National First Ladies' Library
How a Bill Becomes a Law
High schoolers engage in the democratic process and to learn how a bill become a law. Then they write a bill they would like as law in their classroom. Students also form committees that will review the list of bills to determine if they...
Curated OER
Using Primary Sources to Discover Reconstruction
Fifth graders discover how reconstruction had an impact on racial issues in the United States. In this Reconstruction lesson, 5th graders are introduced to primary vs. secondary resources and then rotate through stations to view...
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Honoring Property Rights
Students examine the issue of cheating. In this property rights lesson, students define honor and discuss intellectual property rights as they explore a case study.
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The Connection Between Medicine, Ethics, and Law: The Right to Die
Young scholars in a special education class examine the United States Constitution. Using the text, they answer five research questions and discuss the amendments that concern medicine, ethics and law of the right to die issue. They...
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Understanding Procedural Justice
Young scholars analyze procedural justice by identifying unfair decisions by ruler in play, stating procedural guarantees that a Bill of Rights should include, and comparing their list of guarantees to those provided by the U.S....
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Recommended Reading?
Students examine and defend various positions in the argument over a book ban in the Miami-Dade school system and then write a letter to the Miami-Dade school board expressing their opinion about the issues raised in the debate.
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Bill of Rights Day
For this current events worksheet, learners analyze a political cartoon about the Bill of Rights and respond to 3 talking point questions.
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The Many Faces of Paul Robeson
Young scholars discuss and construct timelines based on the life of author/performer/Civil Right's activist, Paul Robeson. They view photographs of him at various times in his life and discuss the roles he may have been playing at those...
Curated OER
Freedom of the Press Around the World
Students research press freedoms in various countries such as Iran and North Korea. They create a freedom of the press report card for the countries examined.
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Anne Frank: Citizenship Laws
Learners study early civilizations and the contributions they made to the foundations of human culture. They discuss why citizenship is valuable and the Constitutional Amendments that are associated with it.
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Constitutional Rights
Students read an account of a students reaction to the Vietnam War. They complete comprehension questions from the reading passage. They read arguments from the Supreme Court Justices and decide which arguments they agree with.
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The Right Ideas
Students investigate the Bill of Rights and explain how non-profit organizations take care of those rights. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students work in groups to look at the rights that are included in the Bill of Rights. They...
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You Can Say That Again!
A discussion of the Supreme Court’s Opinion of Tinker v. Des Moines generates a discussion of the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment. Although the key elements of this activity are based on a video that is not included, the...
Deliberating in a Democracy
Free and Independent Press
Students determine how free press principles can be compromised. For this global studies lesson plan, students read an article titled "Free and Independent Press." Students respond to discussion questions regarding the article.
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Women's Suffrage: 140 Years of Struggle
Students create PowerPoint presentations about women's suffrage. In this women's rights instructional activity, students use primary documents to study the women's suffrage movement. In pairs, students create a PowerPoint presentation...
Curated OER
Towards Separation of Church and State in Gloucester
Explore New England government in the 1700's with your class. They will identify historical documents as primary or secondary sources, then read and discuss the significance of these documents as they relate to the "freedom of religion"...
iCivics
I Can’t Wear What?
Can schools ban t-shirts picturing musical groups or bands? Your young citizens will find out with this resource, which includes a summary of a United States Supreme Court case from the 1960s about a similar dispute over students wearing...
Curated OER
Women’s Suffrage Movement
Though the movement for Women's Suffrage stretched over several decades and across two centuries, the final few years were the most difficult hurdle in many ways. Use a document-based question writing exercise to make inferences about...
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Church and State Separation: The Challenge and the Debate
Students describe the basic elements of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment as it relates to the separation of church and state and freedom of religion.
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Bill of Rights - Remember Me!
High schoolers participate in a unique and exciting method of memorizing the Bill of Rights using locations throughout the classroom and visual and auditory cues. They take a quiz they are guaranteed to pass!
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Defining moments from the past with lessons for a post-9/11 world...
Students examine extension ideas concerning 9/11, Defining Moments. They analyze a variety of Supreme Court cases, the U.S. Constitution, Mass Media Interpretations, Racism, Immigrant groups and U.S. geography. Many questions are asked...
Curated OER
Political Cartoons Illustrating Progressivism and the Election of 1912
High schoolers study a current political cartoon to introduce the ideas of symbolism, humor, exaggeration, and caricature in editorial cartoons. They study cartoons from the past to gain an understanding of the culture of 1912.
Curated OER
4th Grade Social Studies
In this social studies worksheet, 4th graders answer multiple choice questions about the Bill of Rights, Congress, the National Anthem, and more. Students complete 25 multiple choice questions.
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Cartoons in the Classroom: Drawn to Freedom
In this current events worksheet, students analyze political cartoons that feature the free exchange of ideas and government criticism. Students then respond to 2 short answer questions.