Single-Use Ecosystem Disruptors
This presentation leads elementary students into the text set on plastic straws.
This text set is suitable for use in the C3WP secondary mini-unit “Writing and Revising Claims” as it allows students to explore an issue, identify and respond to the evidence used by the authors of the texts, revise their own claims as they learn more, and practice integrating sources into their own writing. Additionally, the text set makes an excellent thematic fit with literature units common to classrooms across the state. Any literature that explores the idea of the Hero’s Journey, heroism, or even the anti-hero would be well-complemented by this text set.
Endangered Species, Zoos and Sanctuaries
This text set explores the topic of endangered species. The introductory texts give some background on what it means for a species to be endangered and why this might cause problems if left unchecked. Teachers can watch all or some of the intro videos, depending on student awareness of the issue and the connection with other units in the course. This text set was created with the secondary student in mind; however, teachers can adapt sources for lower level readers and adapt the lesson sequences to fit within the Upper Elementary mini-units.
This text set explores the increasingly pressing concern of adolescent mental health. It features two types of content: one is based in social media that is curated to be engaging, approachable, and representative of students today, as well as fuller articles from more traditional media to augment rigor and share the perspective of school leadership and other professionals. Combined, these texts invite students to experience multiple perspectives (teens, school leaders, and clinicians) of adolescent mental health, and then allow them to take ownership of this issue by evaluating and proposing a school-based solution.
Minimum Wage Text Set: The following text set is designed to foster an informed and in depth discussion of the national minimum wage as well as the Nebraska minimum wage. The set contains several informational pieces to establish a base of knowledge and shared terms. There are a variety of opinion pieces on both sides of the question of whether or not the minimum wage should be raised. The opinion pieces range from regional to national and also vary in terms of the quality of the evidence used to make each claim. This text set lends itself to use in several of the curriculum units.(Suggested sequences: Coming to Terms with Opposing Viewpoints; Making the Case in an OpEd; Ranking Evidence – see the linked document for explanation.)
This text set is designed to highlight a range of perspectives and stakeholders on the topic of outmigration in Nebraska, or the phenomenon of people leaving the state. This text set can be used with a range of C3WP mini-units, as suggested below, and can also be modified to include articles that relate directly to students’ localities. (For example, if a local news outlet highlights an initiative meant to attract new businesses or retain workers, that article can be integrated into the text set.) The text set also includes some optional “extension” texts that teachers might choose to include based on time, student interest, or relevance to other curriculum. Best for secondary, upper grades.
