+
Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

The Role of the Judiciary

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The role of the judicial branch has far reaches into American life. Learners consider its uses with a reading on the branch and a structured conversation on the topic. Together, they work to root their contributions to the discussion in...
+
Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Is Democracy in Decline?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Has democracy outlived its usefulness? Pundits debate the topic, and now pupils weigh in, too. A reading on how democracy may be on the decline around the world, along with a structured conversation guideline, help guide scholars through...
+
Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

The Amendment Process

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Long revered as the "upper chamber," the US Senate was created to give the new nation a balance between large and small states. However, has the time for this institution passed? Using a reading on how the amendment process works,...
+
Activity
Constitutional Rights Foundation

The Census in US History

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
The census has been a part of the American landscape since the Constitution was written; however, it does have a history of controversy. Class members use a guided reading and simulation activity on developing census questions to...
+
Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

The Debate Over Gun Laws in the United States – An Introduction

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Gun control is one of the most hotly debated topics in the United States. Learners use a structured conversation to engage around this controversy. Using a scaffolded conversation that relies on a reading and analysis of arguments for...
+
Lesson Plan
PBS

Gloria Steinem’s Ancestry and Women’s Rights Movements: Lesson Plan | Finding Your Roots

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Introduce class members to Presidential Medal of Freedom winner, activist, writer, and lecturer Gloria Steinem with a PBS resource that not only investigates Steinem's ancestry but also encourages learners to trace their own.
+
Interactive
PBS

Why Should Women Vote? The Suffrage Question

For Students 6th - Higher Ed
An online interactive activity asks learners to analyze a group of documents related to the women's suffrage movement and then place the documents on a timeline. The results assess users understanding of the progression of the women's...
+
Graphic
PBS

19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution - Women's Right to Vote (1920) and Resource Materials

For Students 6th - Higher Ed
A facsimile of the 19th Amendment, a transcript of the amendment, a photograph of a suffragist march, and a background information sheet that details the struggle to get the amendment passed comprise a packet of resource materials...
+
Lesson Plan
PBS

Free, but Not Free: Life of Free Blacks Before the Civil War

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
Using the family stories of a famous comedian and singer-songwriter, learners consider what life was like for African Americans who were enslaved and free before the Civil War. To complete a concluding activity, they write about the...
+
Lesson Plan
Judicial Branch of California

Faces of Citizenship: Jury Duty

For Teachers 8th Standards
An interesting middle school lesson focuses on the rights and responsibilities of citizens. Academics choose a civic project to complete, such as an oral history or photo essay. They then conduct interviews with members of the community...
+
Lesson Plan
Judicial Branch of California

Fayette v. Take Two: The First Amendment

For Teachers 8th Standards
An informative lesson provides scholars the opportunity to study a Supreme Court case regarding the First Amendment and make a ruling with the members of their group. Class members also participate in group discussion and prepare a...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Teaching Tolerance

Using Photographs to Teach Social Justice | Confronting Unjust Practices

For Teachers 6th - 12th
A powerful photograph of the Freedom Riders of 1961 launches an examination of the de jure and de facto injustices that the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s addressed. Young historians first watch a video and read the Supreme...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Teaching Tolerance

Using Photographs to Teach Social Justice | Exposing Racism

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Photographs capture a moment in time. And some of the best pictures demand that viewers not only ask questions about why the photo packs such an emotional wallop, but also about what happened before and after it was taken. A photograph...
+
Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

Fredericksburg 360

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Urban combat long preceded today's video games. Pupils today experience the battle of Fredericksburg—a major Civil War engagement in an American city—using a 360-degree interactive app. Users explore the battlefield online, using  a...
+
Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

Antietam 360

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
It was the single bloodiest day in Civil War history. Now, class members have the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of soldiers who fought in the Battle of Antietam using an interactive website. Supplemental resources include...
+
Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

Pre-1860: Disunion

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Using personas ranging from freed African Americans to wealthy plantation owners, young historians consider various points of view around the events in the days leading up to the Civil War including major milestones such as the Dred...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Post-1865: Effects of the War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An engaging lesson focuses on the impact of the war and Lincoln's plan for Reconstruction had on the United States. Historians analyze primary documents, such as Constitutional Amendments and newspaper experts. They also participate in...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Remembering the Fallen

For Teachers 7th - 12th
A thought-provoking lesson showcases Civil War battlefield monuments to demonstrate how fallen soldiers are remembered. High school scholars compare Union and Confederate monuments to learn how each group commemorated the battles. They...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Preserving the Memory

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young historians explore ways to help preserve historic battlefields and artifacts. Designed for secondary scholars, the resource focuses on Civil War battlefields and the National Registrar of Historic Places Application. Pupils also...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Americans After the Civil War

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Young historians learn what life was like in the South during the Reconstruction era. They complete hands-on-activities and participate in group discussion to understand how experiences varied between African Americans and white...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

1864-1865: Bringing the War to an End

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An interesting lesson plan explains the last battles of the war and the terms of the Articles of Surrender. It also analyzes the election of 1864 with copies of the Baltimore and Chicago platforms. To conclude the lesson plan, academics...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gettysburg 360

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An interactive site allows scholars to explore the Gettysburg battlefield up close, read soldiers' accounts, and view images of the event. In addition, enrichment activities enhance young historians' experience with Gettysburg 360.  
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

1863: Shifting Tides

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The victory at Gettysburg is forever immortalized in the famous speech given by Present Abraham Lincoln. Designed for secondary pupils, an interesting lesson plan explains how 1863 was a pivotal year for the Union. Academics explore the...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Home Front

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young historians explore life on the home front during the Civil War with primary documents and a series of writing prompts. They also watch a presentation and use a worksheet to compare how communication methods have changed over time....