Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Constitutional Issues: Separation of Powers

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students discribe the principle and the history of separation of powers.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We're Finally on our Own: May 4, 1970

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students examine photos of the Kent State University unrest of the 1970's and discuss what the photos represent. They complete a written assessment.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: Does it Violate 'Due Process' and 'Equal Protection'?

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine due process and equal protection. In this current events lesson, students read the provided article, "Due Process and Equal Protection for Gays and Lesbians." Students respond to the provided discussion questions and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Separate is Not Equal

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers use political cartoons and editorials to study Brown v. Board of Education. In this Brown v. Board of Education instructional activity, students read the background information on eight cartoons and editorials for a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Limits of Power

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers examine the importance of limiting power in governments. In this government lesson, students investigate the importance of placing limits on government by looking at the US Constitution. They look at ways that being an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ira Ritter, Et Al., V. Jerry And Ruth Stanton Lesson 2: What Does a Jury Do Anyway?

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students investigate how a jury is chosen, and what the rights and responsibilities of juries are. They examine case studies to determine the role of the jury in both criminal and civil cases.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Interpreting Primary Sources: Letters

For Teachers 9th - 12th
For this primary source analysis worksheet, young scholars examine letters and respond to 8 short answer questions regarding their content.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

3 Branches of Governement

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders use the "Making the Grade" books, citizenship packets, and the "Ben's Guide" website to create a poster and a report on their assigned government branch. They then present their poster and report to their classmates.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Friday Forum (Day 5)

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students evaluate their performance in different debates about the laws of Michigan. They write a letter to an editor of a newspaper sharing their opinions. They write journal entries as well.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dear Congressperson...

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars identify their local, state, and national officials. They create a short blurb about each official and their function in office. Students choose an issue of concern they would like to write to their local official about,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Delicate Balance

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students reflect on racial balance in their own schools, debate merits of policies that seek to create and maintain school racial diversity, and write essays on whether their school should promote racial balance.
Website
Other

Kids.gov: How the Supreme Court Works

For Students 5th - 8th
Students will visualize how the Supreme Court works using the following downloadable infographic. Also included is an explanation of how cases reach the Supreme Court and lesson plans.
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: American Justice in the Supreme Court

For Students 7th - 8th
The Supreme Court is the highest court of the United States. It was set up by our Constitution to make important decisions about the law. This article describes how the Supreme Court works, and its impact on American justice. It also...
Website
Other

The Supreme Court Historical Society

For Students 9th - 10th
Beautiful site that illustrates the history and heritage of the Supreme Court. In addition, site provides information on how the Court works, the Justices, and its opinions.
Website
Social Studies for Kids

Social Studies for Kids: The Supreme Court

For Students 9th - 10th
The Supreme Court is the highest in the land. It has nine members and decides whether laws are unconstitutional. It handles appeals from federal courts or state supreme courts. Learn more about how it works and some famous Justices.
Article
A&E Television

History.com: 7 Things You Might Not Know About the Us Supreme Court

For Students 9th - 10th
Find out seven surprising facts about how the nation's highest court works and how it's changed over the years.
Activity
The Dirksen Congressional Center

Congress for Kids: The Supreme Court

For Students 3rd - 8th
An overview of the Supreme Court: how it works, its role, people appointed to it, and more.
Website
Illinois Institute of Technology

Oyez Project

For Students 9th - 10th
The OYEZ Project is a vast multimedia relational database on the U.S. Supreme Court that contains abstracts for all leading constitutional decisions of the Court, authoritative oral arguments in streamed media format, and a 360-degree...
eBook
OpenStax

Open Stax: Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal 1932 1941: The Second New Deal

For Students 11th - 12th
Examines the legislation enacted under Roosevelt's Second New Deal, and how the New Deal as a whole affected women, African Americans, and Native Americans.
Website
Bullock Texas State History Museum

Bullock Museum: Texas State Capitol

For Students 9th - 10th
Take a virtual tour of the State Capitol of Texas to discover how the state government works and to learn about the history of Texas.
Website
US Department of Justice

Us Department of Justice: Justice 101: Federal Court System

For Students 9th - 10th
Find out what the three levels of the federal court system are and how they work.
Article
CNN

Cnn: Gop Sets Up Showdown Over Alito

For Students 9th - 10th
Some democrats in the Senate are discussing strategies for halting the confirmation of Samuel Alito for the U.S. Supreme Court. Read about the controversy and battle that is brewing in the Senate in this January, 2006, report. there is...
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Jeffersonian America: A Second Revolution?

For Students 5th - 8th
Read about the peaceful "revolution" that occurred in the election of 1800 when the party in power, the Federalists, was defeated in a democratic election by the Democratic-Republicans. See how this showed that the ideals of the new...
Handout
CommonLit

Common Lit: Text Sets: Modern Democracy in America

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This is a collection of 19 Grade-Leveled texts (6-12) on the topic Modern Democracy in America. How does democracy function in modern-day America? Learn how a bill becomes a law, the role of American presidents, and much more in this...