This cluster includes the following access points.
Vetted resources educators can use to teach the concepts and skills in this topic.
| Name |
Description |
| The Odyssey: Lesson Three: The Legacy of Leadership: | This lesson is #3 in an ELA/Civics Integrated Text Unit designed to support students with the integration of civics into the ELA classroom through the reading and study of Homer’s The Odyssey. This lesson should take place after students have read excerpts from Part 2 of The Odyssey. Students will use knowledge from lessons one and two as well as information from Article II of the United States Constitution to identify and explain the different presidential responsibilities such as receiving foreign heads of state. They will then create a “White House Press Briefing” outlining the U.S. President’s events of the day which includes a visit from a foreign head of state- Odysseus-who has come to the United States to learn more about how the United States borrowed from Greece when creating a constitutional republic. |
| Comparing Unsecured Loans: | Students will conduct research to identify, compare, and discuss characteristics of personal loans, student loans, and unsecured credit cards in this lesson plan. |
| Comparing Secured Loans: | Students will conduct research to identify, compare, and discuss characteristics of auto loans, mortgages, and secured credit cards, in this lesson plan. |
| County Hurricane Emergency Management Plan (CHEMP) Part 3: | This 5-part student-centered activity places students in the role of a local emergency management team that is tasked by the County Board of Commissioners to develop a County Hurricane Emergency Management Plan (CHEMP). In part 2, student teams utilized the research they conducted in part 1 to develop one portion of a County Hurricane Emergency Management Plan (CHEMP). Teams completed a plan worksheet and uploaded it along with any relevant attachments to an online collaborative platform for feedback. In part 3, student teams will review the draft submitted by a team working on a different portion of the CHEMP and provide feedback through the online collaborative platform. Teams will provide feedback to the other team using a checklist (attached). Once feedback has been given, teams will then utilize feedback to adjust their plan before developing a presentation to communicate their plan to the County Board of Commissioners. |
| County Hurricane Emergency Management Plan (CHEMP) Part 4: | This 5-part student-centered activity places students in the role of a local emergency management team that is tasked by the County Board of Commissioners to develop a County Hurricane Emergency Management Plan (CHEMP). In part 4, students will work within their teams to create the three components of their presentations. Students will plan their oral presentation to the County Board of Commissioners as well as create a visual presentation and a written document. The teacher’s role will be to present the task, monitor student engagement, and provide feedback as the teams complete the three components of their portion of the plan. |
| Extemporaneous Speaking Practice: A Socratic Seminar: | In this lesson intended for the debate classroom, students will read through pivotal court cases in preparation for an Extemporaneous Speaking Socratic Seminar. Teachers will divide their class up into two groups. Each student in each group will get 10 minutes to prep individually after the question has been posted on the board. When prep time is over, the whole group debates using refutation, claim, warrant, data, impact format. They have 15 minutes for each student to make his/her argument. |
| Congressional Argument and Free Speech: | In this lesson plan, students will work collaboratively to make arguments for and against a proposed piece of legislation: A Bill to Eliminate Bot Social Media Accounts to Stifle Misinformation. |
| Congressional Debate: Learning Station Rotation: | In this lesson plan intended for a debate class, students will create Congressional arguments based on proposed legislation randomly assigned to them at different stations. |
| Unsecured and Secured Loans: | Students will conduct research to identify characteristics of secured and unsecured loans, in this lesson plan. |
| Wear Sunscreen: A Satirical Take on the Time-Honored Graduation Speech: | This close reading lesson focuses on Mary Schmich's comical commencement speech essay, "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young." Students will take an in-depth analysis to discover her powerful satirical style, as well as the power of social nuances. Students will focus on academic vocabulary and answer high-level text-dependent questions as a guide for their comprehension of the essay, evaluating if her choice of words and wisdom remain valid, relative, and sufficient for the youth of today. |
| Swagger: Shakespeare versus Jay Z: | This lesson provides students the opportunity to explore how the word ‘swagger’ has transformed over centuries through the writings of poets such as Shakespeare and rappers such as Jay Z. Students will read an article from NPR titled “What do Jay Z and Shakespeare Have in Common? Swagger” and thereafter will be asked to analyze vocabulary from the article, respond to text-dependent questions, and complete a summary of the term swagger analyzing its previous and present day definitions. |
