Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Foundations of the U.S. Constitution

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders use information found in their textbooks to create flip charts containing information about Articles of Confederation, U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, English Bill of Rights, House of Burgesses, Magna Carta, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

South Carolina's Constitution

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore the definition of political culture. After viewing a movie, 8th graders discuss how the political culture of the 1600 and 1700s is reflected in early drafts of the South Carolina constitution.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Constitution Evolution Research Project

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders demonstrate how South Carolina's Constitution has evolved through a research report. In groups, 8th graders conduct research and write a paper analyzing the historical and social influences that have been associated with...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

D-Day Message from General Eisenhower to General Marshall

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students use documents in the National Archives of the United States to evaluate the effectiveness of D-Day.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Lesson To Accompany "The First Bank of the United States: A Chapter in the History of Central Banking"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Here is an interesting topic. Learners examine the economics that led to the founding of the First Bank of America. They participate in a reader's theater experience depicting the debate between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson...
Lesson Plan
City University of New York

Electoral College

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
A presidential election is a lot like the 2004 World Series, and it's also a lot like choosing an orange in a paper bag. Apply the process of the electoral college to these two analogies with a set of lessons about government...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Picture Books and the Bill of Rights

For Teachers Pre-K - 2nd
Students identify the basic freedoms of citizens in the United States.  In this Bill of Rights instructional activity, students act out scenarios about the Bill of Rights.  Students create a picture book describing the rights...
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

The New Nation

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The conclusion of the American Revolution brought about a new conflict—choosing the stye of government for the newly formed United States. Using the views of both Federalists and Anti-Federalists, learners work in pairs and groups to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A More Perfect Union: Women's Suffrage and the Constitution

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students reflect on the pros and cons of Women's Suffrage and it was viewed during the late 1800's.  In this history lesson plan, students will analyze documents on women's suffrage so that they can compare and contrast the rights...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Lesson: Immigration

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Many of your class members will have heard of Executive Order 9066 and the Japanese internment camps of World War II. Some may even recognize the terms “Issei” and “Nisei,” but few will have heard of Enemy Alien Hearing Boards, of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson III: Crisis, Pearl Harbor, Internment

For Teachers 9th - 11th
The third in a series of lessons introduced by “A Fence Away From Freedom,” uses the Smithsonian website, “A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution” and focuses on the section of the presentation devoted to the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Homemade Political Parties

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Use this 5-day lesson plan to clarify the platforms of the two major parties, comparing and contrasting against young scholars' beliefs. Begin by looking at unlabeled summaries of both party platforms, having learners identify most with...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bill of Rights Day (December 15th)

For Teachers 4th - 6th
On December 15, 1791, the ratification of the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the UnitedStates of American by three-quarters of the states took place. These were subsequently incorporated into the Constitution and became...
Interactive
Reporters Without Borders

2017 World Press Freedom Index

For Students 6th - 12th
Freedom of the press was seen as a right so important that the Founding Fathers listed it as part of the first amendment to the United States Constitution. Americans pride themselves on this freedom, but just how free are American...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Inauguration and the Constitution

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students read the sections of the US Constitution that discuss the elements of the inauguration. They study how the inauguration symbolizes the peaceful transition of power in a democratic republic and show the parts of the inauguration...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Conflicting Ideas about the Completed Constitution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars analyze and discuss the opinions about the US Constitution as given by Benjamin Franklin and George Mason.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

George Mason and the Constitution

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners read various articles about the political beliefs of George Mason. In groups, they describe the major events of his life that formed his beliefs and values. They also analyze his contributions to the Constitution and the Bill...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Differences and Settlement in Framing the United States Constitution

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students identify the principles of democracy when framing the United States Constitution. In groups, they analyze the differences that were settled before anyone signed the document. They role play their own activity in which they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bill of Rights Day

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders examine and identify the values and purposes of the Bill of Rights. They complete a class KWL chart, participate in a class jigsaw activity, write and illustrate a book about the first ten amendments, participate in a mock...
Unit Plan
Macmillan Education

Your Year Covered

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Feeling stuck? Want to energize the class? Use activities such as quizzes and fill-in-the-blank worksheets to get class members' attention with a year's worth of holiday celebrations. From Mother's Day to Robert Burns's birthday,...
Unit Plan
Pacific University Oregon

Civil Rights: US History

For Teachers 10th Standards
To gain an understanding of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, class members investigate the Jim Crow Laws, the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments of the US Constitution, and the 1898 Supreme Court case,...
Activity
Administrative Office of the US Courts

US v. Alvarez

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Is it illegal to lie about military service? Discuss the ways the First Amendment affects the Stolen Valor Act with a lesson that focuses on the Supreme Court case U.S. v. Alvarez. As high schoolers learn more about the history of the...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Scholastic

Women's Suffrage for Grades 6–8

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Learners study the decisions and solutions involved in winning the right to vote. After reading background information on the fight for women's suffrage, including one woman's story, and its eventual success in the United States and...
Unit Plan
Core Knowledge Foundation

Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims

For Teachers K
Teach kindergartners about the First Thanksgiving with a series of lessons about the Pilgrims' journey to the New World. As they practice handwriting, CVC words, reading comprehension, and fun Thanksgiving songs, they learn about what...