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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
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
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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Lesson Plan
iCivics

Wanted: A Just Right Government

For Teachers 6th - 11th Standards
What type of government did American colonists gain and seek after gaining their independence after the Revolutionary War? Here is lesson plan that will guide your young learners through the new nation's progression from the Articles of...
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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
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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Lesson Plan
1
1
PBS

Constitution Day

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Travel back to 1787 as young scholars investigate the creation of the US Constitution. After first working in small groups to create sets of classroom rules, students go on to read a summary of the Constitution and watch a short video...
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Interactive
2
2
Judicial Learning Center

The Constitution

For Students 6th - 12th
Supreme Court justices debate the meaning of the US Constitution, but we expect teachers to explain it to scholars with far less training and experience. A daunting task for sure, but it's not insurmountable with resources that simplify...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How was the Constitution Used to Organize the New Government?

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
How did the United States Congress determine how the new president and vice president would be named when the nation was first established? Who would provide money for the government, and how would the executive branch be organized? 
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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
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
Curated OER

Lesson 2: The Constitution: Our Guiding Document

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Explore the structure and content of the US Constitution in the second lesson of this five-part social studies series. A collection of activities, games, and videos complement a class reading of a document summarizing the US...
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Lesson Plan4:55
3
3
Curated OER

Our Classroom Constitution

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Develop a system of classroom rules created by the kids, for the kids with this three-part lesson series on the US Constitution. After learning about the structure of the Constitution and the government it established, young scholars...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
School Improvement in Maryland

Building a Pyramid

For Teachers 9th - 12th
After reviewing the structure and powers of the three branches of the US government, groups investigate a problem and research what is being done to address this criticism.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson 4: The Judiciary: A Brief Introduction to the Courts System

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Focusing on the judicial branch of government, the fourth lesson in this series explores the structure of the US courts system. Beginning with an engaging activity based on the short story The Lady or the Tiger, students go on to examine...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Center for Civic Education

Constitution Day Rap

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Engage your class while learning about the US Constitution with this fun primary grade social studies lesson. After viewing a picture of the US Constitution, young learners piece together a US flag using stars and stripes with facts...
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Unit Plan
Film Foundation

Film Language and Elements of Style

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
How do you read a frame? How do you read a shot? Here's a resource that shows viewers how to read films. As part of the study, class members examine the camera angles, lighting, movement, and cinematic point of view in Mr. Smith Goes to...
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Military Conscription in World War I: Alabamians Express Their Opinions

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
If called, would you go? Should the US government have the power to impose a draft during any war? The Selective Service Act of 1917 (aka the Conscription Act of 1917) authorized the drafting of men into the military for only the second...
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Lesson Plan
NYC Department of Records

Citizenship and Elections: The Importance of a Ballot

For Students 7th - 12th Standards
Approximately 58 prcent of those eligible voted in the 2016 US Presidential election. In an attempt to impress upon learners the importance of voting and voting rights, class members examine primary source documents related to the...
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Alabama's 1901 Constitution

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
"We, the People of the State of Alabama. . ." Did you know that the Alabama State Constitution has 357,157 words while the US Constitution has only 4,400? And that it has 798 amendments while the US Constitution has 27? Class groups...
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Interactive
2
2
Judicial Learning Center

The Constitution and Rights

For Students 6th - 12th
What's the right way to teach young historians about the Bill of Rights? Many an instructor has asked this question when pondering lesson plans over the US Constitution. The Constitution and Rights is a nifty resource that provides a...
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Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

The Articles of Confederation

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Have you ever started a project only to realize you need to scrap it and start over? Scholars analyze the issues leading to the fall of the Articles of Confederation. A group investigation into Articles II, III, and VIII unveil the...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Soccer, Salaries and Sexism

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Call it soccer, call it football, but call it unfair! the US women's soccer team has called out the US Soccer Federation for unfair treatment in terms of salaries, support, and working conditions in a lawsuit filed in 2019. Young...

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