Current Issues
Classroom activities to engage students in learning about and discussing issues in the news
Two student readings consider the controversy over charges that the U.S. is sending terrorism suspects to other countries where they are held in secret prisons and sometimes tortured. Discussion questions follow.
A preliminary exercise aims to provoke student interest in the Morse v. Frederick student freedom of speech case. Two student readings, discussion questions, and a student roleplay follow.
Two student readings examine the "signing statements" Bush has attached to various pieces of legislation, including the the Detainee Treatment Act. Are they constitutional?
Are our telephone calls and e-mails part of the secret surveillance program inaugurated by President Bush after 9/11? Two student readings and several suggested activities explore the controversy over presidential authority to eavesdrop.
Three student readings offer a case study of what happened to one mentally ill prisoner; a summary of a critical report on America's prisons; and some additional facts and figures. Discussion questions, a writing assignment, subjects for further inquiry and suggestions for citizenship activities...
The controversy over Don Imus opened a discussion that deserves students' consideration. A student reading offers samples from TV, radio, the record industry and other media outlets that raise questions about racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia and Islamophobia in the media. A Document-Based...
The controversy over the ex-radio host's comments is an opportunity to consider racism and sexism in our society. Two student readings with suggestions for discussion, writing & further inquiry.
The proposed Employee Free Choice Act makes this a teachable moment for students: why is union membership declining in this country? Is organizing too difficult? A document-based question exercise follows.
Three readings, all based on Jonathan Schell's book The Unconquerable World: Power, Nonviolence, and the Will of the People, invite students to learn about, discuss, and act upon ideas for a cooperative and more peaceful world.
Two student readings examine, compare, and provide commentary on the U.S. wars in Vietnam and Iraq. Suggested discussion questions, writing assignments, and subjects for inquiry encourage students to explore opposing viewpoints.