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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson 3: Branches of Government

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Young historians climb through the three branches of the US government in the third lesson of this five-part series. While reading the first three Articles of the Constitution in small groups, children write facts on paper leaves that...
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Lesson Plan
Center for Civic Education

What Basic Ideas About Government Are Included in the Preamble to the Constitution?

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Young historians explore the meaning of the Preamble to the US Constitution in this upper-elementary social studies lesson plan. Working with partners or in small groups, children discuss the purpose of government before reading and...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Government Power: Do the Actions of Government Effect Me?

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
What does the government have to do with getting a driver's license? Including the calorie count for a meal on a restaurant menu? By discussing these kinds of questions and researching how concepts behind federal, state, and local...
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Activity
PBS

Reading Adventure Pack: Government

For Parents 2nd - 3rd
A reading adventure pack looks closely at government with the help of two books—one fiction, one nonfiction, and a series of activities. Learners craft a mobile to visualize a balanced government, participate in a scavenger hunt around...
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Lesson Plan
iCivics

Municipal Government: High School

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Municipal government takes on many roles, not just the ones we are used to hearing about such as Parks and Recreation. Scholars delve into the topic to get a grasp on how the government system functions. They participate in readings,...
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Lesson Plan
iCivics

County Government: High School

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Balancing a budget—the bane of many people's existence! Yet, its' something that must be done, especially in government systems. The resource, fourth in a seven-part series exploring local government, focuses on various exercises that...
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Lesson Plan
iCivics

Tribal Government: High School

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Did you know there are 567 federally recognized American Indian and Native Alaskan tribes and villages in the United States alone? The resource helps break down the complexities of many different tribal societies to explain the concept...
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eBook
Rice University

American Government 2e

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
An informative resource provides a textbook on American government that covers topics such as the definition of government and how democracy works. Each section provides brief questions at the end to assess scholars' understanding. 
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Lesson Plan
1
1
School Improvement in Maryland

Dividing the Powers of Government

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Who does what? To develop an understanding of the balance of power between the US federal and state governments, class members research responsibilities in terms of legal systems, security issues, economic activities, lawmaking, and...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
National Endowment for the Humanities

Starting a Government from Scratch

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young historians have an opportunity to experience the challenges of starting a new government. After watching a short video about the Articles of Confederation, class members generate a "to-do list" of actions that a new government...
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Lesson Plan
iCivics

Government Spending

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
After discussing personal financing with your class, consider following up with this well-rounded introduction to government spending. The resource includes reading documents and worksheets, and covers topics as the federal deficit and...
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Lesson Plan
College Board

Civic Knowledge and Action in AP U.S. Government and Politics

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Vote, it's your civic duty! The high school lesson plan focuses on voter turnout and civic participation with a series of activities. Young scholars analyze data to discover voter turnout trends, complete worksheets, and participate in...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

The School Lunch Program and the Federal Government

For Teachers 6th - 12th
The school lunch program is rooted in the struggles of the Great Depression and is still assisting families today. Academics research documents and images relating to the creation of the school lunch program. Scholars use a worksheet to...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Tribal Sovereignty and the Indian Reorganization Act: Tribal Governments

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Sovereign nations or wards? High schoolers investigate the history of the Indian Reorganization Act and other legislation that impacted Native Americans. They also research different tribes' constitutions, compare them to the U.S....
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Lesson Plan
Federal Reserve Bank

Government Spending and Taxes

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
What types of government programs are designed to improve economic inequity in the United States? Introduce your learners to government programs, such as low-income housing, Social Security, and Medicaid, how they work to improve...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
School Improvement in Maryland

Socio-Economic Goals of the Government

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Equity. Increased productivity. Price stability. Environmental protection. Decreased poverty. Governments establish socio-economic goals and then must design and fund programs to address these goals. Groups investigate various programs...
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Worksheet
Federal Reserve Bank

Choices Are Everywhere: Why Can’t We Just Have It All?

For Students 11th - 12th Standards
Here is a resource covering a range of terms and concepts regarding scarcity, opportunity cost, and government debt in economics. 
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Interactive
1
1
iCivics

Branches of Power

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Learners take on the roles of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government in the United States and work to develop public policy issues and ideas into laws in this engaging and well-designed online interactive.
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Lesson Plan
3
3
Project Tahoe

Individual Rights vs. The Greater Good Within the Scope of War

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
When, if ever, is the government justified in restricting individual rights? When, if ever, should the "greater good" trump individual rights? To prepare to discuss this hot-button topic, class members examine primary source documents,...
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Lesson Plan
iCivics

Why Government?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Why do people create governments? Where did we get our ideas about government? This is a fantastic introductory lesson for your American government class that begins by reviewing the philosophies of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke in...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Delegation of the European Union to the United States

Structure of Government within the EU

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The political system of the European Union is historically unique and has been constantly evolving. To better understand the structure of the EU, class members compare the EU's branches to those of the United States Federal Government.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is the Federal System Created by the Constitution?

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Explore the unique structure of the federal system of government in the United States. Class members will learn about how most nations were organized before the establishment of the Constitution, how power is currently divided between...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Why Do Governments Exist? Locke, Hobbes, Montesquieu, and Rousseau

For Students 7th - 12th Standards
Here is a great secondary source reading that includes the primary ideas and philosophies of the famed Enlightenment philosophers: Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Charles Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In additional to discussing...
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Lesson Plan
Center for Civic Education

What Basic Ideas Are in the Preamble to the Constitution?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Introduce young historians to the US Constitution with this upper-elementary social studies lesson plan. Beginning with a general discussion about the role of government in society, young scholars go on to work in small...

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