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Political Cartoons: Symbols of Fear

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students brainstorm a list of reasons for fear, hate, and mistrust. They assess political cartoons for symbols, messages, and points of view. After researching cartoons, they choose one that best depicts fear or hatred and write...
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Book Report Database and Author E-mail Project

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students read a number of books by a given author and input information into a database. They e-mail information about their favorite author to other students. They focus on story elements and ask questions or make suggestions for future...
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Faces of the Bench

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use primary source documents to gather information on justices in the Michigan Supreme Court. They write about the thoughts and experiences of the author. They identify and describe each justice briefly.
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What Makes a Shadow?

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders respond to language, meanings and ideas in different explanatory texts relating them to personal experiences. They listen to and interact with others. Ask questions and talk about personal experiences in a group.
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Pay to Learn?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss the concept of schools paying students as an incentive for scoring higher on standardized tests. They debate the key issues of this question and write a letter to the local board of education expressing their position.
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Shaping Ideas: Symbolism in Sculpture

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students participate in a class critique of the symbolic sculptures they created. They critique the work of their peers by responding to questions about the symbolic content and applying criteria for sculpture.
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Who Built the Pyramids?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine the two theories on how the pyramids at Giza were built. They watch a video on pyramids, take notes, and write a five-paragraph essay on how they think the pyramids were constructed.
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Reflections About Diversity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars discuss conflicts that arise from problems with diversity issues, and hypothesize what is needed to bring about successful resolutions to these problems. They write a newspaper editorial about how conflicts can be...
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Korean Comfort Women

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the use of women as slaves by the Japanese military during World War II. Using the internet, they research the purpose of Korean comfort women and identify how the women have dealt with the exploitation. They share...
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Could You Make an Oak Basket?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students listen to an imaginative scenario in which they would need a white oak basket. They evaluate the photographs to determine whether there is enough information to make a basket. They write a brief statement expressing their...
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Decision-Making Scenerios

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders review what they have gathered on the Gold Rush and how the Native Americans lived in the Plains. Using a worksheet, they choose one scenerio they would have liked to be a part of and write their opionions about it...
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Pioneers Heading West

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students research Pacific Northwest Pioneers in order to create a bio-web poster about the author in which they illustrate and write facts about the pioneer. Students then create a book page about their pioneer to add to a class book of...
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The Euro Quiz

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students read and discuss a news story "Government to say if UK will Join Euro." They take a Euro Quiz, or produce a TV quiz show using the questions. Alternatively students may write a report on the Euro or perform research to learn...
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Evaluating the "Save the Indian" Reforms

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the policies of the "Save the Indian" reforms. Working in groups, they review the motives, methods, and effects of the "Save the Indian" campaign of the late 19th century. Through discussion and writing, they form an...
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Learning, Communication, and 21st Century Skills: Students Speak Up

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students brainstorm to come up with examples of things they do with computers and write them down for the class to observe. They then raise their hands to respond to each survey question, tallying their answers on the board and engage in...