With crime on the rise, law enforcement and local government are looking for solutions. One site they can turn to is CrimeSolutions.gov. This agency reviews and rates programs around the country. They use easily understandable ratings based on the evidence that indicates whether a program achieves its goals: (Program Review and Rating from Start to Finish)
For additional resources see Hot Topic – Crime and What to do about it
English: This is a box of “COP Killer” ammunition often talked about in the liberal media to facilitate further gun control measures. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Students will form a position about arming teachers in schools, write their local representatives about the gun control debates and conduct a survey of their community regarding gun control issues.
View the video Gun-Control and the White House by the Guardian
Lesson Plan 1- Teachers and Guns
Objective: Students will form a position on the issue of arming teachers and write a persuasive essay
Lesson Plan 2- Gun Control and Congress
Objective: Students will write their local representatives about the current gun control debates
Lesson Plan 3- Conducting a Survey
Objective: Students will work in groups to create survey questions, conduct survey and track results
21st Century Core Content
History
Government and Civics21st Century Themes
Global Awareness
Civic Literacy21st Century Skills
Think Creatively
Work Creatively With Others
Make Judgments and Decisions
Solve Problems
Communicate Clearly
Collaborate with Others
Access and Evaluate Information
Use and Manage Information
Be Flexible
Work Independently
Be Self-directed Learners
Interact Effectively with Others
Work Effectively in Diverse Teams
Produce Results
Guide and Lead Others
Be Responsible to Others
Additional Resources:
Gun Policy.org
NRA.org (National Rifle Association)
Gun Control by Fox News
Gun Control by State by USA Today
International Gun Laws by PBS
Additional Library Resources:
Doing homework in your pajamas? Need information? Visit our online reference department – Gale Virtual Reference Library and get the information you need. As a bonus we added search boxes for all the other information resources. What’s cool? Search in one of the widgets, and you get information from the resource and as an added bonus information on the subject from our other resources. Don’t have a library card from LVCCLD? Then download our app – Access My Library - available for Apple and Android devices and select one of our libraries as your ‘home library’. (You have to be within 10 miles of one of our libraries). Once bookmarked you will have access anywhere.
Image via Wikipedia
The United States federal government should substantially increase its exploration and/or development of space beyond the Earth’s mesosphere.
Pro, or con? The 2011-2012 national high-school policy debate topic – space – was chosen via balloting conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations. The topic lends itself to lively discussion, particularly in the wake of this summer’s final voyage of the U.S. space shuttle program and in the uncertain condition of the U.S. economy.
As the new school year approaches, so does a renewed focus on critical-thinking skills, information literacy and other hallmarks of 21st century learning. Debate training helps young adults develop their talent for assessing information and making informed conclusions – then lets them express their reasoning in a forum that feeds into many kids’ spirit of competition.
“I respectfully disagree”
Debate fosters skills in reading and writing. And it teaches consideration for all points of view – something many people tend to forget in an Internet environment, where anonymity encourages bloggers and commenters to forego respectful discussion for name-calling and insult.
And as the 2012 presidential campaigns heat up – with their inevitable candidates’ debates – look at debate’s historical cred:
Look at Socrates, who was put to death in 399 BCE for corrupting the youth of Athens; his accusers couldn’t forgive him for incessantly questioning their beliefs and making “the worse appear the better cause.” Abraham Lincoln went head to head with Stephen Douglas in the Illinois senatorial race of 1858; those debates catapulted Lincoln into the presidency.
Support for debating topics is available at the Virtual Library.
A range of eBooks from Gale Virtual Reference Library delivers reliable facts on timely topics like energy policy, environmental regulations, Supreme Court rulings, American policy in China, and more.
National high school policy debate topic resources:
Some content provided by Re:sources Erin Sullivan, Product Manager for Gale Virtual Reference Library of Galecengage.
Databases in which the new features are available in are:
Opposing Viewpoints in Context
Science in Context
Student Resources in Context
U.S. History in Context
World History in Context
