Political Theory Teacher Resources

Easily broken into pieces for several class sessions, this presentation is a great way to transition your class out of a Civil War unit and closer to the 20th century. Engaging photographs, including relevant maps and humorous political...

How important is connectedness in a community? Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert Putnam details the early 21st century theory of the decreased value of social capital. A short analysis video takes...

Why are film montages in movies so compelling? Learn about the origins and effectiveness of the Soviet montage, as well as discontinuity editing and other filmmaking techniques—and political statements—that arose from the 1917 Bolshevik...

Scholars analyze the concepts of success, ethics, and Machiavelli's philosophy with an enlightening video. The narrator explains the main theories of Machiavelli in an easy-to-understand method and makes use of visual aids to enhance...

The breakthrough of Mendelian genetics solved many puzzles for biologists. Then, scientists decided to apply the theory to human behavior. Learn the story and struggle of finding a genetic explanation for hobbies, interests, and mental...

Most people support the idea of an independent judiciary in theory until they hear about a court case that violates their principles. An informative resource explains why the concept is important. It also provides scholars of criminology...

Students explore facts about Hitler's life and the historical events that occurred in that time, his view of history, his theory of race and his political goals. They explore his use of anti-Semitism to advance his career and consolidate...

Students examine wealth including analyzing and interpreting the sources of it.  In this social responsibility lesson students create their own political cartoon.

Students examine the attack on Pearl Harbor and how it changed the history of the United States. After watching a video from "The War", they discuss the characteristics of a "just war" and identify the laws in international warfare. ...

Ninth graders compare and contrast how different models can be used to represent scientific understandings. They evaluate the use of data when considering scientific claims. Students debate a variety of socio-scientific issues and the...

American Government students will appreciate the clear review in this worksheet after learning about the principles of government. Ten questions challenge students to consider the rights of sovereign states, as well as the social...

Progress through various aspects of the  "The Beautiful Era" in this presentation. Political, technological, and scientific contexts surround the time of innovation and change in the world landscape. The short length of this slide show...

The theory that adding iron to ocean water may increase phytoplankton ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is examined. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute is monitoring conditions off the California coast to...

Students campaign for president. In this presidential election lesson, students discuss the process of electing presidents, write their own campaign songs, research a campaign train schedule, and create campaign maps.

Students study ethics and the importance on humanitarian interventions.  In this lecture lesson students read case studies and answer questions regarding the importance of government and humanitarian interventions then watch a film...

In this Soviet Union activity, students read a 2-page selection about scientific work in the country and then respond to 4 short answer questions based on the selection.

If a goal is worthy are any means justified to achieve this goal? Yes, according to John Stuart Mill. Introduce viewers to Mill's concept of Utilitarianism with a short video that used an animated tale of a battle for a city to...

Students examine the Just War theory, examine a specific example of what is commonly considered to have been a Just War, develop their own moral viewpoints on war, and relate their beliefs to current international situations.

Learners define human rights and describe how it applies to politics, economics and cultural rights. As a class, they watch a video how the Constitution was made and discuss its purpose. In groups, they present information to the class...

Students identify the qualities that contribute to effective verbal and non-verbal communication. They use those qualities as criteria by which to judge an in-class political debate on education.

Eighth graders examine the reasons for the growth of cities in North American. Using the internet, they research the causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution and determine if the growth of cities is a sign of progress. They...

Students brainstorm a list of all of the ways they use energy in a day. In groups, they research the energy situation today and discuss what is being done to solve the problem. They also examine the issues related to this in politics...

Ethos, pathos, and logos. After reading a passage about Aristotle's, three basic tools of persuasion, individuals answer a series of multiple choice comprehension questions and craft responses to three short-answer essay prompts.