Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Four-Quadrant Grid
This is a nifty tool to keep on hand, especially when addressing CCSS.Math.Content.6.NS.6 standards. It is, simply, a Cartesian coordinate plane with all four quadrants. Give individuals one each, and then call out or write ordered pairs...
Curated OER
National Security - Japanese Internment
Tenth graders investigate the balance between national security and individual rights using the Japanese American internment camps during World War II as the setting. The instructional activity incorporates photographs from the Manzanar...
Curated OER
Nevada
Students can learn more about the state of Nevada with this worksheet, which provides the state flag and prompts for other facts, such as state motto, state flower, and state capital. This assignment could be a good class activity or...
Curated OER
Individual Responsibility and Resistance During the Holocaust
Students examine the role of resistance during the Holocaut. Identifying misconceptions, they discuss them as a way to gather the truth about this time in history. They explore the roles of various groups of resistance and share this...
Curated OER
Impact of Government on the Individual
Learners make a list of how the government impacts their lives and discuss it with their parents. In this government lesson plan, students also write a paragraph about what they discussed.
Curated OER
The State of the Family Timeline
First graders study concepts of time and chronological history. In this early childhood history lesson plan, 1st graders create and interpret a timeline listing historical events and family celebrations using one calendar year.
Curated OER
BIGGER AND BIGGER: (We Live in a family, a neighborhood, a city, and the United States)
Students discover that they are part of bigger and bigger groups. They begin with families and work up to belonging to North America as they initiate a study of the whole country.
Curated OER
Herstory in Michigan -- Women's History in Our Great State
Celebrate Women's History month in March by teaching your students
about the struggles and achievements of women throughout Michigan's history, the changes that have taken place in women's roles, and the difference one person can make.
Curated OER
Compare the United States Government with Other Political Systems
Students explore the U.S. form of government and illustrate other forms of government found throughout the world. They explain the similarities and differences between the U.S and other governments.
Curated OER
Individual Rights - The Right To Equal Protection
Students examine the concepts of equal protection, discrimination, affirmative action, and racial profiling. They analyze the Equal Protection Clause, participate in a mock trial, and discuss the different parts of the trial.
Bill of Rights Institute
Celebrate Constitution Day
September 17 is a great day to focus on the US Constitution for on this day in 1787, the Constitution was signed. Through a series of activities, high schoolers get a chance to look closely at this famous document and the rights and...
University of California
The Civil War: Perspective
Confederate soldiers saw the Civil War much differently than their Union counterparts. Scholars analyze the perspective of the Civil War from the viewpoint of various key figures in the fourth installment of an eight-part series. By...
City University of New York
Electoral College
A presidential election is a lot like the 2004 World Series, and it's also a lot like choosing an orange in a paper bag. Apply the process of the electoral college to these two analogies with a set of lessons about government...
Curated OER
It's a Gas! Or is it?
Oceanography enthusiasts are given a series of thought experiments to consider in order to relate the solubility of gases and solids to underwater volcanoes. It is not particularly engaging to perform these thought experiments. Choose...
Deliberating in a Democracy
Freedom of Movement
Class members examine human migration. For this population instructional activity, they read an article entitled, "Freedom of Movement" and respond to discussion questions about the article related to guest worker programs.
Curated OER
Running for Freedom: The FUgitive Slave law and the Coming of the Civil War
In order to understand the complicated nature of slave laws during the Civil War, learners compare and contrast an abolitionist poster and a runaway slave ad. They use an attached worksheet to consider each primary source document, then...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
An African American Represents Alabama during Reconstruction
The era after the Civil War saw a flourishing of African Americans exercising their rights. Using graphic organizers and Internet research, pupils consider the legacy of Benjamin Sterling Turner, who sat in Congress. Afterward, they...
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
The Bill of Rights is for US Today
The first ten Amendments of the U.S. Constitution are vital for young people to understand. Provide the foundation of the laws that govern our country with this junior high school lesson plan. Groups use the newspaper to identify rights...
Heritage Foundation
Crime and Punishment
You wouldn't give someone a 10-day timeout for eating a piece of candy. The US government, too, does not believe in unreasonable punishment. A variety of exercises exploring the clauses of the US Constitution prompts class members to...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Ratifying the Constitution
Ratifying the Constitution was no simple task. Using primary sources, such as classic writings from the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, young scholars examine the arguments for and against the Constitution. They then decide: Would they...
School Improvement in Maryland
Immigration Legislation
What is the purpose of immigration legislation? How has this legislation evolved over the years? What are the factors that caused these changes? Class members research immigration legislation to determine whose rights the laws are...
C-SPAN
Presidential Veto and Congressional Override
One of the key powers of the executive branch is the president's ability to pass or veto legislation proposed by Congress. Congress, the legislative branch, on the other hand, can override a president's veto. Five film clips show how the...
Curated OER
Iran Hostage Crisis: Reading Primary Documents
Following brief instruction about the Iran Hostage Crisis during Jimmy Carter's presidency, small groups read three-page sections from the diary of hostage Robert C. Ode. They write editorials from the perspective of either U.S. citizens...