Constitutional Rights Foundation
Options for Affecting Public Policy
Letter-writing, e-mail and telephone campaigns, petitions, marches, meetings, with lawmakers. Options for influencing elected representatives are the focus of resource that details how to craft each of these approaches to influencing...
Curated OER
Banned Book Week: Tips for Teaching Censorship
Consider how book censorship erodes our right to free speech and intellectual freedom.
Newspaper Association of America
By the Numbers: Mathematical Connections in Newspapers for Middle-Grade Students
A cross-curricular resource teaches and reinforces mathematical concepts with several activities that use parts of a newspaper. Scholars use scavenger hunts to find the different ways math is used in the paper along with using data...
Annenberg Foundation
America's History in the Making: Classroom Applications Four
The final installment of a 22-part American history series examines the many faces that make up the country's story. From Henry Ford to Tulio Serrano, scholars use biographical evidence and Internet research to uncover the people behind...
Curated OER
The Rule of Law
Learners continue their exploration of the concept of rule of law. As a class, they discuss how Civil Rights leaders followed the rule of law in their protests. After reading various articles, they participate in a discussion and...
Curated OER
Hodgson v. Minnesota
High schoolers investigate the role of and develop opinions of the court in weighing competing interests in making decisions. They examine the power of the courts and legislature to regulate constitutional rights.
Curated OER
Citizenship Worksheet 1 - The Rights and Responsibilities of a United States Citizen
In this United States citizenship worksheet, students learns the qualifications for U.S. citizenship, the rights of that citizenship as well as the responsibilities therein.
Curated OER
Women's Suffrage
Students investigate the changes of attitudes about Women's suffrage over the passage of time. They read a background on the fight for women's suffrage and its eventual success in the United States and also around the world.
Curated OER
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988)
Students explore the concept of student press rights. In this case study lesson, students read excerpts of Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier. Students then complete the provided worksheet activities and determine whether they agree with the outcome...
Curated OER
Patriotism and Foreign Policy
Twelfth graders create a museum of Patriotism and Foreign Policy. They participate in discussions and work in committee's to determine which objects shall be displayed in the museum. They present visual and performing arts along with...
Curated OER
The Down Low Talk Show
Students examine popular fashion trends and their personal tastes in clothing styles. They explore the legislation and controversy over wearing pants too low by reading and discussing the article "Are Your Jeans Sagging? Go Directly to...
Curated OER
Creating Historians: Giving Scholars the Answers
How allowing index cards on tests can empower critical thinking; part one of a series on approaching social studies as a group of historians.
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Women's Suffrage: 140 Years of Struggle
Young scholars create PowerPoint presentations about women's suffrage. In this women's rights instructional activity, students use primary documents to study the women's suffrage movement. In pairs, young scholars create a PowerPoint...
Curated OER
The Kid Who Ran for President
In this reading worksheet, students answer 10 multiple-choice questions about the book. For example, "Why did Judd change his parakeet's name?"
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...
Curated OER
Who’s Got Rights? An Introduction to Human Rights and Human Rights Defenders
Young scholars explore human rights issues. For this social justice lesson, students examine human rights as they read segments of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights," discuss photographs with human rights implications, and play...
Curated OER
Significance of Individuals to Defending Human Rights
Eleventh graders examine four different kinds of human rights. In this American Government lesson, 11th graders research the assigned human right in their groups. Students create a presentation about this human right to their classmates.
Curated OER
Religious Freedom
Sixth graders examine the religious issues of the early settlers in the New World and the current issue of separation of church and state. They discuss a list of colonial laws from the 1600s, participate in a class discussion, and in...
Curated OER
Society in the 1950s (5)
In this online interactive American history worksheet, students respond to 8 matching questions regarding 1950's America. Students may check their answers immediately.
NYC Department of Records
Citizenship and Elections: The Importance of a Ballot
Approximately 58 prcent of those eligible voted in the 2016 US Presidential election. In an attempt to impress upon learners the importance of voting and voting rights, class members examine primary source documents related to the...
Curated OER
The Adarand Case: Affirmative Action and Equal Protection
Eleventh graders examine the Adarand case. In this American Government instructional activity, 11th graders create a list of reasons for each affirmative action program. Students develop a defense on certain issues and present it to...
Curated OER
Arrest- A Legal System Simulation
What would your class do if a police officer arrested a student in class? This is exactly the anticipatory set that gets learners engaged in a unit on the legal system. The plan is to get the officer to simulate an arrest, and then guest...
Curated OER
Arrest
High schoolers become active participants in the legal process as they take on the roles of witnesses, jurors, and defendants in a trial simulation. An understanding and appreciation of the legal system is fostered through the experience.
Curated OER
Reparations for Slavery
Students analyze slavery reparations. In this American history lesson, students examine the pros and cons of paying reparations for slavery and participate in a discussion.