This lesson will have students critically explore and evaluate the controversial decision made by the United States’ President Harry S. Truman to use the atomic bomb to end the war with Japan. Charged with ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ Under Article 6 of the Nuremberg Charter, students will simulate a mock trial in a courtroom setting by taking on the roles of attorneys and witnesses who will work collaboratively in building a case that persuades jury members to render President Truman as ‘not guilty’ or ‘guilty’. This lesson is designed to equip students with the investigative tools necessary to be effective in a mock trial setting by providing students with A) the historical & primary based background information of this time period, and B) detailed description and guidance in performing their assigned role. Materials • One 32 PowerPoint Slide • Detailed Lesson Plan • STUDENT HANDOUTS: 1) Film Questions 'The Atomic Bomb– The End or the Beginning'? 2) Defense Role 2) Prosecutor Role 3) Juror Role 4) Witness Roles (16 individual significant historical figures) 5) Grading Rubrics

Aligned with the Common Core Standards, this lesson will encourage students to analyze fictitious scenarios based upon actual Supreme Court cases. This activity can be used in two ways; 1) An assessment- students will apply their prior knowledge concerning the United States’ Constitutional amendments, along with their own ethics and logic, to Supreme Court decisions, or 2) Using the provided cheat sheet, students will be introduced to the Bill of Rights, and its' application to Supreme Court cases. This PowerPoint presentation is full of interactive visuals, and chronologically aligns itself with the provided student handout. This lesson includes: - 1 26 slide Power-Point Presentation - 1 Power-Point Handout - 1 Cheat Sheet

This lesson involves having students examine the impacts of the Industrial Revolution in the United States with a specific focus on child labor. It is recommended that students will have explored to some degree the Industrial era prior to this lesson. This lesson will prompt students to analyze social activist Lewis Hines' photographs that depict the various jobs and working conditions of which children were forced to work in. The provided 60 slide power-point and the student handout that accompanies the presentation is interactive, visual, problem posing, and vicariously draws the students into the lives of the children of the Industrial era. This lesson will have students delve deeper into critical thought, and encourage a social justice perspective by having students compare and contrast the child labor of the Industrial era with the child labor that exists today. A 22 minute documentary film titled "Zoned for Slavery: The Child Behind the Label' supplements this lesson and is available online through U tube in three separate parts: Part I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XtYhfcEZ9A Part II https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QOwNHeAqBE Part III https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klSngDpTlM4 This lesson includes: - 60 slide power-point presentation - Teacher lesson plan - Student power-point handout - Student Venn diagram handout

This Power-Point lesson will provide students with an introductory framework from which to understand the judiciary process. Students will delve into the fundamental aspects of a courtroom such as: the basic structure and lay-out of a courtroom, the function of different roles (judge, jury, defense, prosecutor), and the common procedures and language used in a courtroom environment. Students will also explore the importance of how to create an opening and closing statement, the legal grounds of when to object, and understand the dynamics of a direct and cross examination. This resource will be very useful for teachers who are searching for an engaging & informative way to introduce students to the concept of mock trials. Materials • Lesson Plan • 1 Power-point (35 Slides) & accompanying student handout • 1 Power-point (12 Slides) & accompanying student handout • Handouts ➢ Jury Role Play ➢ Opening Statement ➢ Closing Statement ➢ Objections ➢ Debriefing**

This lesson is based on my own personal experience as a participant on a USA-Mexico border tour project organized by Rethinking Schools &Global Exchange that provided first-hand experience and knowledge concerning the effects of U.S. foreign policy, such as NAFTA, on the lives of ordinary people who reside in the Tijuana area. This lesson will invite students to critically explore the growing militarization of the U.S. -Mexico border and its' impacts since NAFTA's inception, with a specific focus on the controversial program called 'Operation Gatekeeper'. A 35-slide power-point complete with primary sources, intertwined with problem posing questions, debate topics, and an engaging 'loop diagram' activity, will likely prompt student's perception of the U.S- Mexico border to be challenged, transformed, or altered. **Note: Students should have some prior knowledge and understanding of NAFTA before they begin this lesson. If not, please refer to my product titled 'U.S.-Mexico Border: Effects of NAFTA'. Materials: • One 35-slide Power-Point • Detailed Lesson Plan • Printable Handouts: 1) Handout #1- Power-Point Questions 2) Handout #2- The U.S.-Mexico Border Puzzle Pieces

This resource will provide students with a unique, and engaging way to learn about the Bill of Rights. In a critical reading activity, students will explore and understand the historical background of which each constitutional right came to exist. The provided reading is an easy to read, attention-grabbing resource. The second part of this lesson involves having students delve deeper into their analysis of each constitutional right by doing the following: 1)defining each amendment in their own words, 2) summarizing the historical background of why /how each amendment came to exist, 3) creating an illustration that depicts the meaning of each constitutional right. Materials: • Bill of Rights Reading (6 pages) • Handout: Analyzing Bill of Rights (T chart) • Handout: The Value of Rights

This lesson will have students critically explore a contentious current event issue involving the cases of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. The lesson will invite students to examine the context and controversy that surrounds the two cases, although emphasis will be placed on the Eric Garner case. A thought-provoking power-point presentation & accompanying handouts will prompt students to analyze a variety of news resources; all of which frame the issue in a particular way, and offer different explanations as to the underlying causal factors in Garner’s death. This lesson includes: • One 21-slide Power-Point • Detailed Lesson Plan • Printable Handouts: 1) Handout #1- Analyzing Controversy & the Criminal Justice System 2) Handout #2- Analyzing Sources 3) Handout #3- Current Events: America’s Criminal Justice System