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Unit Plan
American Bar Association

News Literacy Model Curriculum in Social Studies

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
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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Activity
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Saved from the Gallows — the Trial of Leopold and Loeb

For Students 7th - 12th Standards
Was justice served for Bobby Franks? An informative article about the 1924 trial of Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold includes an overview of the murder of Bobby Franks, the defense’s legal strategy, and excerpts of closing arguments from...
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Lesson Plan
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Newseum

Civil Rights: Identifying Community Issues

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
As part of the social, economic, and legal/political civil rights study, class members brainstorm a list of current civil rights issues that affect their community. Individuals or pairs select one issue to research further. The class...
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Activity
Shmoop

ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.8

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
It is no easy feat to wade through legal and political documents. And incorporating this type of informational text into a literature class can also be a challenge. Here’s a resource that includes suggestions for how to address this...
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Lesson Plan
National Constitution Center

Dred Scott v. Sanford

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Dred Scott v. Sanford was a watershed moment for the country—and a key moment leading up to the Civil War. Using videos and analytical worksheets, scholars consider the facts of the case and then develop their own arguments before the...
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Lesson Plan
Federal Judicial Center

Amistad and Dred Scott—a Comparative Activity

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
What do slaves fighting for their freedom on board a ship and a slave fighting for his freedom in a courtroom have in common? Budding historians investigate the two different cases of the Amistad slave revolt and the Dred Scott argument....
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Worksheet
Curated OER

SOAPS Primary Source "Think" Sheet

For Students 7th - 12th
Planning on using primary source materials? Introduce your class members to SOAPS, a worksheet that models how to analyze and reflect on primary source materials. Readers name the document, identify the subject (S), the occasion (O),...
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Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Letter from Birmingham Jail: The Power of Nonviolent Direct Action

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
What strategies are most effective in changing an unjust law? Class members examine the tactics used in the Birmingham Campaign of 1963 (Project C) to achieve social justice and social transformation. After examining documents that...
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Lesson Plan
Albert Shanker Institute

Dream Under Development

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
As part of their study of the 1963 March on Washington, class members do a side-by-side comparison of the original text of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream Speech" with a transcript of the speech he delivered. The take away from the...
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Handout
Scholastic

Marijuana: Breaking Down the Buzz

For Students 4th - 12th Standards
There are a lot of myths surrounding marijuana. Read a passage that clarifies the dangers of teens smoking marijuana, its harmful effects on the development of the brain, and the possible correlation of cigarette smoking to marijuana...
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Lesson Plan
Scholastic

The Science of Marijuana—How THC Affects the Brain

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Marijuana can affect every part of a user's life—starting with the delicate nervous centers of the brain. An informative article and worksheet prompt teenagers to learn more about how the THC found in most forms of marijuana can...
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Lesson Plan
Stockton University Wordpress

Civil Disobedience: Is it ever ok to break the law?

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
As part of a study of civil disobedience, class members read excerpts from the writings of activists who were willing to break the law to protest unjust laws.
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Lesson Plan
NPR

Is There Really an Immigration Line?

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
If you've ever looked at the US immigration system, you know that it is complex and a source of controversy. An insightful lesson plan encourages learners to conduct their own analyses of the US immigration system by asking them to...
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Handout
Shakespeare Globe Trust

Fact Sheet: London

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Overcrowded streets, pickpockets, the Black Plague ... what's not to love about medieval London? With the informative handout, scholars explore some of the city's famous landmarks, such as St. Paul's Cathedral. They also discover where...
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Worksheet
Student Handouts

A New Presidency

For Students 7th - 12th
Use this quick informational text to give your class an introduction to President Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton, first lady at the time of the events in the text. Individuals or partners can read the brief text and respond to...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Slavery and the American Founding: The "Inconsistency Not to Be Excused"

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
High schoolers examine slavery in the revolutionary and colonial eras of the United States. In this slavery lesson, students investigate the presence of slavery in early America, the language of the Constitution, and the intent of the...
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Unit Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

From Courage to Freedom: Frederick Douglass's 1845 Autobiography

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study slavery from the perspctive of an American slave. In this Frederick Douglass lesson, students complete the suggested pre-reading and post-reading activities included for Douglass's autobiography, Narrative of the Life of...

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