Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Help Wanted: President of the United States

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students consider qualities and United States president should have. In this government lesson, students research the responsibilities of the president and use that information to create an advertisement that describes the job and...
Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Refugees from the Caribbean: Cuban and Haitian “Boat People”

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Should refugees fleeing poverty be allowed the same entrance into the United States as those fleeing persecution? High schoolers read about US foreign policy in the late 20th century regarding refugees from Cuba and Haiti, and engage in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

1960 Election

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students examine the election of 1960. In this US politics lesson students listen to a teacher driven lecture, take notes, engage in a class discussion and write a response to what they have learned regarding the 1960's presidential...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Check the Mates

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore John Edwards, the running mate for 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. They research the ways in which vice presidential candidates have impacted presidential elections in modern United States history.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Abraham Lincoln and Reconstruction

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Young scholars study Presidential Reconstruction during the Civil War years. They examine the role of the Executive Branch of government, especially in wartime. They investigate the complex issues of how Congress took on the role of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Electoral College

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders discover how the Electoral College works. In this presidential elections activity, 11th graders compare and contrast the Electoral College and popular vote as they participate in a classroom simulation. Students also...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Voting And Elections

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the voting practices of the past several presidential elections while using data to determine the influence of different factors. They identify the reasons for high or low voter turnout and then display the outcome of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Winning Tickets

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners research background, personal interests, family history, and positions on current issues of the leading presidential and vice presidential candidates. They create unbiased presentations aimed at informing voters about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Justices for All

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine role of Supreme Court justices in the American political process, research the qualities of the current Supreme Court justices, and write opinion papers evaluating the current justices and recommending future nominations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Balance of Power

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the number of women in the United States Senate. After reading an article, they discover Hillary Clinton's possible bid for the presidential nomination for the Democratic party. In groups, they research the lives and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Establishing the Presidency

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students consider how George Washington influenced the presidency. In this presidential history worksheet, students discuss the precedents Washington set and analyze a letter that Washington sent to James Madison. 
Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: Tooning into the Candidates - Fred Thompson

For Students 8th - 12th
In this current events worksheet, students analyze a political cartoon about about 2008 presidential candidate Fred Thompson. Students then respond to 2 short answer questions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Growth of the Suburbs - and the Racial Wealth Gap

For Teachers All
This lesson explores structural racism by revealing the important role that family wealth plays in shaping life chances how opportunities to accumulate wealth have been racialized, and the roots and consequences of the current race-based...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

POLITICS AND RELIGION: Targeting Faith When It Counts

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers research current articles about the influence of religion on the presidential election of 2004.
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

The Flying Inauguration of the "Sudden President

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students study the inauguration process as well as what the constitution states about who succeeds the President of the US when the office is emergently vacant. They discuss the role of government and the events leading to Lyndon...
Lesson Plan
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

Military Advisers in Vietnam: 1963

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How did the beginning of the Vietnam War factor into the Cold War with the Soviet Union? As part of a study of American involvement in Vietnam, class members read a letter address to President Kennedy and his response in which...
Lesson Plan
1
1
School Improvement in Maryland

Demographic Investigation

For Students 9th - 12th
What are the factors that influence voting patterns? How do these factors influence government funding? Is participation the squeaky wheel gets the grease? Class members interpret graphs and analyze trends to determine what...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Portraits Of Power: American Presidents

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners discover the responsibilities of the presidency. In this U.S. government lesson, students watch "Portraits Of Power: American Presidents," and then compose essays regarding the citizens' relationship to the presidency.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stem Cells: 5 Year Progress Report

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students explore different aspects of stem cells.  In this human biology lesson, students complete numerous activities including reading an article and discussing it, watching a video on stem cells reproducing over time, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Presidential Power and Influence

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students analyze the powers and duties that Article II of the US Constitution grants the President. They determine the influence the President has on the nation and how philanthropy changes in a nation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Naturalized Citizens and the Presidency

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners consider the presidential requirements. In this U.S. Constitution lesson, students participate in a role play that requires them to act as senators and debate an amendment to allow naturalized citizens to run for the presidency.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Constitutional Issues: Watergate and the Constitution

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students take and defend positions on what conditions contribute to the establishment and maintenance of a constitutional government. They debate whether or not the government should have prosecuted Nixon over the Watergate scandal.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ports in the Storm

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore national security issues related to the possibility of a Dubai-owned company operating an American port. Opinions are solicited and debated.
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Presidential Campaigning--Front Porch Style

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers compare and contrast "front porch" political campaigns and modern day traveling campaigns of past presidents. Using the internet and other sources, they explore President Harding's campaign and platform. Using the internet...