Current Issues
Classroom activities to engage students in learning about and discussing issues in the news
Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus shows how much one person can do to address a huge problem like poverty. A student reading summarizes Yunus' work and leads to suggestions for student action on an issue that concerns them.
The new Military Commissions Act raises basic constitutional issues as well as questions about U.S. compliance with the Geneva Conventions. Two student activities and two readings provide information about the act and critics' responses to it.
Three student readings offer information and perspectives on young people and the economy, how people feel about their economic situation, and controversy over interpreting economic statistics. Discussion questions and suggestions for further inquiry follow.
Students read and discuss a critical article about U.S. politics in light of the upcoming elections.
Florida's new education law declares, "American history shall be viewed as factual, not as constructed." Student readings, a quiz and suggested activities help students consider this law and a case study: two differing historical accounts of the U.S.-Mexico War.
An introduction to some the skills students need to use the internet critically.
A student questionnaire, poll results, and an excerpt from a high school student's prize-winning essay called "We Don't Believe in Politics" aim to open up discussion about what your students really think about politics.
The 2006 mid-term elections present an excellent opportunity to examine some major issues related to voting in the U.S. Three students readings are followed by suggestions for further student inquiry, reform proposals, and possible citizenship activities.
Active citizenship involves more than voting. Here, a few activist organizations are briefly profiled for students; questions and other suggested classroom activities follow.
Terrorism and its relationship to the Iraq war is the most potent issue in the 2006 elections. A student reading presents Republican and Democratic opinions on the subject, as well as those of U.S. intelligence agencies.