Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Benjamin Franklin and the U.S. Constitution

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students explore U.S. history by completing a quiz about civics. In this Benjamin Franklin lesson, students read assigned text about Franklin's role in the development of the Constitution and the creation of a new society. Students...
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the Most Meaningful Way

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Lead your class on a journey into the Deep South so that they understand the true meaning of what inspired this holiday.
Unit Plan
Kids Voting USA

Kids Voting USA: K-2 Classroom Activities

For Teachers K - 2nd Standards
Address both social studies and critical reading skills with a resource dedicated to the voting process, the American democracy, and the ability to evaluate information in order to develop a stance on an issue. Each themed activity...
Lesson Plan
State Bar of Texas

Worcester v. Georgia

For Teachers 8th Standards
Can the president of the United States defy the rulings of the Supreme Court? Students investigate the case of Worcester v. Georgia and the impact it had on society and, most importantly, Native Americans. Using a short video clip as...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reflections on Judicial Power - Part I

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research the Constitutional provision for the Judicial branch of government. They examine different U.S. founder's positions on the relative strength of the judicial branch and act as a review court for Marbury vs. Madison.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Journey to Civil Rights

For Teachers K - 1st
Students explore Civil Rights. In this Civil Rights lesson, students read about Ruby Bridges and define the words segregation and supremacy. Students make a timeline of important events in Civil Rights and write a paragraph about why the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Separate is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Pupils analyze photographs that feature segregation. In this human rights activity, students examine photographs of a segregated movie theater, a Ku Klux Klan gathering, a segregated business sign, and an illustration from "Harper's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

iCivics: State Government

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explore the role of state government. In this civics lesson, students play an online game that requires them to consider the needs of state residents and the structure of state government.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Judicial Review

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Student demonstrate understanding of both sides of the argument between Jefferson and Marshall that led to the strengthening of the Judicial Branch through the creation of judicial review. Unit is comprised of five lessons and fits into...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Whose Business Is It Anyway? McCarthyism and Its Effect on Individual Rights

For Teachers 8th
Students explore the concept of individual rights. In this McCarthyism lesson, students determine how government may affect the rights of individuals as they examine the Constitution, participate in class discussions, and research the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Emergence of the Judicial Branch

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students demonstrate understanding of both sides of the argument between Jefferson and Marshall that led to the strengthening of the Judicial Branch through the creation of judicial review.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Constitution: Our Plan for Government

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Students investigate the importance of separation of powers, checks, balances, and judicial review. They also investigate how national and state governments are linked.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is Suffrage? Understanding the Right to Vote

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students discover one of the restrictions forced on women of the early 1900s. In this civil rights lesson, students investigate suffrage and why women were not allowed to vote in the early twentieth century. Students create a mock...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Folklore and Oral History

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students listen to a lecture about the tradition of story telling and oral history. They research three examples of African American and/or Negro Leagues oral tradition. they work in groups of four, and decide on one example from their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Active Citizenship through the Spectacles of Benjamin Franklin

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research and identify ways that Benjamin Franklin contributed to society. They identify the core democratic values and how he achieved them. They research organizations in their area that give back to the community.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Documents Related to Churchill and FDR

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars groups divide up into 2. One gathers 10 facts about FDR and the other gathers 10 facts about Churchill. On the board, they compile that facts gathered in two separate columns so they can compare and contrast these two men.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan on Refugees

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students explore the issue of "human rights" and discuss world events/situations in which human rights are in question. They determine their own needs and wants and simulate the experience of being a refugee having to leave their home. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Dynamic Duo

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students engage in the research of history that surrounded the actions of the federal government during the years from 1907-1937. The focus of the instructional activity is upon the regulations imposed on business during the time and how...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Judiciary in American History

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the influence of political and societal forces on judicial decisions. Among the topics they examine are the selection of judges and the cause and effect relationship between politics, society, and the law. to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

United We Stand?

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students consider the consolidation that led to the creation of greater New York City in 1898, and what would happen if their own class, school, or community united with its neighbor or neighbors.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's All About Justice

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students examine a specific environmental concern to their local community. In groups, they explore how the justice system would deal with the problem by participating in a treasure hunt. They review the meaning of federal and state...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

World Starvation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the concept of world starvation and some of the organizations that are founded in order to help solve the problem. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The information is used in order to conduct class...
Worksheet
Curated OER

U.S. Constitutional Facts and Figures

For Students 5th - 8th
In this Constitution worksheet, students fill in the blanks to sentences with facts about numbers in the Constitution. Students fill in 12 blanks.
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Separation of Powers: What's for Lunch?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students find out how the three branches of government interact with each other and how decisions about laws are made by several parts of the U.S. government.