Unit Plan
National Constitution Center

Fourth of July (Grades 3-5)

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Bring history to life for your young scholars with a Fourth of July lesson series. After a class reading of the Declaration of Independence, students translate this pivotal document into layman's terms before working in small...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Juvenile Death Penalty

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Sensitive material is discussed in this activity. Please review to ensure that the content is suitable for your class. The topic is the Eighth Amendment and how the U.S. Supreme Court makes determinations about what constitutes cruel and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Patriotic Symbols of the United States

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Young historians take a close look at the most famous patriotic symbols of the United States and determine what they actually stand for. Symbols such as Uncle Sam, The Statue of Liberty, The Bald Eagle, and The Liberty Bell are studied....
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan: Student Worksheet

For Students 10th - 12th
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...
Worksheet
Minnesota Courts

Inside Straight: the Third Branch

For Students 10th - 12th
Learners use the worksheet as they view the film Inside Straight: the Third Branch. Multiple case studies and the history of the judicial branch of the US government are included via hyperlink and act as the topics of discussion...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Women in Texas Politics: Winning the Vote, Three Pioneers, and Serving the People

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study women's involvement in Texas politics. In this US history lesson, 4th graders discuss woman suffrage, examine three Texas female pioneer legislators by reading biographies, and explore women's issues by generating a...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Understanding Plagiarism--Worksheet 1

For Students 9th - 12th
Understanding plagiarism is the goal of this activity. After reading the two definitions of plagiarism listed on the sheet, class members decide whether the eight listed scenarios constitute plagiarism. Their responses are used to launch...
Lesson Plan
Illustrative Mathematics

Electoral College

For Teachers 6th - 7th Standards
A cross-curricular resource that takes the electoral votes and allows your learners to organize and analyze the data. Young voters can determine which states are more influential and interpret the dotplot provided for more data....
Lesson Plan
iCivics

Limiting Government

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
While this lesson includes several nice worksheets to identify and discuss the various limits on government (i.e. a constitution, the rule of law, separation of powers, consent of the governed, etc.), its main value lies in a case study...
Lesson Plan
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School Improvement in Maryland

Supreme Court Case Overview I

For Teachers 9th - 12th
As part of a study of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, class members examine four Supreme Court decisions—Gitlow v. New York, Mapp v. Ohio, Gideon v. Wainwright, and Griswold v. Connecticut—that incorporated the due...
Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

Who the People? Representative Democracy in North Carolina and Congress

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Our elected officials are supposed to represent us, but what does it mean when they aren't like us? Budding citizens explore the demographic makeup of the US Congress, the role of money in political elections, and the Citizens United...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hunger in the World

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Consider various aspects of world hunger in this writing lesson. After taking a pre-test, middle and high schoolers play a map game, analyze and discuss world statistics, and write a report on an assigned country. The lesson can apply to...
Lesson Plan
National History Day

Challenging the Status Quo: Women in the World War I Military

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Why are some so resistant to change? The status quo is often to blame for a lack of forward movement in society. Following the events of World War I, women in America suddenly had a voice—and were going to use it. Scholars use the...
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...
Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

State Courts vs. Federal Courts

For Students 6th - 12th
Popular culture often portrays the Feds as the most fearsome of law enforcement agencies. Yet, someone charged with a crime is considerably more likely to end up in a state court. The lesson, one of six covering the Organization of the...
Lesson Plan
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Center for Civic Education

The Power of Nonviolence: What Is Nonviolence? What Does It Cost?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Your young learners will delve into the language of primary source documents in order to identify the characteristics, benefits, and costs of nonviolence. The lesson includes a mix of activities, including an anticipatory activity,...
Lesson Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Controversial Issues in Practice

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Wow! This resource provides three related lessons on the First Amendment that challenge US government students to explore their personal opinion on the separation of church and state. Each lesson can be adjusted in length, but is...
Organizer
Curated OER

Getting to Know Characters

For Students 8th
This set of worksheets constitutes enough work and materials to be considered a lesson. They guide readers through a process of exploring characters and their motivations, and writing a paragraph about them. Here are seven handouts that...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Alabama's Secession in 1861: Embraced with Joy and Great Confidence. Why?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
From December 20, 1860 to June 8, 1861, eleven states seceded from the Union. Alabama seceded on January 11, 1861. Why did so many white Alabamians want to secede? Why did they believe the South could win the war? These are the essential...
Lesson Plan
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University of California

The Civil War: The Road to War

For Teachers 8th Standards
The United States Civil War resulted in the highest mortality rate for Americans since the nation's inception. Delve deeper into the causes for the drastic separation of states with a history lesson plan that features analysis charts,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Is Everyone Protected by the Bill of Rights?

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Who is protected by the Bill of Rights? Learners examine the Bill of Rights and conduct research regarding gay people in the military. They use their research findings to prepare for and participate in a debate regarding the military ban...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Manners and Mores of Washington's America

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explore the social policies of early America. In this etiquette lesson, students read George Washington's "110 Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation." Middle schoolers identify expectations...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Executive Government: Three Levels of Government

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students identify and classify the powers and responsibilities of all three levels of executive government in Australia. In this executive government lesson, students discuss the various services that the government in...
Lesson Plan
1
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School Improvement in Maryland

Affirmative Action

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Do the government's affirmative action policies promote equity in the United States? The Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution and affirmative action policies come under scrutiny in an activity that asks class members to...

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