Activity
Schools of California Online Resources for Education

Score: The u.s. Constitution Power Grab Game

For Students 9th - 10th
Politicians like power, but who actually gets to use their powers in different situations? Take this quiz to sort out the checks and balances that are used on the various power plays.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs: The President's Cabinet: Choosing the Right Members (Lesson Plan)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A lesson that involves students in explaining the confirmation process of presidential appointees by testing the system of checks and balances and the separation of powers. The lesson also requires students to simulate the confirmation...
Interactive
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility

Jefferson Lab: Elemental Balancing Act!

For Students 9th - 10th
Welcome to It's Elemental - Balancing Act! The computer will give you a number of incomplete chemical equations. Balance the chemical equations by selecting coefficients from the pull-down menus. Once you think the equation is balanced,...
Website
Scholastic

Scholastic: Role of the Supreme Court

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This essay describes the power of the Supreme Court to 'check' the actions of both the President and Congress, with some historic documentation.
Website
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: The Federal System

For Students 9th - 10th
Outline of the principles embedded in a Federal System of government attempting to balance states' rights with the need for a central government.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: The Constitution: Counter Revolution or National Salvation

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Using primary texts and prior study of Colonial America and the Revolution, students examine "what type of government would best represent the ideals of the American Revolution." Worksheets, discussions, and role-playing within this...
Article
The Balance

The Balance: What Is a Share Draft?

For Students 9th - 10th
This article explains the differences between credit union share draft accounts and commercial bank checking account, and explains the pros and cons of such accounts.
Article
The Balance

The Balance: What Is a Demand Deposit?

For Students 9th - 10th
Demand deposits are the kinds of bank accounts that most people are familiar with. This article explains what they are and how they differ from other types of accounts such as money market accounts or certificates of deposit.
Unit Plan
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry

Abpi: Homeostasis: Kidneys and Water Balance

For Students 9th - 10th
A complete, self-paced lesson on homeostasis in the human body, focusing on kidney function. Students work their way through illustrated and animated tutorials, and answer review questions along the way. There is a self-checking quiz at...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Branching Out

For Teachers 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read about three branches of government and their system of checks and balances. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in classifying and categorizing.
Lesson Plan
National Cable Satellite Corporation

C Span Classroom: Interactive Supreme Court Timeline Case Study

For Admins 9th - 10th
In this interactive lesson, young scholars will identify important Supreme Court cases, evaluate their decisions, explain the precedents they established, and analyze their importance to our society today.
Primary
Other

The Federalist Papers:convention, Constitution,& Debates

For Students 9th - 10th
A clickable index of the 85 Federalist Papers. The text of each letter (paper) sent to New York newspapers in 1787 and 1788 is easily accessed.
Interactive
US Mint

United States Mint: Branches of Power

For Students 3rd - 8th
Save the federal government from Oppressor Sam, and learn about the US Constitution to restore the three branches of government.
Unit Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Three Branches

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
A web quest looking at how a law gets passed as it moves through the three branches of the United States government: executive, legislative, and judicial. Each page has a question to answer, and a link to a site with information specific...
eBook
OpenStax

Open Stax: Debating Democracy

For Students 11th - 12th Standards
By the end of this section of a chapter on "Creating Republican Governments," students will be able to explain the development of state constitutions, describe the features of the Articles of Confederation, and analyze the causes and...
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: Democracy in America: The Constitution: Fixed or Flexible?

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
This unit explores the timeless qualities of The U.S. Constitution, the opportunities to amend it, and how it is a pillar of the American identity, through these activities, videos, and outside resources.
Lesson Plan
US National Archives

National Archives: The Constitution in Action: Article Ii

For Teachers 6th - 8th
This activity can be used during a unit on the U.S. Constitution. Students will analyze the Senate Journal of the First Congress and identify how the document demonstrates content contained within Article II of the Constitution in...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Constitutional Principles

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The Founding Fathers created a government based on a set of fundamental principles carefully designed to guarantee liberty. This lesson lets students look at the Constitution from the perspective of its foundational principles and make...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Executive Roles: Money Doesn't Grow on Trees?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students learn the role of the executive branch in creating and carrying out laws and how the executive and legislative branches work together to create a new coin.
Article
Siteseen

Siteseen: Government and Constitution: Branches of Government

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This article contains a useful guide to the functions of the three US Branches of Government that make, enforce, or interprets laws.
Activity
University of Missouri

Exploring Constitutional Conflicts: Separation of Powers

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
When do the actions of one branch of the federal government unconstitutionally intrude upon the powers of another branch? This article surveys the history of this question in historic Supreme Court cases.
Primary
US National Archives

Our Documents: Virginia Plan (1787)

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Read the complete text of the Virginia Plan that proposed a strong central government consisting of three branches. You can also view images of the original drafts.
Lesson Plan
US National Archives

National Archives: Congress at Work: Presidential Veto

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The veto process is an integral part of our checks and balances. Introduce the power of the presidential veto and override to a class using an example from President Nixon's administration. Materials include the Constitution, worksheets,...
Lesson Plan
Hopelink

Hopelink: Using Your Checkbook: Eastside Literacy Program

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Show your student how to correctly write a check, fill out a deposit slip, and use a check register. Introduce the concept of balancing a checkbook. Requires the ability to add and subtract decimals, sign one's name, write number words,...

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