Students explore the mathematics behind opinion polls, as well as provides a framework for interpreting trends in opinion poll graphics.

Learners read "Public Is Wary but Supportive on Rights Curbs," at the New York Times online. They explore how opinion polls are created and conducted, focusing on the wording of questions and the methods of sampling a population.

Can word choice affect a candidate's likeability? Use a New York Times instructional activity to explore how a presidential candidate's likeability factor can fluctuate in public opinion polls. Young readers choose a presidential...

Your pupils may not know that school was not always required. Teach them a bit about the history of public education with a reading passage and related questions.

In this opinion survey worksheet, students will work in groups of four to complete a survey of each group member's opinion on 20 topics.

Should police officers wear body cameras? Scholars consider the question as they use the resource to conduct independent research about the debate topic. They read a brief background and peruse the main pros and cons about the issue....

Examine the results of recent opinion polls on where people stand on the issue of the death penalty. In groups, middle schoolers examine various cases dealing with this issue and discuss the judgments. They write their own argument for...

Eleventh graders determine, evaluate, and use resources that are most appropriate and readily available for investigating a particular question or topic. Examples include knowledgeable people, field trips, prefaces, appendices,...

Is health care a right or a privilege? Scholars review pro and con arguments to decide if all Americans should have the right to health care. They also watch informative videos and review information on the United States and...

Learners participate in a simulation that asks them to work as staffers for a candidate running for office. They are assigned to design, administer, and analyze a simple poll on an important community issue. Students develop a position...

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter—are they good for society? Pupils prepare for a class debate in which they voice their opinions on the issue. They read the main pro and con arguments, explore others' opinions, view videos, and discover the...

Students identify and discuss First Amendment rights, examine how to make sound legal judgements regarding photographs of private individuals, examine difference between public and private figures as far as libel law is concerned,...

Learners discuss the advantages of a celebrity running for a public office. After reading an article, they examine the results of the California governor recall vote. In groups, they research the aspirations and career of a celebrity...

Students explore why: Schools are hotbeds of popular young opinion about what to wear, which music to listen to, and what TV shows to watch. In this activity, students extend their fascination with "what's hot" to the books they read by...

Students work together to examine the tastiest towns in the United States. After discovering the names of the equipment, they identify the seven continents. They take a survey and locate the cities and states of the foods mentioned.

Inspire critical thinking with this activity, which prompts students to compare lesbian, gat, bisexual, and transgender rights with the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. By collecting topical articles about...

Pupils explore and engage in the art of debate. When both sides have been presented each pair have a few minutes to prepare a rebuttal based upon what the opposing side has said. A rubric imbedded in this plan is used as an assessment tool.

In this sentence fragment exercise, learners are given paragraphs to proofread for sentence fragments. Students are given space to make revisions.

Tenth graders experience first hand the complexity of the political process. They analyze the relationship between party policies and the political spectrum and develop an understanding of how Canada's laws are debated and passed.

Students role-play the role of journalists during the 19th and 20th centuries. They create their own sports newspapers. They report on Jack Johnson's life and career.

Young scholars explore human behavior by exploring mental and physical disabilities. In this learning disability lesson plan, students identify the different disabilities young scholars have which prevent them from working at the same...

Students discuss the relationship teenagers have with the television. In groups, they watch different excerpts from various television shows and note every instance of violence including children. They also discuss the instances of...

This site is useful because it offers a database of over 300,000 questions asked on surveys since the 1930s. Also contains Latin American and Japanese data bank retrieval system as well. Listing of general social surveys 1972-1998.

The NCPP site asks 20 questions journalists should consider when using poll information. Click on each question to get a discussion of the answer. A click on a sidebar gives analysis of polls from elections from 1936 to present.