The units contain four elements: objectives, teaching strategies, sample lessons and classroom activities, and lists of resources for teachers and students (Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute 2000/2009).

Because of a 1977 Supreme Court ruling on corporal punishment (ʺpaddlingʺ) , students are the sole group of Americans whom governmental employees may beat with impunity, even when they pose no threat to safety (USA: Oyez 2018).