Lesson Plan
Curated OER

First Things First: Using the Newspaper to Teach the Freedoms of the First Amendment

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners use the newspaper as a tool to make connections about what the five freedoms guarantee in the First Amendment. In this first amendment lesson plan, students analyze events in the newspaper to form conclusions about the freedoms...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

World can't wait, students say

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Pupils 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. Pupils present to the class using mult-media, oral...
Unit Plan
Newspaper Association of America

Power Pack: Lessons in Civics, Math, and Fine Arts

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Newspaper in Education (NIE) Week honors the contributions of the newspaper and is celebrated in the resource within a civics, mathematics, and fine arts setting. The resource represents every grade from 3rd to 12th with questions...
Lesson Plan
Media Smarts

Cyberbullying and the Law

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Research, role-playing, and reflection are the three “R’s” that form the basis of an examination of Cyberbullying. Although based on the Criminal Code of Canada, the included scenarios and case studies provide valuable resources for a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Role Playing Free Speech

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students conduct research into looking at a free-speech issue. They role play the events surrounding a court case. The lesson includes guiding questions to help create context and determine areas of further study. The presentation...
Lesson Plan
Heritage Foundation

Substantive Amendments: Amendments I and II

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The First and Second Amendments remain some of the most famous, even to this day. Learners read about several clauses from the US Constitution through a variety of captivating activities including before and after reading, group work,...
Activity
Administrative Office of the US Courts

Morse v. Frederick

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
If you stop a student from expressing views that advocate drug use, are you violating their right to free speech? Use the 2007 Supreme Court case Morse v. Frederick to discuss a nuanced interpretation of the First Amendment....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Storytellers: Pearl Jam

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars examine the concept of freedom of speech as it applies to music. They watch and discuss the video, "VH1 Storytellers: Pearl Jam," participate in a class discussion about free speech, conduct research, and conduct a debate.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Freedom of Expression in Special Places

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify at least three places presenting First Amendment problems. They analyze how the First Amendment applies to school newspapers. Students argue for and against limiting First Amendment rights in school. They analyze th...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

The Freedom Riders and the Popular Music of the Civil Rights Movement

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s marched to its own beat—literally. Using songs from the era, as well as other primary sources such as King's "I Have a Dream" speech, class members analyze lyrics to discover how music and protest...
Lesson Plan
1
1
National Endowment for the Humanities

The Tyranny of the Majority

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
In American democracy, majority rules but what prevents the voices of the few from being crushed? Using excerpts from Alexis de Tocqueville's writings, young historians explore cases where minority rights were trampled upon. Extension...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Free Speech Questions

For Students 9th - 12th
In this First Amendment learning exercise, students respond to 14 short answer questions about freedom of speech and restrictions of speech.
Lesson Plan
1
1
University of California

The Civil War: Lincoln’s Speeches

For Students 7th Standards
Abraham Lincoln is responsible for uniting the states during the most tumultuous periods in American history, and for his elegant oratory that kept the Union believing in its cause. Young histoians analyze various speeches by America's...
Handout
Curated OER

ACLU

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) good for America? The informative website is a one-stop shop for ACLU debate resources. Scholars read about the topics surrounding the issue, including free speech, national security, and...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

The Wrong Side of History: How One Group Justified Its Opposition on the Freedom Riders and Civil Rights for African Americans

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Designed as a supplement to the study of the Freedom Riders, this resource uses primary sources to reveal the views of those who opposed the Freedom Riders. After careful study of the arguments presented by the members of the Montgomery...
Writing
2
2
K12 Reader

MLK: Complete the Speech

For Students 3rd - 8th
Take a close look at a few paragraphs of Martin Luther King, Jr.s' famous speech, "I Have a Dream." Class members fill in the missing words using the bank of words provided and then respond to a question about the speech and modern day...
Worksheet
2
2
Humanities Texas

Primary Source Worksheet: Frederick Douglass, “Expression of Gratitude for Freedom”

For Students 8th - 11th Standards
Here is a fantastic primary source analysis activity regarding Frederick Douglass' speech delivered at the unveiling of the Freedmen's Monument in 1876. The follow-up discussion questions and activities highlight Douglass' discussion of...
Lesson Plan
Library of Virginia

Antebellum Freedom

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
From indentured servitude to involuntary race-based servitude, slavery has taken many forms in American history. Class members examine three manumission petitions that reveal how the rights of African Americans and African American...
Activity
Administrative Office of the US Courts

Snyder v. Phelps

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Does the Westboro Baptist Church have the protection of the Constitution when protesting military funerals? High schoolers examine the 2011 Supreme Court case of Snyder v. Phelps before comparing the situation to a fictional...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mightier than the Sword

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students complete a variety of activities as they use the Washington Post Newspaper in the study of editorial cartoons, cartoonists, social commentary and freedom of speech.
Unit Plan
1
1
Madison Public Schools

Journalism

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Whether you are teaching a newspaper unit in language arts, covering the First Amendment and censorship in social studies, or focusing on writing ethics in journalism, a unit based on the foundations of journalism would be an excellent...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Curated OER

Rights And Responsibilities: Debating Free Speech, Responsibility And Censorship on Campus

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students weigh rights of students and others to free speech versus the responsibilities that come with those rights.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Press-ing Freedom

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students consider how free speech applies to journalistic practices in light of a legal case involving two reporters. They participate in a fishbowl discussion about journalism codes of ethics and write response papers.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pornography Debate

For Teachers 12th
Present your seniors with a controversial topic while studying the first amendment: pornography. This multi-layer resource has scholars writing a pros and cons research paper. They also attend a city council meeting to prepare for an...

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