Curated OER
Police patrol the city's garbage
Students debate the pros and cons of police searching the trash of suspected drug dealers. Students collect background information, and students interview city officials and garbage collectors. Students develop a strategic plan for...
Curated OER
Political statements and protected speech
High schoolers research and investigate what laws exist about freedom of speech. They write an article about this topic. Students interview the high schoolers at their school on this topic. They take a stand and support their stand with...
Curated OER
World can't wait, students say
Learners create a lesson to present to the rest of the class about current laws, including expressing killing the president as a joke. Students research past events and current laws. Learners present to the class using mult-media, oral...
Curated OER
Writing a Newspaper Article
The perfect resource for a beginning journalism teacher or someone designing a journalism unit, this activity prompts young scholars to write a newspaper article. It covers all aspects of the writing process, such as a guided warm-up...
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.9
Guided by close-reading questions, groups examine the similarities and differences between the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. In addition, they look at how the principles are presented in these two foundational US...
Curated OER
Supreme Court Rulings
Become familiar with the constitution and amendments with an in depth opportunity to utilize media center resources. Groups of students focus on an amendment then make a presentation to the class.
University of Arkansas
Assessment and Discussion
"Without concerned citizen action to uphold them (human rights) close to home; we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world. . ." Eleanor Roosevelt's comment is used to set the stage for the conclusion of a five-lesson unit...
Curated OER
Voices from Little Rock: Understanding the Civil Rights Movement through Primary Sources
As part of a study of the Civil Rights Movement, class members examine documents associated with the Little Rock Nine, the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, the 14th and 15th Amendments to the US Constitution, and chapters from Melba...
Curated OER
Breaking Barriers
Determine how African-Americans have broken barriers in this history lesson. Middle schoolers discuss the 15th Amendment and the American civil rights movement prior to analyzing Barack Obama's speech "A More Perfect Union," taking care...
Arizona Department of Education
American History Impact of the Women’s Movement
Take a look at important images that depict the women's suffrage movement, the support for the Equal Rights Amendment, and wage equity for women over the last two centuries. As class members work through a activity on...
ProCon
Gun Control
According to some estimates, there are more guns than people in the United States. Learners decide if America should enact more gun control laws. They analyze information about gun deaths in the United States by year, read about the...
iCivics
A Trip Around the World
How do the rights of citizens in other countries, such as India, Germany, Brazil, and Iran, compare to those of Americans? Take a closer look at the provisions of various foreign constitutions, and compare and contrast the protections...
Curated OER
Bill of Rights
US history classes explore constitutional rights as they relate to court cases involving teens. Your class must already be familiar with the Bill of Rights before beginning this series of exercises. In preparation for a debate-style...
Pacific University Oregon
Civil Rights: US History
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,...
Annenberg Foundation
Controversial Issues in Practice
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...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Guest-Worker Program
The U.S. Guest-Worker Program and the H-2A visa are the focus of a social studies activity. First, class members assume the role of advisors who must present the president with four proposals that would amend the visas given to...
NPR
Same-Sex Marriage
The battle over same-sex marriage is a prevalent issue in the United States, and a valuable topic to be discussed in your social studies classroom. Here is a basic outline of introductory questions, focus questions, vocabulary, and media...
Curated OER
Lobbying for Passage of the National Suffrage Amendment
Learners examine the lobbying involved in trying to pass the Nineteenth Amendment. They discover the relationships between women and the suffragists. They also examine the media's coverage of the event.
Curated OER
Nineteenth Ammendment
Students discuss the Nineteenth Amendment and how it gave women the power to vote. They emphasize the struggle women had in gaining the right to vote and some important questions are answered.
Curated OER
Houses or Walaloos
Investigate the legal history and application of the Fifth Amendment. Write an essay in favor of a person keeping land that has been in his/her family for decades.
Curated OER
Government: Missouri Bar Civics Library
Students visit the Missouri bar Website to examine information about the U.S. Constitution and its Amendments. They complete a variety of activities from the provided lessons including the judiciary, Fourth Amendment issues, civil law,...
Curated OER
Powerful Signatures
Students experience famous historical documents that were initiated and propelled by signatures such as Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution. They create a school amendment using the information gathered.
Curated OER
Declaration of Independence
Students explore the US Constitution. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students work in pairs to select and examine amendments to the Bill of Rights. Students will identify what the amendment means, why they chose it, what it protects, and...
Curated OER
The Volstead Act and Related Prohibition Documents
High schoolers listen to the 18th Amendment. After a discussion on Prohibition, the groups determine if it was a success or a failure and present their findings to the class. They view political cartoons of the day and analyze their...