Curated OER
The Right and Responsibility To Bear Arms
Students write a paragraph summarizing the rights and responsibilities of owning a gun, including penalties for owners of guns which injure or kill. This less is designed for students acquiring English.
Curated OER
Creating A Bill Of Rights In Space
Young scholars create an Intergalactic Bill of Rights and apply the United States Bill of Rights to a hypothetical situation.
Curated OER
The Fourth Amendment: Changes and Trends for the 90's
Students investigate the Fourth Amendment principles and how its interpretation changed in the 1990's. They answer questions based on the interpretation in small groups.
Curated OER
Understanding Criminal Justice
Students realize that clear values are a resource of behavior in clarifying needs and wants. They clarify feelings and wants and verbalize ways in which they give up freedom and control in their lives by relinquishing decisions to...
Deliberating in a Democracy
Cyberbullying—Alternate Lesson Plan
Should schools be permitted to punish young scholars for off-campus cyberbullying? After reading a passage that details statistics about cyberbullying and Supreme Court rulings about schools' ability to limit student speech,...
Deliberating in a Democracy
Cloning
Students explore the issues and challenges of cloning. In this cloning lesson plan, students read about how cloning affects people and the types of cloning, then they prepare a debate either for or against cloning.
Curated OER
A Lesson To Accompany "The First Bank of the United States: A Chapter in the History of Central Banking"
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...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Immigration Enforcement Raids
Class groups take on the role of advisors to the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Policy & Planning of ICE. Their charge is to prepare a report for the secretary on the effectiveness of enforcement actions of the ICE in...
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...
Curated OER
Discovering American Symbols
Help youngsters get to know their states and capitals, explore their own country, and study American symbolism. They take a "trip" across America collecting symbols, images, and information about each state as they go (through text and...
Curated OER
Judicial Review
Students are introduced to the concept of judicial review. They read an article about this topic and the Bill of Rights. They answer discussion questions and review as a class.
Curated OER
Mueller v. Allen
Students investigate a First Amendment legal case involving religion, education, and reimbursement of tuition payments. They research the background of the cases and its precedents.
Curated OER
Judicial Review
Students review the concepts they were introduced to in a telecast on judicial review. After reading an article, they answer discussion questions and repeat the same procedure for another article. They participate in a debriefing session...
Curated OER
Italian Americans
Fourth graders research the importance of Italian Americans and search for information and pictures about them. They create an interactive PowerPoint presentation to present to the class.
Curated OER
Do I Have a Right To Privacy?
Students, in groups, explore the Fourth Amendment and their right to privacy. They explore reasonable search/seizure, sanctity of a man's house, right to privacy.
Curated OER
Woman Suffrage in Colorado, 1877-1893
Students work together in groups to examine the suffrage movement in Colorado. They analyze the reasons for and against women's suffrage. They also determine the impact of the movement in Colorado.
Curated OER
Building the Foundation
Students understand the purpose of the judicial branch of government. In this judiciary lesson, students participate in exercises to understand how the court system works. Students complete activity sheets to develop understanding of...
Curated OER
Juvenile Offenders
Students investigate how different democracies treat juvenile offenders as well as compare/contrast the juvenile and adult justice systems in their own democracy. In addition, individually and as a group, they determine whether juvenile...
Curated OER
Civilizations: Rise To Power
Students discover details about the rise of civilizations. In this Roman history instructional activity, students watch "Civilizations: Rise to Power," and read primary sources from different periods of the empire's history. Students...
Curated OER
Before Dred Scott: Freedom Suits in Antebellum Missouri
Young scholars examine and analyze original documents that enhance understanding of antebellum slavery in Missouri and a particular method of gaining freedom: the freedom suit.
Curated OER
Freedom of the Press Around the World
Students research press freedoms in various countries such as Iran and North Korea. They create a freedom of the press report card for the countries examined.
Curated OER
Mock Trial
Young scholars rewrite a traditional fairy tale to represent the viewpoint of the villain. They participate in a mock trial of that villain in which all regular court participants (judge, jury, defendant, witnesses, plaintiff, etc) play...
Curated OER
Music Education, The Blues
This lesson examines both the content and form of lyrics in blues songs. In addition to highlighting the basic musical form of a blues song, it also addresses the use of floating verses in blues music, both within the context of the...
Curated OER
The Plight of Four Million Newly Emancipated Slaves: Reconstruction - 1865-1877
Students study the Reconstruction Era after the US Civil War. In this Reconstruction lesson set, students examine the problems that were encountered by the South after the Civil War, look at different plans for Reconstruction, and...