Less than $5 Critical Thinking Outlines

This resource is aimed at 7th to 10th grade.

The political landscape in the United States is deeply polarized, with Republicans and Democrats often having starkly different positions on many issues. 

Here are ten hot contentious topics that hav been prominent in the political discourse. These topics are highly dynamic, and the positions associated with each party can evolve over time, influenced by current events, leadership changes, and public opinion. Always consult the most recent sources for the latest information on these and other political issues.

Each issue has further been divided into two short stories, or rather scenarios, one from the perspective of a democrat, and one from the perspective of a republican.

Finally, there are sets of questions that probe each scenario and dig deeper into the issues and perspectives.

The topics covered are:

Gun control

Abortion

Healthcare reform

Climate change & environmental policy

Tax policy

Immigration

Economic inequality & social welfare

Education

LGBTQ+ Rights

Voting rights and electoral integrity

KWL Charts (Know, Want to Know, Learned) are a standard resource in many classrooms. While students’ familiarity with them makes them easy to explain and use, it also can become an exercise students no longer really think about as they complete.

The printable chart version included with this lesson takes that idea a step further and is perfect for inquiry and project based learning. It also works well for the “Genius Hour”, “Passion Project” or “20% Learning Projects” that are becoming more popular. The KWHLAQ Chart expands on the three basic questions as follows:

K – What do I know?

W – What do I want to know?

H – How will I find out?

L – What did I learn?

A – What action will I take?

Q – What questions do I still have?

This is a great resource for any classroom!

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