The House of Representatives has a lot of responsibility  in the United States government. But how did it all begin, and why is it the way it is now? A comprehensive lesson answers all of these questions about the US Constitution and...

Nearly every president has had the opportunity to name a nominee to the United States Supreme Court. But what makes someone an ideal candidate to become a Supreme Court justice? High schoolers test their prior knowledge about the Supreme...

No matter what subject you're teaching, you'll find some fun and innovative ideas for using newspapers in your classroom with a helpful resource. Based on Getting the Most Out of Teaching with Newspapers by Rebecca Olien, the series of...

What are the categories today, Alex? The US Constitution, legislative branch, executive branch, Bill of Rights, and the judicial branch! Quiz your class with a fun interactive game that includes 50 different questions! It's just like the...

Have you just finished teaching chapters 1-5 of your social studies book and are ready to test your class? If so, you are in luck! Here is a well-organized cumulative review that covers multiple topics, main ideas, and vocabulary related...

Kids who take the Regents Exam really need to know a lot of information. This is a wonderful exam review tool that includes 26 pages of questions, charts, and suggested readings to help upper graders pass the test. It focuses on all...

Students react to a series of statements about the Supreme Court, then read a news article about the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and...

What led the United States to acquire territory? What were some of the effects of those acquisitions? Learners explore the questions using the 2014 essay from the New York Regents exam. Other items include practice multiple choice...

Scholars analyze why the Founding Fathers separated the governmental powers into three branches. They use evidence from a short video clip, the third in a 50-part series, to draw conclusions on the importance of having checks and...

Who has the power? The founding fathers asked the same question when the United States was formed. Learners explore issues that arose during Madison’s presidency that raised constitutional questions. Through discovery, discussion, and...

The system of checks and balances is integral to the functionality of the United States government. Learn more about the ways the three branches of the government work together—and about the limitations of their power—with an informative...

Help your learners work their way through a reading assignment for informational text. Using context clues, they answer five comprehension question based on a short passage about the three levels of government: local government, state...

Here is a basic worksheet to accompany your lesson on the United States government's system of checks and balances. Pupils identify which of the three branches of government has the power listed in the first column (i.e. veto bills,...

Set down the basics of the three branches of government with the reading passage included here. After reading, class members answer five questions related to the passage.

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...

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...

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...

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...

Breathe new life into a teaching of the US Constitution with this interactive resource. For any upper-elementary or middle school teacher covering US history with their students, this is a must-have addition to their mobile device library.

What is a civil case? Who appoints members to the US Supreme Court? What is the ultimate goal of sentencing juveniles? Here is a 15-question multiple-choice assessment on law and the court system in the United States.

Through reading materials, worksheets, and a primary source activity, this resource provides an overview of the structure and powers of the legislative branch of government in the United States. Readings review how a bill becomes a law,...