| Hubris: A Recurring Theme in Greek Mythology: | Students will analyze protagonist, antagonist, conflict, resolution, and hubris in three classic myths: "Odysseus and Polyphemus," "Athena and Arachne," and "Echo and Narcissus." They will write an essay explaining the message of each myth using examples from the myths and discuss the impact of the recurring theme of hubris on the ancient Greek audience. |
| Language of Letters: Analyzing the Change in Diction and Syntax from Civil War Times to the Present: | This lesson includes a close-reading and text-marking activity using two soldiers' letters, one from the Civil War and one from The War on Terror. Students will discover by looking at word choice and sentence structure how language styles have changed over time. |
| Do You See What I See, Feel, Hear, Taste, and Smell?: | In this lesson, students will discuss the importance of imagery as it pertains to writing. They will practice using vivid descriptions through their writing. |
| It Works: Peer Review for the Collaborative Classroom: | In this lesson, students collaborate and connect to writing by learning how to review the work of their peers constructively. Using a structured reciprocal teaching method, students will read, revise, and provide feedback to their peers. |
| Elaborate Your Writing: Prepositions and Adjectives: | Students will collaborate to revise an expository piece of writing by expanding their details and varying their writing structure in this lesson. |
| Don't Bite Your Thumb at Me, Sir! Using Storyboards to bring Act One of Romeo and Juliet to Life: | In this lesson, students will create story boards to show their analysis of plot, characters, and setting in Act One of Romeo and Juliet. Students will then use the information analyzed with the the reading of Act One and the story board creations to answer a short response question. |
| A.I. In Our World: | Using the case study, “What if I Used A.I. To Build My Site?” students will research the historical, legal, and ethical impacts of A.I. and write an argument for or against the use of A.I. in a competitive business situation. |
| Expanding the Business: Writing an Argument: | Using the case study, Should the Business Expand? students will create an argument for expanding the business or not expanding the business. Students will compose a business communication to the owner of the case study business that provides their argument for or against expansion, to include logical reasoning and evidence. |
| Positive Steps: Using The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens: | In this multi-day lesson, students will work collaboratively to conduct brief research and create a presentation on one of the habits, from the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. After sharing their multimedia presentations with the class, students will determine which one is most important to them personally. Students will write a response to explain how that habit can provide a positive personal impact. |
| Possible Effects of Social Media Use on Careers: | Using the case study, “Digital Dangers: The Impact of Your Personal Digital Footprint in the Workplace," students will research rules and regulations on social media use by education professional responsible for minors. They will develop an outcome scenario that addresses a universal theme and the impact of social media posts on person’s career. |
| Name |
Description |
| High School Debate: Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists: | Students will participate in a debate using the arguments of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. This could be a verbal, silent, or alley debate. One group will represent the Federalists and be given information relating to their arguments. The other group will act as the Anti-Federalists and be given information relating to their arguments. Provide students time to prepare their arguments either individually or as a team, then commence the debate. |
| Lincoln-Douglas Cross Examination – Argue Like Your Life Depends on It!: | This is an activity that can be used as often as needed to review/reinforce how to use cross examination in debate. For the purposes of this lesson, we will stick with LD debate, but many of the tactics can be used in other formats like public forum. Also, this lesson focuses on the topic as if it is being introduced for the first time, so it should be modified for later uses. |
| Original Oratory: Peer Editing: | Students will share with classmates in small groups the first drafts of their completed original oratory speeches to participate in a peer editing process. Students will use the Peer Editing Checklist and guidelines to identify specific elements of the speech and to offer constructive critiques and suggestions for improvement. |
| The Great Mini Debate: American Ideas (High School): | Students will debate which foundational ideas found in American documents are most important in the Great Mini Debate. Students will use evidence from the Declaration of Independence, the Preamble and the Bill of Rights to support their arguments. The Great Mini Debate Cheat Sheet will prompt beginning debaters as to what should go in each speech of the debate. |
| An Introduction to Lincoln-Douglas Debate & the Public Good: | This slideshow and accompanying notes introduce what Lincoln-Douglas debate is (a values/morals debate) and how it is conducted. Students will learn everything from timeframes to how “flow” works. |
Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this topic.
