Current Issues
Classroom activities to engage students in learning about and discussing issues in the news
In this brief Teachable Instant activity, students learn some facts about the death penalty, discuss the 2016 presidential candidates' positions on the issue, and consider strongest arguments for and against capital punishment.
What do we do about the high cost of college and rocketing student debt? This brief Teachable Instant activity explores the 2016 presidential candidates' positions, encourages critical thinking on the numbers, and invites student research.
Students learn about the growing movement by climate change activists to get universities and other institutions to divest from fossil fuels and explore the connection between this movement and the successful divestment campaign against apartheid South Africa.
In this brief Teachable Instant classroom activity, students survey the 2016 presidential candidates' positions on gun control and begin exploring some of the complex underlying issues.
The abrupt resignation of House Speaker John Boehner reflects deep divisions within the GOP. In this brief activity, students explore the roots of the GOP power struggle.
Can we trust what the presidential candidates are telling us? How can we know what is true and not true? This brief classroom lesson explores fact-checking and the 2016 presidential campaign.
Students share their thoughts and feelings about the experience of Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old boy, a Muslim, who was arrested when school staff feared that the clock he had constructed and brought to school was a bomb. Students read and discuss tweets from #IStandwithAhmed and view a brief video...
In this brief lesson, students learn about and discuss the controversy over Hillary Clinton's private email system as U.S. Secretary of State.
Students learn about the debate in Europe over how to handle the current influx of refugees, consider the difference between refugees and migrants, and reflect on a poem by one former refugee.
Our age-appropriate classroom lessons and activities for grades K-12 aim to deepen your students' understanding of September 11 and develop their critical thinking skills. The guide, written by Morningside Center executive director Tom Roderick, also includes recommended books and other teaching...