Describes a simulated archaeological dig for a ninth-grade Canadian social studies class. Students role-play archaeological teams in 2180 AD who find well-preserved bags of "garbage." Students classify garbage artifacts, write reports hypothesizing about the households which produced them, and match the contents of their bags to…

Recounts the details of a teacher's feelings about leaving her class to go on jury duty. Tells how she related her jury experiences to the class and had the students interpret information from a short story in a mock courtroom presentation. (RL)

This article describes an interdisciplinary classroom project in which ninth graders simulate a "World Council on Genetic Technology." Students in small groups take on the persona and interests of individuals from specific countries in the group effort to develop a covenant for regulating the use of biotechnology. The benefits of having gifted…

In this lesson, student teams role-play policy experts who identify, evaluate, and choose countries that will participate in an international education and assistance program. Students evaluate political, economic, environmental, historical, and geographical issues. Teams will judge which countries should or should not receive aid and recognition.…

Asserts that authentic assessment can be applied successfully to the social studies. Describes a long-term, role-playing activity recreating the voyages of Ibn Battuta, who lived during the Islamic golden age. Includes project objectives, student assignments, a biographical sketch of Ibn Battuta, and a model of a student presentation sheet. (CFR)

The Ninth Grade Teacher Advisor Program (TAP) of Cambridge (Massachusetts) Rindge and Latin School assists students in making the transition from grammar school to high school. The curriculum presented in this manual is a revised version of the materials used by TAP groups in the first year of the Ninth Grade Program. The two major themes of the…