How is federal policy established? To gain insight into this complex and often messy process, class members read an article that uses information on attempts to establish public policy in immigration to illustrate the role proposed...

Students explore online safety by viewing an educational video. In this online identification instructional activity, students discuss the importance of keeping personal information private and when it is appropriate to enter personal...

Students explore the purpose of rules and laws in society, as well as some of the basic tenets of the Constitution that address equal rights for all citizens. Next, they examine historical examples of segregation and consider its impact...

Students explore teamwork, decision-making, and ways to communicate. They discuss their favorite activities, places they would like to travel and set ground rules for their groups. After identifying their feelings toward the program,...

Students identify and disuss the various laws that are in place in their commmunity. In groups, they illustrate the different laws and write a description. As a class, they discuss the reasons why the laws are necessary and their...

Here is another lesson regarding the law. This time, the laws that dictate eligibility for food stamps is the focus. After an initial discussion about the basics of the laws, learners do a case study of a family who is applying for food...

Entitled American Studies, this small unit covers various topics related to the study of the United States. Learners warm up by creating a dictionary of democracy, then dive into three different lessons focused on government, famous...

Students explore all the facets about weather and analyze how weather and climate are connected through time. They consider how weather changes and the effects of weather on the present state of the Earth's climate. Alterations to our...

Take photos of human activities that impact air quality. Collaborative groups present one of the photographs, identifying how the activity contributes to air quality and what can be done to minimize the impact. As one in a series of...

Study the three writing systems of Japanese: Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. Your middle schoolers will practice writing Kanji and write a mini story in English which uses at least 10 of the Kanji in the place of the English words....

Why were laws created? Spark a group discussion on why we need laws to co-exist. Should the sale of some things be outlawed on Sundays? Read a case summary between Target and the state of Minnesota that debated this issue. Ask your...

Ninth graders explore the meaning of the term philanthropy.  In this Social Studies lesson, 9th graders research examples of people that represent good citizens.  Students create a skit that demonstrates a specific...

Students list and describe the characteristics of a good citizen relative to democracy. They see that philanthropy is part of good citizenship and exemplify philanthropy through random acts of kindness. Each group will be responsible for...

Students research the work of North American NGOs and select one to support with a financial contribution as a class. In this philanthropic research lesson, students consider the work of Benjamin Franklin, defining good citizenship and...

How do core values and identity contribute to citizenship and leadership? After engaging in a series of activities that explore core values, writers craft a children’s story that focuses on one value. They arrange to read their story to...

Students investigate incidences of civil disobedience. In this civil disobedience lesson plan, students watch a video and read a newspaper article on civil disobedience. Then, in groups, they search a current newspaper for examples of...

Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. In this Civil War lesson, students examine the service of African Americans in the Civil War and consider their plight to secure the rights and...

Young scholars explore the concept of federalism and the purpose of government. How government powers are acquired, used, justified, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens are investigated in this lesson plan.

Students explore heroic characters. In this philanthropy lesson, students discuss the characteristics of a super hero and then define vocabulary associated with philanthropy such as civic virtue and altruism. Students work in groups to...

Students examine the life of Jackie Robinson and how he opened the door for other African American athletes. They identify how one person can make a difference by their actions. They write about the responsiblity of citizens to end the...

Students discuss the instances of discrimination against Arabs since September 11. Using the Civil Rights Act text, they discover how the United States addresses instances of discrimination in the workplace. They complete a worksheet...

Students identify examples of community services, identify jobs/services performed by community helpers and relationships between community needs and community services, and work cooperatively to create Bubble map, flyer, and Powerpoint...

Learners write thank-you notes using the writing process. They draft, revise, edit, and publish their thank-you notes and use a computer to view examples of thank-you notes and insert graphics into their own published thank-you notes.

Students examine the role and purpose of the BRAC commission and identify ways for stakeholders to impact the BRAC process,an example of defense policy making.