Current Issues
Classroom activities to engage students in learning about and discussing issues in the news
Students and teachers in Jefferson County, Colorado, joined forces in the fall of 2014 to protest a school board decision to review the Advanced Placement U.S. History curriculum to ensure that it promotes patriotism and discourages civil disorder. In this lesson, students consider how the board's...
Students learn about protests in Hong Kong (the "Umbrella Revolution") and analyze the different forms of civil disobedience protesters have used to organize for their cause.
In this lesson, posted in October 2012, students learn about Pakistan and about Malala's campaign for the education of girls, which made her the target of a Taliban assassination attempt in October 2012. The lesson has students read and discuss Malala's blog from her earlier days in Pakistan.
In small groups and class discussion, students share knowledge about Christopher Columbus and his voyages, learn about the impact of Columbus, and consider some ecological and political results of the encounter
This lesson uses Hispanic Heritage Month as a jumping off point for discussing how "history" is shaped and what we can do together to include a larger variety of voices and narratives in our study of history.
Students use the case of Ray Rice — the professional football player seen physically abusing his fiancé — as a starting point to learn about domestic violence.
Students work in small groups and as a class to decide on what policies they would recommend to the President to deal with threats posed by ISIS.
The People's Climate March in New York City on September 21, 2014 was the largest climate march in history. In this lesson students learn about the march and the current scientific consensus on climate change, and consider what we and political leaders should do about it.
What is justice? What is peace? And how are they related? Students consider these questions and the meaning of the chant "no justice, no peace," used by people protesting the police killing of Michael Brown - and by many past protesters.
Should apartment buildings that have both luxury and affordable units have separate entrances for wealthy and non-wealthy residents? Students learn about a controversy over "poor doors" in New York and London, analyze different perspectives, and write a persuasive essay on the issue.