Recent Posts
In this section, the most recent lesson plans are listed in chronological order by post date.
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Every two years, Americans elect a Congress that can reshape what a president is able to do, but without removing the president. This background lesson explains how that works, why the president’s party almost always loses ground, and what actually changes when a chamber changes hands. This lesson is the first part of a mini-unit…
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In February 2022, Russia said it had launched a limited operation while analysts saw a bid to seize Kyiv within days. Students weigh Russia’s stated aims against its inferred ones and judge, with evidence, how much it actually achieved in the first weeks.
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Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have signed a defence pact stating that an attack on one is an attack on all. A three-level lesson on why states pool their security and what they give up to get it.
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Hours before a midnight tariff deadline, Canada suspended trade negotiations with the United States and 50% tariffs took effect. Both governments blame the other. This lesson uses the collapse to ask why trade disputes are so difficult to end, especially considering the power asymmetry at play. In this case, is interdependence preventing conflict – or…
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On August 2nd, 2026, the EU began enforcing the world’s first binding AI transparency law. This free lesson turns that case into a full class on power and globalization, with readings at three grade levels, tiered discussion questions, a critical thinking task, and teacher notes.
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Elon Musk became the world’s first trillionaire in June 2026 – but lost the title twelve days later. This lesson uses that rise and fall to ask whether extreme wealth shows an economic system is working well or failing.
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How did the largest war in Europe since 1945 begin? Students trace Ukraine’s path from independence to invasion, touching on the Budapest Memorandum, NATO expansion, Euromaidan, Crimea, and the Minsk agreements. Students then rank five competing explanations for why the war happened.
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A U.S. Senate committee voted to hold a former health official in contempt after he refused to answer questions. Students use the case to ask a bigger civic question: what are public government hearings for and when does oversight turn political?
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When a leaked exam forced more than two million Indian students to re-sit, a satirical youth movement rose up and toppled a cabinet minister. Students weigh the movement’s cause, identity, and outcome to decide what makes a protest legitimate.
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In one week in July 2026, Ukraine replaced its defence minister, its commander-in-chief and its chief of the General Staff. Ukrainian protesters opposed one of those decisions and openly demanded another. A lesson on wartime leadership, legitimacy and public pressure.
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The United States and Saudi Arabia signed a nuclear cooperation agreement in July 2026. This lesson uses it to examine what a country trades away when it buys advanced technology abroad, and why enrichment turns energy deals into security decisions.
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In June 2026, the US Supreme Court ruled 6–3 in a case called Mullin v. Doe and allowed the government to end Temporary Protected Status for people from Haiti and Syria. About 350,000 Haitians and several thousand Syrians would lose both their legal status and their permission to work. This ready to teach lesson plan…
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When Japan’s youngest female mayor announced maternity leave, she exposed a system with no rule for the situation. This classroom-ready lesson turns that debate into a study of equality, linked to rights & justice. One event, three grade levels, minimal prep.
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A tense NATO summit in Ankara puts one question in sharp focus: what holds a military alliance together when its most powerful member publicly doubts its value? Students weigh interdependence, legitimacy, and whether the meeting left NATO stronger or weaker.
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When the US President phoned FIFA to reverse a player’s red card at the 2026 World Cup, sport’s promise of neutral, independent rules collided with political power. A ready-to-teach case on legitimacy and influence, scaffolded across three grade levels.
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In June 2026, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigned less than two years after a landslide win and without losing an election. This ready-to-teach lesson uses his fall to explore how leaders gain and lose legitimacy, with three differentiated reading levels for Grades 6–12
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Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela in June 2026, killing thousands and testing responders at every level. This classroom-ready lesson uses the disaster to explore a bigger question: what makes responding to natural disasters so hard, and how can the international community help? Three reading levels, tiered questions, and a critical thinking task included.
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Europe’s record-breaking 2026 heatwave put governments to the test. Students examine how different countries responded , from emergency health measures to school closures, and assess the debate between adapting to extreme heat and tackling its cause.
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A ceasefire deal was signed, then the two sides sat down to negotiate peace while openly threatening each other with force, and disagreed over whether a core promise had already been broken. This differentiated, three-level lesson uses a fast-moving crisis to explore why signed agreements fail, and what it takes to make them successful.
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A classroom-ready lesson on the 2026 US-Iran deal. Students explore why stopping the fighting is easier than building a lasting peace, weighing six issues that could make or break the agreement. Differentiated for Grades 6-12 with readings, news clips, questions, and a deeper critical thinking task.
