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Lesson Plan
Heritage Foundation

The Constitution, Federalism, and the States

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The divide between federal and state government is responsible for much of tension that continues to this day, partly because of the US Constitution. The activities in the 14th lesson plan in a series of 20 are designed to help learners...
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Unit Plan
Bill of Rights Institute

Preserving the Bill of Rights

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
Consider how America's founding fathers and their experiences contributed to the rights we all enjoy today. A collection of reading, writing, and collaborative exercises prompt high schoolers to think about the ways their current lives...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Congressional Committees and the Legislative Process

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students consider the importance and influence of congressional committees. They research congressional committee assignments, jurisdictions and responsibilities as illustrations of the basic principles of American federalism.
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Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

Principles of the US Constitution

For Teachers 8th Standards
After breaking into groups according to major principles of government (i.e., popular sovereignty, separation of powers, checks and balances, etc.) in the United States, your class members will produce public service announcements...
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Activity
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Carolina K-12

Constitutional Period Parade

For Teachers 5th
What a unique and creative way for class members to summarize what they have learned about the United States Constitution! Here you will find project guidelines for learners to work independently on designing a float to represent a topic...
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Lesson Plan
Judicial Branch of California

The Constitution: What It Says and What It Means

For Teachers 5th Standards
Learners get the chance to act as representatives to the Constitution Convention, and must decide whether or not to recommend your state ratify the new framework. After examining the Constitution line-by-line, they consider their...
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

The Power of Judicial Review

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Marbury v. Madison is arguably the most important landmark case in the history of the Supreme Court. A fact-filled lesson provides background information about the case and two others related to the concept of judicial review. Scholars...
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

The Judge and the Jury

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Unless you are a lawyer, you might not understand just how unrealistic Law and Order and other legal dramas actually are. Here's a great resource to help scholars of criminology gain a more realistic perspective. The lesson outlines the...
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

The U.S. Supreme Court

For Students 6th - 12th
How do Supreme Court justices determine which cases to consider? What happens when the Supreme Court decides not to take a case?  The lesson explores important questions and others in the field of criminology. It focuses on the appeals...
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Interactive
2
2
Judicial Learning Center

Levels of the Federal Courts

For Students 6th - 12th
The Supreme Court gets all the glory, but very few federal cases make it to the highest court. An interesting lesson explores the structure of the lower levels of the federal court system. In addition to outlining the organization of...
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Interactive
2
2
Judicial Learning Center

State Courts vs. Federal Courts

For Students 6th - 12th
Popular culture often portrays the Feds as the most fearsome of law enforcement agencies. Yet, someone charged with a crime is considerably more likely to end up in a state court. The lesson, one of six covering the Organization of the...
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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
National Constitution Center

Federalism, the Commerce Clause, and the Tenth Amendment

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
How do the state and federal governments relate to each other? The Constitution has a lot to say about that! Using an interactive online tool, pupils explore the Tenth Amendment. They apply their knowledge to political cartoons and news...
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AP Test Prep
College Board

2017 AP® Human Geography Free-Response Questions

For Students 10th - 12th Standards
How have urban planners tried to attract people to cities? What can be done about booming birth rates in some parts of the world? How does a country's political structure affect the well being of its people? Scholars investigate these...
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Lesson Plan
Judicial Learning Center

Article III WebQuest

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Why is Article III of the constitution so significant? Pupils discover the importance of Article III and how it relates to past as well as current events by completing Internet research using a provided handout. They learn everything...
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Lesson Plan
Judicial Learning Center

The Federalist Papers and The Federal Judiciary

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Pupils work in groups or as individuals to read about and then discuss the Federalist Papers. To finish, they write essays about an assigned topic dealing with the Federalist Papers and the federal judiciary.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

The Supreme Court: Define and Classify the Powers Associated with Federalism

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Federalism may sound to some like one, big vocabulary word ... but it is much more than that. A short video introduces class members to the powers associated with the Supreme Court and its role in balancing the powers under federalism.
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Lesson Plan
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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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Interactive
iCivics

Power Play

For Students 7th - 12th Standards
Should states or the federal government have more power? With this fantastic online interactive, your pupils will be charged with the task of identifying arguments that support either federal or state power.
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Organizer
Student Handouts

Constitutional Principles

For Students 8th - 12th
Keep track of constitutional principles with a graphic organizer. Pupils define, describe the origins of, and note down the location of the following terms: checks and balances, federalism, individual rights, limited government, popular...
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PPT
Curated OER

7th Grade Social Studies: Test Release Items

For Teachers 7th
Test release items can be a big help for getting the class ready for the end of the year state exams. Prep your 7th graders with 30 release questions in PowerPoint form. Questions cover US government/civics, US geography, and US history. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Defending the Homeland--The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1789

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore that there have been times during the history of the US when ,in response to real and perceived threats, both domestic and foreign, our country has responded by passing legislation. Students trace the fundamental rights...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Civil War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Although we currently focus on Abraham Lincoln's positive contributions in creating a more equal society, the truth is that Lincoln was actually a controversial character in his time! After studying the Civil War, give your high...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Juvenile Death Penalty

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Sensitive material is discussed in this lesson. Please review to ensure that the content is suitable for your class. The topic is the Eighth Amendment and how the U.S. Supreme Court makes determinations about what constitutes cruel and...