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Curriculum Guides

A Taxing Time?

The Sixteenth Amendment, establishing a federal income tax, was ratified in February 1913. Readings and activities in this guide for middle and high school students explore the connection between this amendment, the government, and the American public. Students examine today’s politics of taxation and the history of Congress as the purse holder to explain how our government provides certain goods and services. Looking at receipts and exploring different sales taxes illustrate how taxes are part of American life.

Primary Disciplines

Economics,

Government,

U.S. History,

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If I Were a Member of the President's Cabinet

The members of the Cabinet advise the president. President George Washington had only four Cabinet secretaries. Today there are 15 Cabinet secretaries. Activities in this guide introduce students to the Cabinet members' duties and the role of independent agencies. Students follow the confirmation process and role-play being members of the president's Cabinet, confronting real issues.

Primary Disciplines

Career Education,

Government,

Journalism,

Photography,

Social Studies,

U.S. History,

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Treat Water Well

Have you been to the Chesapeake Bay or fished in the Anacostia River? How are we doing meeting Clean Air Act and Safe Drinking Water Act goals? Conversations about handling clean water and its pollution occur in rural as well as urban and suburban areas. In this guide, your class will learn more about these and more situations, their influence on clean water, and water treatment efforts.

Primary Disciplines

Biology

Career Education,

Ecology,

Environmental Science,

Life Science,

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News As Art

The idea of recycling newspapers has been around for many years. After being read, newspapers have been used to clean windows, wrap presents and line bird cages. For more than 100 years, newspapers have been transformed into works of art. Activities in this Washington Post Newspaper In Education curriculum guide uses the sections of the newspaper to inspire projects and be the medium for the message.

Primary Disciplines

Art

Journalism,

Visual Arts,

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D.C. Emancipation Act, April 1862

Primary documents — including diaries, photographs and eyewitness accounts — provide insight into the history of slavery in the District of Columbia and Lincoln's decision to end slavery in D.C.

Primary Disciplines

Government,

Journalism,

Social Studies,

U.S. History,

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What Kind of Government Do You Want?

Students are asked to consider the kind of government they want. They follow the election process from the party conventions and campaigns to private and public inaugural days. They discuss, analyze and interpret political advertisements, editorial cartoons, historic and contemporary documents. Students even become reporters localizing the inaugural day story. Teachers are provided resources, lesson suggestions and guidelines for one-day to long-term election projects that span the disciplines.

Primary Disciplines

Civics,

Government,

Journalism,

Political Science

Social Studies,

U.S. History,

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Civil War 150: Bloodshed and Emancipation

The Bloodshed and Emancipation curriculum guide contains resources to teach about slavery in the U.S., the steps to manumission and the Civil War from April 1862 to January 1863. For the youngest to the oldest students, teachers will find a word find and scrambled word puzzle, historic manumission documents and Civil War photographs, Washington Post articles and discussion questions, suggested activities and maps, Fourteenth Amendment background lessons, Your and Your Rights update and activities.

Primary Disciplines

Civics,

Government,

Political Science

Social Studies,

U.S. History,

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Preserve, Restore or Toss?

Providing future generations with places that reflect their cultural values and ideals and maintaining their political, social and historic legacy requires a commitment of individuals, organizations and government. Many of the activities in this guide cross disciplines because of the social, cultural, economic and historic issues, art and architecture considerations, and science of preservation.

Primary Disciplines

Debate,

Economics,

Geography

Government,

History

Social Studies,

U.S. History,

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From Print to Air

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The news media has the responsibility to provide citizens with information. In what ways does providing news through print, broadcast and the Internet help citizens to be self-governing, better informed and engaged in the issues and events of their communities? In what ways is radio an important means of conveying information to individuals in countries around the world? The news peg for this guide is the establishment of WTWP radio station by The Washington Post Company and Bonneville International.
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A World of Money

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A history of money and an introduction to bartering and counterfeiting is given in the KidsPost article. The main lesson focuses on two sentences excerpted from the KidsPost feature. Mathematics activities center on circumference and graphs. A vocabulary fill-in-the-blank activity and Word Study of "porcelain" and cowry shells focus students on vocabulary development. Web resources are given for Native American and monetary studies.
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