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Four regions, one question: who gets to decide whether part of a country can leave? Students examine Scotland, Catalonia, Quebec, and Alberta to understand why independence movements arise, and weigh what a region truly gains by staying united or breaking away.
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This classroom-ready current events lesson using the 2026 FIFA World Cup asks: to what extent are international sporting events political? Includes differentiated readings for Grades 6-12, discussion questions, a fact-vs-interpretation critical thinking task, and full teacher notes.
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Australia, the UK, and the US have agreed to jointly develop underwater drone technology through AUKUS. What drives countries to cooperate on security? …and what are the trade-offs?
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In 2025, Nepal’s Gen Z took to the streets after the government banned social media… and brought down a Prime Minister. Six months later, a 35-year-old rapper won a historic election landslide. This lesson explores youth power, legitimacy, and what happens when a generation refuses to be ignored.
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When governments abuse human rights, who stops them? This lesson uses the Duterte drug war case to examine how NGOs and international courts work together, and where each falls short.
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When the world’s largest foreign aid donor shut down its aid agency, millions of people felt the consequences almost immediately. This lesson examines why it happened, what was lost, and whether the partial reversal was enough. Explore this lesson in three differentiated reading levels for grades 6-12.
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After eight years of decline, global democracy scores stabilised in 2025 – but what does that actually mean? This differentiated lesson for grades 6-12 uses the EIU Democracy Index to explore how we measure democracy, what indices get right, and where they fall short.
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When the WHO declared the 2026 Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda a global health emergency, it resurfaced ongoing questions about why outbreaks hit lower-income countries hardest. This lesson examines health system capacity, conflict, and the role of NGOs like MSF and the Red Cross in their role in fighting disease outbreaks.
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When environmental and economic security collide, whose definition wins? This lesson uses Canada’s 2026 pipeline debates (Coastal GasLink, the Alberta-BC crude pipeline, and the Bridger expansion) to teach security as a contested concept, with Indigenous perspectives included in the debate.
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How can a disease outbreak shows us the strengths and limitations of international cooperation and international organizations like the WHO? This differentiated lesson for Grades 6-12 explores globalization, sovereignty, and the limits of international health cooperation through the 2026 Hantavirus outbreak.
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India’s first census in 16 years includes a controversial first: counting caste. This differentiated lesson explores what governments choose to count, who benefits from that data, and what it means for identity and power. Lesson differentiated for grades 6-12, GCSE, A-Level, and IB/AP.
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The High Seas Treaty is now law, but who’s actually responsible for enforcing it? A three-level lesson exploring ocean governance, sovereignty, and what international agreements can (and can’t) do.
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The Philippines: +72.6%. Japan: +8.2%. Same crisis, same global oil market, but very different consequences. This no-prep lesson uses the 2026 Hormuz crisis to explore why global shocks land harder on poorer countries, with differentiated readings and real price data for Grades 6-12.
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Should countries stay in organizations even if they feel the rules aren’t fair? The UAE just walked away from OPEC after nearly 60 years. This lesson uses that decision to explore sovereignty, interdependence, and the limits of international cooperation.
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What happens when you can’t trust the results of an election, and how can you build that trust back? Peru’s 2026 election hit turbulence before a single vote was counted. This lesson will have students explore the importance of trust in elections, in three reading levels from grades 6-12.
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The EU’s top court ordered Hungary to scrap its anti-LGBTQ+ law. Can the EU actually enforce it? A lesson in three reading levels on rights, sovereignty, and supranational power.
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Is AI getting too dangerous? When Anthropic announced in April 2026 that its new AI model, Mythos, was too dangerous to release publicly, it sparked a global debate: who gets to decide how powerful AI can become, and who should be in charge of the rules? This lesson uses the Mythos case and the EU’s…
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A new Canadian law has made millions of Americans eligible for citizenship by descent and thousands are already applying. This ready-to-teach lesson unpacks the “Lost Canadians” story through the lens of identity, equality, and rights. Includes differentiated readings and discussion questions for Grades 6–12 in three levels.
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Hungary’s 2026 election ended 16 years of Orbán’s rule in a historic landslide. Three differentiated readings explore legitimacy, power, sovereignty and what truly makes an election democratic.
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In December 2025, Australia became the first country to ban under-16s from major social media platforms — putting the legal burden on tech companies, not families. This lesson explores the competing values of protection, rights, and government power through three differentiated readings for Grades 6–12, plus tiered discussion questions and a critical thinking task.