Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Will the Supreme Court Vouch for Vouchers?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate past Supreme Court decisions that have centered on education issues and assess the ways in which those decisions have impacted American education. They consider the controversies surrounding the issue of school...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Voting

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students investigate the importance of voter participation while examine gender bias in voting situations. They design a campaign aimed at increasing voter participation after experiencing an activity which only allows the boys in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Patriotism and Foreign Policy

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders create a museum of Patriotism and Foreign Policy. They participate in discussions and work in committee's to determine which objects shall be displayed in the museum. They present visual and performing arts along with...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Election Is in the House: The Denouement

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research the US Presidential election of 1824. They explain why the election of 1824 was decided in the House of Representatives. They summarize relevant portions of the Constitution on presidential election procedures.
Unit Plan
Feminist

Women's History Teacher's Guide

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The origins, goals, and struggles of the women's movement are the focus of a five-day series of lessons about the accomplishments of the movement and the continuing struggle for women's rights.
Lesson Plan
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Classroom Law Project

What are some of today’s voting issues? Voting in Oregon, youth vote, and technology

For Teachers 7th - 12th
The youth vote. Rock the Vote. Vote-By-Mail. Electronic voting. Class members investigate issues facing today's voters, and the ways they have adapted over the years to optimize voter turnout.
Lesson Plan
PBS

From Selma to Montgomery: An Introduction to the 1965 Marches

For Students 6th - 12th
The 1965 Civil Rights marches from Selma to Montgomery and the resulting Voting Rights Act of 1965 are the focus of a social studies lesson. The resource uses film clips to inform viewers not only about the discrimination that gave rise...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Writing Newspaper Articles

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Students write newspaper articles regarding their service learning experiences. In this writing skills lesson, students review the writing process skills to develop high-quality articles. Students write articles regarding the their acts...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Petition of Amelia Bloomer Regarding Suffrage in the West

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the role of Amelia Jenks Bloomer in the struggles for suffrage and political reform. They consider the factors involved in political socialization and compile webliographies of their research materials.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Freedom of Religion

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use this lesson to focus on the freedom of religion. In groups, they discuss how the separation of church and state applies to the public schools across the country. They compare and contrast the establishment and free exercise...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Newspaper Stories

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the structure of the newspaper. In this newspaper lesson plan, students look at the different types of articles about giving, sharing, and acts for the common good. They realize the types of voice that are used in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Four Freedoms

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students discuss the four freedoms. In this freedom lesson, students discuss freedom of speech, freedom to worship any God, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. They create a picture to match each freedom and make a book shaped like...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wherefore Art Thou, Art?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students analyze various perspectives on the controversial "Sensation: Young British Artists From the Saatchi Collection" art exhibit on display at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Suffrage and Civil Rights

For Students 8th - 11th
Addressing the main ideas of the Civil Rights movement, this worksheet contains both multiple choice and true/false questions for student review. Teachers could use this activity as a quiz or homework assignment.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Arrest- A Legal System Simulation

For Teachers 11th - 12th
What would your class do if a police officer arrested a student in class? This is exactly the anticipatory set that gets students engaged in a unit on the legal system. The plan is to get the officer to simulate an arrest, and then guest...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Arrest

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students become active participants in the legal process as they take on the roles of witnesses, jurors, and defendants in a trial simulation. An understanding and appreciation of the legal system is fostered through the experience.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: Bill of Rights Day

For Students 8th - 12th
In this current events worksheet, students analyze a political cartoon about the Bill of Rights and respond to 3 talking point questions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rome: Republic to Empire

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders discuss the rise of Rome from a republic to a dictatorship. In small groups, they role-play as congress people debating whether or not to give the president more powers. In another activity, 6th graders produce television...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Individual Rights -- Freedom of Speech at School

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine their individual rights at a public school. In groups, they identify the most common ways of expressing themselves and why they should limit their speech in public. They compare and contrast two cases in which they...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Science: The Purloined Letter

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Pupils examine Edgar Allan Poe's "the Purloined Letter" from the perspective of a profiler. To sharpen search procedures, they examine the text and make lists of items and places in the house that were searched. Then students discuss how...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Social Studies: Ramadan Observance

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students discuss Ramadan and the practice of fasting. Working in groups, they visit Websites and complete worksheets about the Muslim holiday. Students write letters role-playing as someone unfamiliar with a celebration and then write...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who or What is Un-American?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore concepts about civil liberties, research the history of sedition-related legislation in the U.S. and create a position paper on the topic.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Citizenship Worksheet 1 - The Rights and Responsibilities of a United States Citizen

For Students 8th - 9th
In this United States citizenship worksheet, students learns the qualifications for U.S. citizenship, the rights of that citizenship as well as the responsibilities therein.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seeing the Other Side

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers examine the concept of justice. In this fairness lesson, students explore just and unjust activities they have observed in the world. Middle schoolers attempt to look at both sides of stories.