Every political system has advantages and disadvantages. To gain an understanding of these differences, groups investigate the political system of another country—oligarchy, monarchy, dictatorship, parliamentary—and prepare a...

Not all party platforms stay democratic. A resource covers many political issues in Germany during the time of World War II, and teaches pupils about the Nazi party platform and what went wrong. Individuals participate in a warm-up...

Students identify the premise of the United States' Democracy. They list the major elements of the document. Students reflect on the inequalities of the late 1700's premise of other units. They complete a KWL chart about the Declaration...

Sixth graders discuss the rise of Rome from a republic to a dictatorship. In small groups, they role-play as congress people debating whether or not to give the president more powers. In another activity, 6th graders produce television...

The German youth faced an onslaught of propaganda when they went to school, thanks to the Nazi regime led by Hitler during World War II. Pupils relate their education experiences to German youth by analyzing primary source readings,...

When it comes to the law, is justice always served? Teach scholars about how law sometimes enables prejudice of entire groups of people with a unit on World War II that includes a warm-up activity, analysis of primary sources,...

Speak your mind! The lesson explores the difference in free speech between the United States and the Soviet Union. Academics review the constitutions of both governments, political cartoons, and case studies to understand how freedom of...

The second module in a series for high school seniors focuses on tracking the central idea of a text across genres and from multiple author and character perspectives. Twelfth graders read a speech by Benazir Bhutto entitled "Ideas Live...

Pupils examine the meaning of human rights under the United Nations system, in the U.S., and the Philippines. They conduct research, discuss the concepts in groups, and conduct a debate on the human rights situation post Marcos...

Ninth graders explore how the rise of dictators led to the start of World War II. They identify and explain the main causes for World War II and they explain the causes for the rise of dictators during the 1920's.

Students explore the causes and major events of the Texan and American revolutions. Comparisons and contrasts are made between the two revolutionary experiences and applied to the symbolism used on the Texas State quarter.

Connect global examples of attempted genocide with a well-designed social studies lesson. It includes an excellent informational text with background information on the Holocaust, as well as worksheets, book report guidelines, and...

Groups research participatory democracies and compare the role and rights of citizens in ancient history with those in recent U.S. history. Guided by a series of questions, individuals compose a persuasive essay in which they discuss the...

Warning or prediction? Nineteen Eighty Four is the anchor text for a series of tasks that ask readers to compare the novel to the film as well as current events to those pictured in George Orwell's dystopian classic.

Why did so many go along with Nazi policies during World War II? An investigatory unit includes four handouts, reading analyses, classroom discussion topics, and intriguing philosophical questions, helping learners understand the...

Students brainstorm what they know about Judaism, participate in question and answer session about Judaism and its relation to World War II with guest speaker of Jewish faith, and write journal responses about their feelings on...

High schoolers explore diversity through government. In this diversity instructional activity, students use types of government as a way to understand the importance of diversity. High schoolers use "diversity beans" to facilitate...

Students examine the concept of censorship in authoritarian government and how Japanese and Chinese artists used their work as political commentary. This lesson includes possible lesson enrichments.