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Who Are Your Local Officials?
High schoolers identify the names and positions held by local public officials. In pairs, students research the requirements and duties needed to hold office. A brief presentation of their research will include the names and positions...
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Families and Neighborhoods
Students build their own neighborhood. For this lesson on community, students are introduced to books about families and neighborhoods. As a class, the students create their own neighborhood, elect a leader for their neighborhood and...
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Conferences and General Courses Framework for the Law Elective: Mainstreaming Law-Related Opportunities in the Local Curriculum
Students study background information on the laws and customs that make up our legal system, our legislative system, and our executive branches of government.
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Community Voting Habits
Students prepare a survey about voting habits in the community. Students give the survey to parents, teachers, business owners, and other voting age members of their community, and analyze the data.
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Eminent Domain: Whose Land is it Anyway?
Students research eminent domain and whether or not there has been a land dispute in their community. Students search local newspapers, local history books or talk with civic leaders and long-time citizens and create a chart showing the...
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Leader of the Pack
Students take a closer look the 2008 London mayoral race. In this current events lesson plan, students research the listed Web sites that include information about the candidates for mayor and their attributes. Students also gather...
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Active Citizens 101
Students explore and investigate multiple aspects of citizenship and democracy in a sequence of lessons that involve thoughtful discussin and participation to assist in gaining a better perspective of what citizenship and domocracy is,...
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AIDS: Responding to a Health Crisis
Students explore the health crisis presented by AIDS. In this AIDS lesson, students find out how nations around the world are dealing with AIDS and the stigma attached to it. Students plan an implement a service project related to AIDS.
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Rights and Responsibilities: Making the Connection
Learners examine the Bill of Rights. In this philanthropy instructional activity, students identify the responsibilities that accompany the 5 basic guaranteed rights in the Bill of Rights. Learners interview a community member regarding...
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Bill of Rights -- Americans with Disabilities Act
Students focus on the First and Ninth Amendments of the Bill of Rights. Before visiting a museum, they examine the Americans with Disabilities Act. During the visit, they work together with a museum member to watch a video and get...
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The Fall of Fujimori
Students view a film about the fall of Peru's president. They develop possible solutions for governments to follow when dealing with terrorism. They work together to research civil liberty limitations put in place during war. They...
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Working Together As a Team
Students examine the need for rules to keep order at home, in school, in communities, and in the country using trade books and teamwork activities. They work in cooperative groups to define a positive learning community by writing a...
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Power Builders: Leaders and Cities
Learners are explained that they are going to consider why cities are built and what needs they meet for their residents. They view a video "The Building of New York City." Students work in small groups to plan imaginary city. They...
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Don't Just Dream-Act
Learners create campaign materials to encourage the passage of legislation supporting higher education for immigrant minors. They produce flyers, brochures, pins and a voter presentation for a school fair. To prepare the materials they...
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Discovering Leadership
Students identify positive leadership skills and apply them in everyday scenarios. In this leadership skills lesson, students examine the qualities of poor leaders and good leaders. Students create a leadership poster and write a...
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When the Personal Becomes Presidential
Students explore American voter's attitudes toward the checkered pasts of presidents and presidential candidates. They create and conduct a survey of members of their school community and analyze the results.
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Hammurabi's Code of Laws
Young scholars explore why the need arose for laws to govern society, comparing and contrasting hunter/gatherer societies vs. agrarian societies. They write letters to the editor of the Babylonian Times, discussing their opinion of...
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Democracy…Not Yet!
Learners analyze the concept of democracy. In this democratic values lesson, students analyze the lyrics of selected popular music that address issues that challenge the role of United States as a world leader. Learners create exhibits...
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Having Fun with Primary Sources
Students analyze primary sources to determine the effects of the Great Depression on American society. They evaluate how government expanded during this time period because of New Deal legislation.
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HI-02-01 Somalia: A Failed Intervention?
Students study ethics and the importance on humanitarian interventions. In this lecture lesson students read case studies and answer questions regarding the importance of government and humanitarian interventions then watch a film...
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President's Day
First graders imagine that they are the President of the United States. In this history lesson plan the students think of three rules or laws that they would create if they were President. The students listen to a book about George...
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Safety -- It's An Attitude: Promoting Farm and Ranch Safety
Students examine the unsafe practices that farmers and ranchers sometimes participate in. They describe behaviors that promote safe behaviors. They also outline a "Safety Action Plan" for promoting safety in their community.
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Edible Numbers
Believe it or not, this is a 76-page series of lesson plans published by the California Commission on Agriculture which is designed to teach upper-elementary learners about agricultural practices and products in the state. There are two...
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Where'd You Get Those Genes?
Really a unit, this resource exposes middle schoolers to genetics at their level. They read interviews and biographies, trace a family tree, play games that simulate inheritance concepts, and more! Teacher's procedures, student...