Current Issues
Classroom activities to engage students in learning about and discussing issues in the news
After Hurricane Katrina, President Bush spoke of America's "duty to confront this poverty with bold action." A student reading offers a report card on this effort and suggests student responses.
Alan Shapiro reviews the new book by teacher Chris Weber
Student readings provide an overview of the Iraq situation from multiple perspectives, reports of public opinion polls about the war, and political arguments on what the U.S. should do. Discussion questions and classroom activities follow. ABRIDGED & EASIER READING VERSION
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.