Curated OER
Birth of a Nation
Fifth graders portray one of the actual framers of the Constitution. They summarize each class period with a journal entry and culminate the experience with the actual framing and signing (or not signing) of the Constitution.
Curated OER
Peace
Ninth graders explore through research changes in Japan following A-bomb, discuss how people of all ages can model tolerance and peaceful coexistence, examine Constitution of Japan, and identify its three basic tenants.
Curated OER
Unit 2: Post-Revolution: The Critical Period 1781-1878
The post-Revolutionary Period of 1781-1787, also known as the Critical Period, is the focus of a series of lessons that prompt class members to examine primary source documents that reveal the instability of the period of the...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Creating a Psychology News Wiki
If you're searching for a way to keep your class informed of current psychology news, this ongoing assignment is both educational and engaging. Class members locate and read a psychology article of interest, write a psychological...
Curated OER
Burning Hatred
Learners examine the constitutionality of various forms of expression; they then take part in a mock trial on the issue of cross burning. Divide the class into three groups; Supreme Court Justices, and two groups that don't agree on this...
Curated OER
Does Free Speech Exist in School?
Students examine their own First Amendment rights as students. They read and discuss a news article, discuss the Supreme Court case Frederick v. Morse, take an online quiz and conduct Internet research, and create a brochure outlining...
Curated OER
Citizen Journalism
Students examine the role of citizen journalism, freedom of the press, and the First Amendment. They analyze the results of an Internet survey, discuss the ethics of downloading copyrighted material on the Internet, and write a news story.
Curated OER
Freedom of Hate Speech?
Students, using a New York Times article as a springboard for discussion, investigate and debate the complex issues of First Amendments Rights and censorship for Hate Groups using Websites for propaganda.
Curated OER
Decoding Strategies
Young readers apply decoding strategies to identify unknown words. In this reading instructional activity, they read the Preamble and practice using decoding strategies. Small groups rotate to five charts that have questions regarding...
Curated OER
Charting the Three Branches of Government
Students review CongressLink on the internet and study the branches of government. They work in groups to create charts showing the structure and functions of the three branches of government as outlined in the first three articles to...
Curated OER
Working Together As a Team
Students examine the need for rules to keep order at home, in school, in communities, and in the country using trade books and teamwork activities. They work in cooperative groups to define a positive learning community by writing a...
Carolina K-12
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission & the First Amendment
Should Congress limit how much a corporation spends to support a political candidate? Here is a fantastic lesson plan and activities to help young citizens approach this question.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Driver’s Licenses And Unauthorized Immigrants
Should driver's licenses be granted to unauthorized immigrants? That is the question class members grapple with in a lesson that asks them to first read a fact sheet that details the arguments for and against licensing unauthorized...
The Guardian
A Timeline of Women's Right to Vote
Which countries implemented women's suffrage before the 19th amendment went into effect in the United States? Which countries still do not allow women to vote? Watch the global spread of women's rights in an interactive timeline...
Curated OER
Documents and Symbols and American Freedom
Students complete a unit of lessons on the documents, symbols, and famous people involved in the founding of the U.S. government. They create a personal bill of rights, write a found poem, design a flag, conduct research, and role-play...
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 instructional activity, 5th graders are introduced to primary vs. secondary resources and then rotate through...
Curated OER
Safety Up in the Air
Students explore the controversy over a bill giving pilots the option to become armed federal law enforcement officers. They brainstorm other possible security measures for airplanes and airports.
Curated OER
Justice
Young scholars consider the role of justice in the formation of the United States and in the operation of today's criminal justice system. They investigate symbols associated with justice and references to justice in the Constitution.
Curated OER
The Role of the Executive Branch in the Lawmaking Process
Learners examine Article I, Section 7, and Article II, Sections 2 and 3, of the U.S. Constitution, explain the president's role in the lawmaking process, and define the term veto.
iCivics
Wanted: A Just Right Government
What type of government did American colonists gain and seek after gaining their independence after the Revolutionary War? Here is lesson plan that will guide your young learners through the new nation's progression from the Articles of...
Curated OER
The Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan: Student Worksheet
These guided reading questions accompany several websites on the development of the US Constitution. While some of the links have changed, they are still accessible. History or government classes benefit from reading primary source...
Deliberating in a Democracy
Free and Independent Press
Young scholars determine how free press principles can be compromised. For this global studies activity, students read an article titled "Free and Independent Press." Young scholars respond to discussion questions regarding the article.
Deliberating in a Democracy
Freedom of Movement
Class members examine human migration. For this population lesson, they read an article entitled, "Freedom of Movement" and respond to discussion questions about the article related to guest worker programs.
Deliberating in a Democracy
Minorities in a Democracy
Learners consider diversity in democracies. In this democratic values lesson plan, students read an article titled, "Minorities in a Democracy." Learners respond to discussion questions about the article.