Curated OER
The Role of the Executive Branch in the Lawmaking Process
Learners research the Executive Branches role in making a law. In this law making lesson plan, students study the history of the Constitution and see how much power the President has in making a bill into a law. Learners then research on...
Curated OER
Pesticide Laws and Regulations
Students explore the laws and regulations of pesticides. In this pesticides lesson, students research how laws are made and identify the agencies responsible for enforcing the laws. Students research the Internet for laws and bills...
Curated OER
The Jim Crow Era
Learners examine how African-Americans were affected by the Great Depression. In this African-American history lesson, students conduct independent research on the social conditions of the time period using the suggested resources....
National Endowment for the Humanities
George Washington: The Precedent President
Everyone knows that George Washington was the first president, but do your scholars know why that was so important? The lesson plan, the third in a sequence of three, allows learners to understand how George Washington set a precedent...
Curated OER
Inspiration for and Application of the Bill of Rights
Students examine individual rights. In this case law lesson, students discuss the from and function of the Bill of Rights prior to investigating several cases that deal with Constitutional rights. Students discuss the outcome of the...
Curated OER
Election of 1860
Students determine how the presidential election of 1860 led to the American Civil War. In this election of 1860 lesson, students discover details regarding the election and hold their own mock debate and election. Students also write an...
Curated OER
A System of Rules
Learners write letters, create models, create a photo display, and make charts about the rules that a state has. In this rules lesson plan, students learn about and make different displays of how states come up with rules, change them,...
Curated OER
Longfellow Amongst His Contemporaries: the Ship of State Dbq
Students evaluate the ship of state metaphor in relation to the historical events in America from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War. They synthesize ideas presented in ten different primary source documents and compose an essay...
PBS
Using Primary Sources: The Rogue's Gallery
What would be in your life's scrapbook? Scholars use short video clips, primary and secondary documents, and photos to investigate a 1909 scrapbook. They analyze and uncover what the Rogue Book tells them about the past in Western...
Curated OER
From These Beginnings
Students prepare a bulletin board that shows the changing identity of their state before and after statehood.
Curated OER
Child Labor in Maryland: An Historical Investigation
Tenth graders, after reading two excerpts about contemporary child labor situations, discuss two broad questions in detail along with the industrial boom following the Civil War conditions in the United States. They investigate how the...
Penn Museum
Africa
Mask wearing is not just for Halloween! This attractive and informative set of worksheets discusses this important African cultural tradition, as well as a variety of other significant cultural attributes to ancient civilizations, such...
Curated OER
Violence Prevention
Compare and contrast the ideologies of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle schoolers conduct research regarding civil rights and rhetorical strategies used in political speechs. They examine the strategies that both men employed...
Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights
Van Jones: Police Brutality
Develop an understanding of how the media and society are connected and responsible for the defense of universal human rights. Learners investigate and examine the conflicts of police brutality as it is portrayed in the media and through...
Curated OER
Ohio's U.S. Presidents
Fourth graders investigate the state of Ohio's claim to be the "Mother of Presidents." Nine U.S. presidents were from the state and their contributions and terms of office are examined in this lesson.
Curated OER
Immigration Debate
Students investigate the law recently passed in Arizona, "Support our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act." In this history instructional activity, students watch a video on immigration then work in small groups to prepare a...
Curated OER
Hammurabi's Code: What Does It Tell Us About Old Babylonia?
Young scholars examine life in Babylonia during the time of King Hammurabi. They read and discuss excerpts of the Code of Hammurabi, participate in a simulation of advisors to the king, complete an online interactive activity, answer...
Curated OER
The Importance of Self-Governance in Changing Laws
Students examine the teachings of Gandhi and King. In this nonviolent resistance lesson, students listen to a lecture that reveals how Gandhi and King educated their followers about nonviolent resistance. Students analyze contemporary...
Curated OER
Political and Cultural Road to the American Revolution
Learners examine the Declaration of Independence. For this Revolutionary War instructional activity, students use primary sources to analyze how the creation of the Declaration of Independence lead to the development of the United States...
Curated OER
Torn from Each Other's Arms
Students consider how the institution of family suffered under slavery. For this slavery lesson, students watch segments of "Slavery and the Making of America". Students examine the structure of the Driggus family and discuss how...
Curated OER
And Justice for All?
Pupils explore the history of the environmental justice movement. They examine how discrimination promotes environmental illness in low income communities. Students explain why minority and low income groups have less economic and...
Curated OER
George Washington: The Precedent President
Students investigate precedents set during George Washington's term in office. They conduct Internet research, develop a list of the responsibilities of the President, match Washington's accomplishments with the list, and play a game.
Curated OER
The Townshend Acts of 1767
Students examine the events leading up to and after the Townshend Acts in Boston. In this American History lesson, students engage in a class discussion and write an essay about the failure of the British Stamp Act and the Colonial...
Curated OER
The Powers of Mom: Understanding the Legislative, Executive and Judicial Power
Tenth graders examine the powers of each branch of the government. They analyze the causes and effects of relationships within the government. They participate in activities to help them comprehend the material.