Civics

1. Possibilities include Gatorade, Q-tip, Kleenex, Post-it, Band-Aid, Rollerblade, Bic, Velcro, Gore-Tex, Coke, Jell-o, and Jeep. Students may want to consult the Web site of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, where they can read basic facts about trademarks and use a search engine to see if a given term is trademarked. Presumably, sales of a given product will be helped if consumers look for the product by brand name -- if, for example, they go to the store looking for "tupperware" instead of just any resealable plastic food container. On the other hand, if a company is unable to protect its trademark, rival companies will begin to use the term as well.

2. You might ask for volunteers to read the classic works cited in the reading: Poor Richard's Almanac, a story by Horatio Alger, How to Win Friends and Influence People, and The Power of Positive Thinking.

Economics

1. Students should be sure to get their parents' permission before putting the items in the refrigerator (!).

2. After the presentations, you might discuss as a class the question of whether the qualities that make a woman successful in business differ from those that make a man successful.

Geography

1. One way to start this activity would be to have each student write down the first word or image that comes to mind when he or she thinks about each of the two states. (You might also try this experiment with other states to see how students' views of various states compare.) Information on the two states can be found at http://www.mass.gov and http://www.myflorida.com.

2. Ask volunteers to read their accounts to the class. You also might discuss as a class whether moving is more difficult for parents or for children.

History

1. As preparation for this activity, you might have the class prepare graphs showing the growing share of women who work outside the home or other data related to women in the work force. Data for more recent decades can be found in the Census Bureau's annual publication, Statistical Abstract of the United States.

2. Note that the timeline can include events outside the United States (such as the launch of Sputnik), as well as developments in popular culture (such as the "Star Trek" television series and the "Star Wars" movies).