Whether you’re teaching online or in the classroom, Close Up has a series of engaging lesson plans, student activities, and guided debate structures to help you facilitate civil discussion about current issues and help your students take real, effective action in their community. Many of our lessons seamlessly integrate our Controversial Issues in the News reading materials into classroom discussions and debates that are productive and engaging while offering multiple perspectives.
Lesson Plan | April 21, 2020
By working together online to create a news story using an assigned editorial priority and a series of possible options for each article component, students will come to understand the decisions and factors that can lead to media bias.
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Guide your students as they work together virtually take a position on a current issue, plan and prepare arguments, hold a structured debate, and develop their critical thinking and communication skills in the process.
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Help your students work together online to identify issues impacting their community and establish rules and norms to help keep their future discussions civil, organized, and productive.
Lesson Plan | September 20, 2019
Expand the critical thinking and communication skills that students need for productive deliberation. Focus on a selected issue, review background information and pro/con arguments, help students listen respectfully to their peers, and watch them try to persuade others.
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Introduce students to political values, and help them explore why different values are frequently in tension in political debates. Through interactive scenarios, facilitated discussion, and reflection, students will identify and understand the tensions in our political system.