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New Citizen Exam is Democracy 101
Students read a USA Today article about U.S. democracy and then complete questions about the topic. In this democracy lesson, students read the article 'New Citizen Exam is Democracy 101.' Students learn about the test for U.S....
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Democracy in Action
Students consider words that reflect their knowledge and opinions about democracy. They work in groups to research countries that have recently transitioned to democratic forms of government.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You
Ask not what the lesson here can do for you, but what you can do with the lesson. The answer is quite a lot! Young scholars revisit JFK's famous inaugural address with a focus on his plea for civic engagement. There's a letter to JFK...
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Communities in Crisis Lesson 1: Primary Source? What is That?
Distinguish between primary and secondary source documents using the theme of philanthropy. Middle schoolers discuss Anne Frank: The Diary of Young Girl as a way to study the past using a primary source. Then they investigate how to...
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A Dictionary of Democracy
Students create dictionary of terms for citizens of a democracy, using events and biographies from both their state's history and U.S. history.
Online Publications
Become a Journalist
Explore the newspaper as a unique entity with a detailed and extended unit. The unit requires learners to consider the newspaper's role in democracy, think about ethics, practice writing and interviewing, and examine advertising and news...
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Democracy: Understanding the Canadian Parliamentary System
Students study democracy, levels of Canadian government and the responsibilities of elected officials. They write letter's to the Prime Minister about their pride in Canada.
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International Day of Democracy
In this International Day of Democracy worksheet, learners complete activities such as reading a passage, phrase matching, fill in the blanks, correct words, multiple choice, spelling, sequencing, scrambled sentences, writing questions,...
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The Rise of the City States in Greece
Sixth graders examine Ancient Greece and its development of democracy. In this Greek History lesson plan, 6th graders explore the rise of city-states in Greece and its overall effect on the development of democracy. The class continues...
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Gandhi's Swaraj: Power to the People
Sixth graders discover what a swaraj is. In this world history lesson, 6th graders create a Venn Diagram comparing Gandhi's swaraj to American's democracy.
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What Are the Issues?
Investigate and report on three issues related to a current election. Elementary aged learners research information about specific issues, develop an opinion, and write a persuasive essay using supporting details and evidence to support...
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Daily Life in Ancient Greece
Sixth graders discover what everyday life was like for Ancient Greeks. In this Greek history lesson, 6th graders examine the cultural diversity of Ancient Greece and how it affected daily life for its citizens.
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Is the Internet Igniting Violence?
Students explain how various issues regarding restrictions on the Internet are impacted by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, particularly in light of the recent school shooting and bombing in Littleton, Colorado.
American Bar Association
News Literacy Model Curriculum in Social Studies
Scholars investigate news literacy in the twenty-first century. They use technology, legal decisions, writings, and digital privacy to analyze the topic. Using what they learned, a group assignment looks into both the challenges and...
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Delegating Authorities
Students compare and contrast democracies around the world after reading a New York Times article. They create posters and participate in a "democracy roundtable" in which they discuss two democracies.
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Lessons from the Holocaust
Learners discover what a dictatorship is by examining the holocaust. In this government lesson plan, students discuss the laws that were enacted for Nazis to take control of Germany, and the types of laws we have put place to prevent...
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The Constitution: The Head of State
Learners explore politics by participating in a round-table discussion with classmates. In this monarchy lesson, young scholars identify the different political leaders in Australia and conduct a class discussion about the country....
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50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education
Students examine a poster of Brown v. Board of Education and discuss what the important details are. They read the story behind the poster and court case. They role play different sections of the case such as the court case or Linda...
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Life In Space
Students figure out how to design their own space station. They take a tour on the International Space Station to see what living there is really like, and how lessons learned on the ISS help pave the way for future space tourists.
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The Extra Place Lesson
Students take up the challenge of deciding what to do when confronted by a difficult and awkward situation. They read the story and highlight sentences or phrases that have particular meaning to them and think about and discuss a...
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The Greek Gods
What were the early Greek myths? Have elementary young scholars examine the Persian Wars and read various Greek myth in order to identify the cause and the results of the Persian Wars. Myths, activities, simulations, and a unit plan are...
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Core Democratic Values in Action
Students compare and contrast rules they have in their homes and in the classroom. In this values lesson plan, students identify rules at home and relate to rules of other families. They list family rules, connect classroom rules to...
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My Promise
Learners define their own civic responsibility and create a PowerPoint presentation about their volunteer efforts. For this civic responsibility lesson, students define the word volunteer and read an article about a volunteer in their...
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A Dictionary of Independence
Middle schoolers use events and biographies from their state's history and U.S. history, to create a dictionary of terms for citizens of a democracy.