Dream of a Nation
Creating Awareness through Action Oriented Writing and Research
Middle schoolers aren't too young to feel strongly about politics, social issues, consumer rights, or environmental problems. Demonstrate the first steps toward social change with a project about action-oriented writing. Eighth graders...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Options for Affecting Public Policy
Letter-writing, e-mail and telephone campaigns, petitions, marches, meetings, with lawmakers. Options for influencing elected representatives are the focus of resource that details how to craft each of these approaches to influencing...
Annenberg Foundation
Student Voices
Whether it's an election year or not, a unit on voting patterns and political campaigns will awaken the civic pride in your high school citizens. Divided into six parts, the curriculum covers various facets of an election, including...
Curated OER
Investigation of a Key Public Policy Issue
Twelfth graders select and analyze a public policy issue. In groups, they create a hot list of web sites that have been explored and investigated as a result of a web search. Using their research, 12th graders individually produce a...
Dream of a Nation
Read, Watch, Write for Pathos, Logos and Ethos
Encourage your young citizens to make a difference. Using Tyson Miller's Dream of a Nation: Inspiring Ideas for a Better America as a starting point, class members watch documentaries, investigate issues, and then write letters to...
Curated OER
Private Property Vs. the Public Good: the Problem of Eminent Domain
Students view video The Electric Valley, discuss film clips and review news articles and other documents pertaining to eminent domain, prepare declarative statement on issue that has pro or con side, and present case to opposing side in...
Curated OER
Your Politician: Myth vs. Reality
Learners adopt a public official, research how they spend their time, and define the actual duties associated with the job. They sort perceptions about the job into myths and realities, and analyze political cartoons involving their...
Curated OER
Lead Pb Environmental and Health Issues
In this health issues worksheet, students write a letter to the President about the health issues that arise from metal and lead after reading articles about the dangers. Students read 9 articles.
Curated OER
Thoughts to the President
Students write a persuassive paragraph to the President stating their opinion on a topic. To do this, they start the message with a topic sentence such as "War is _____." The blank should contain a word or phrase expressing the student's...
Curated OER
DRY WELLS THAT ARE NOT SO DRY
Students analyze how producers respond to incentives and allocate their scare resources to maximize profits. They write persuasive letters to government officials and others. They read "Dry Wells That Are Not So Dry." They take notes...
Curated OER
Religious Expression in Public Schools
Students explore religious expression in the United States. In this religious freedom lesson, students read a handout regarding Religious Freedom Day and other handouts regarding religious expression in public schools. Students complete...
Curated OER
Making Decisions About Public Land
Students write a proposal. In this public land lesson, students discuss the difference between private and public property and brainstorm what problems might occur if a citizen changed public property. Students work in groups to write a...
Jefferson County Schools
Teaching Persuasive Reading and Writing
With the increasing emphasis on persuasive and argumentative writing, the lessons and strategies in the sample unit are sure to prove valuable—whether you are new to or an experienced pro at teaching persuasive reading and writing.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Veteran's Day—Honoring All That Served
Looking for ideas on ways to recognize Veteran's Day? Check out this 92-page packet that includes exercises designed for all grade levels. Reading passages detail the history of the holiday, research projects get individuals involved in...
Curated OER
Open & Operating: The Federal Reserve Responds to September 11
Students investigate the purpose of a central bank. For this economics/consumer mathematics lesson, students explore the actions of the Federal Reserve after the events of September 11, 2001. Students investigate the role of the...
Street Law
Mock Trial - Chris Moss v. Dr. Terry Preece and Metro City Unified School District
The mother of a graduating high school senior sues the school district in the mock trial case, Chris Moss v. New Columbia Public School District and Dr. Terry Preece.
Curated OER
Scooting Away from Justice?
Students examine President Bush's July 2007, decision to commute the 30-month sentence of former White House official, I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby by reading a New York Times article. They scan editorial sources on various sides of the...
Curated OER
Dr. Fix-It Subjects: Health, Government
Help your young scholars undertand the critical problems around healthcare. By focusing on the political and private process of healthcare, students will watch a video, analyze issues, and write an essay on their findings. Additionally,...
Curated OER
The Opinions Of The Public
Tenth graders discuss the importance of America's constitutional right to free speech, the difficulty of dealing with public opinion as an elected official and identify the importance of public discussion and the election process.
Curated OER
Persuasive Journal Prompts
Need a journal topic? Whether you use these prompts as part of a persuasive writing unit, or reproduce the download as a one-page handout for your class members, the suggested topics make a great addition to your curriculum library. In...
Curated OER
Belt-Abouts Lesson 4
Students continue to examine the importance of wearing a seat belt. After identifying new vocabulary, they discuss the ways in which wearing a seat belt can better people's lives. They write a letter to the newspaper to state why the...
Curated OER
Dear Congressperson...
Students 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,...
Curated OER
Issues Close to Home
Students brainstorm as a class about their role in the local government. In groups, they use various types of media to discover how it is affecting their lives. They choose one issue and state their position to share with the class. To...
Curated OER
Reading Comprehension-Multiple Matching 2
In this reading comprehension worksheet, students read an article about 19th century American presidents. They answer ten multiple choice questions about the article. Each question asks students to identify one of four presidents; Van...