Drafting Board: Interest Groups

After considering the role that gasoline plays in our lives and our dependence on it as a society, learners participate in a reading activity discussing why oil prices are increasing. They will then simulate being members of a committee...

Middle schoolers examine the role of interest groups and how they affect voters. In groups, they research how the groups have affected policy making in the county. They examine a specific issue and discover whether or not a vote was...

Support a class reading of the novel Song of the Trees by Mildred D. Taylor with this series of discussion questions. Covering a variety of topics from character and setting to historical accuracy and symbolism, these questions...

Did you hear that? It's the main idea! Teach your class listening and note-taking strategies for determining the main idea by following the steps provided in this plan.

Have you ever wondered if those in power actually consider the interests of their constituents? The 42nd video clip in a 50-part series on the United States government and politics introduces the concept of special interest groups....

Teachers around the nation are a part of a special interest group, through the NEA union, that fights in Washington DC for better education. Scholars investigate reasons interest groups, like the NEA, form. A short video, the 43rd of a...

How are elections really run and won? Learn about special interest groups, super PACs, and lobbyists with an engaging lesson about the caucus process. Young voters research specific interest groups and analyze their part in previous and...

How much is owed? A calculated resource introduces the simple interest formula with a video that describes how to use it. Classmates then show what they know by answering questions within a simple interest worksheet.

Bully, bullied, or bystander? Paul Langan's The Bully is the anchor text in a unit that examines bullying and violence. After a close reading of the text, readers imagine themselves as the characters and consider how they would react in...

Research water use in California, environmental protection laws, and the proposition to raise Shasta Dam by 200 feet. Researchers use their findings to build an argument which will be presented at a mock decision panel. Groups then...