Government Teacher Resources

Help high schoolers become more informed citizens with a crash course in United States Government and Politics. Narrated by Craig Benzine, the 50-video course is based on the 2014 AP U.S. Government and Politics curriculum. Viewers learn...

A collection of reading and writing activities that help us to better understand the election and voting process of our American government.

What if the people of the United States started over and, knowing what we know now about how things are working, redesigned the government created by the founding fathers? That's the central premise of the 11 resources in the American...

Introduce middle schoolers to the roles and powers of the three branches of the United States government, with the 21 resources in the C-SPAN Civics collection. Sorted into the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial...

James Madison, fourth president of the United States serving from 1809-1817, is the focus of a four-lesson collection that provides high schoolers with the information they need to understand why Madison is considered "The Father of the...

The National Constitution Center offers this collection of informative and entertaining videos intended to start conversations and develop critical thinking skills. Viewers learn about the rights granted by the constitution, about the...

Designed for social studies classes, this collection of lessons examine both the history and the current state of US government institutions, policies, and economic programs.

Who are you going to call when you have a customer service problem? The three lessons in the “Satisfaction Please!” unit module are about understanding consumer rights. Here, young consumers research organizations, government agencies,...

Three powerful, pertinent, and thought-provoking lessons make up the “The Color of Law: The Role of Government in Shaping Racial Inequity” unit. High schoolers examine primary sources, watch videos, and read testimonies that document how...

Democracies are not static. To learn more about how the United States form of democratic government has changed over time, class members examine primary and secondary sources, including works of art, and reflect on what these sources...

A three-lesson collection explores the federal and state court systems, as well as criminal and civil court systems. Along the way, high schoolers consider the qualifications necessary to serve in high-federal offices, and why courts...

Designed for the high school classroom, the mini-lessons in this collection combine studies of the United States government with news literacy skills. Each lesson includes a civics reading, a news literacy feature, and a news literacy...

A three-lesson unit provides middle schoolers with the founding fathers' vision of what they saw as the role of the president and the executive branch of the government. Young scholars examine the Articles of Confederation, Alexander...

Used with the PBS film The Armenian Genocide (Two Cats Productions), the eight lessons in this collection teach high schoolers about the Armenian Genocide. Students use primary and secondary sources to research the history of the Ottoman...

By 1786, it became apparent to many American founders that there were serious problems with the Articles of Confederation. A three-lesson unit focuses on the debates that lead to the 1787 Constitution Convention, as well as the...

Accepting a cow as payment for a car is not udder-ly ridiculous. A collection of 21 podcasts provide high schoolers with the lowdown on economics. Topics covered include economics, banking, monetary policy, and the role the Federal...

The Becoming Us: Belonging module examines how the American ideal of shared identity has been challenged by fear and insecurity. The first of three case studies focus on the deportation of Mexican American citizens during the Great...

The three case studies in the Becoming Us: Resistance unit module look at the individuals and groups who have resisted the antidemocratic forces of inequality and oppression. The Fighting For Freedom resource has young historians...

Informational, interesting, and easy-to-understand, the five resources in the Role of the Federal Courts collection provide an overview of the historical context, important principles, and content of the US Constitution regarding the...

A collection of 22 interactive resources provides learners with information about the United States federal courts. The pages are divided into five sections: The role of the federal courts; The organization of the federal courts; How the...

Animated videos, colorful graphics, and catchy examples help young economists gain an understanding of the Federal Reserve and its role in the Reserve System. The nine resources in the collection cover such basic economic concepts as...

Three lessons in the series “Lost Heroes of America” unit module send young historians on a quest to determine who was the first president of the United States. To find clues, scholars watch a short video that provides background on how...

Ben Across the Curriculum is a set of interdisciplinary lesson plans that highlight the five central themes in the international traveling exhibition Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World. These themes are Character Matters, B....

Nudge Theory, Game Theory, and Oligopoly? A 35-part video Crash Course goes beyond supply and demand and provides young economists with everything they need to know about economics. Based on the 2015 AP Economics guidelines, the...