Curated OER
Debate: Press Censorship
Students consider the responsibility of the media to present newsworthy items while still protecting national security during times of war. They take sides acting as politicians and newsmen and debate the merits of censorship of the media.
Curated OER
Oligopoly
Economics can be a competitive and, at times, devious subject. Learners work through a series of four worksheets to better understand oligopoly. Each sheet includes real-world scenarios, passages to read, graphs to analyze, and short...
Curated OER
Create a Magic Lantern Show; Freed People in the Reconstruction South
Engage your scholars by having them create "magic lantern shows" inspired by the film Dr. Toer's Amazing Magic Lantern Show: A Different View of Emancipation. As they study the South's Reconstruction through primary sources, learners...
Curated OER
Land and Liberty: The Saga of Sam McCulloch
The struggles of Sam McCulloch, a free black man, to be recognized as a citizen entitled to own land in Texas are the focus of research project that ask groups to examine a series of primary source documents and piece together...
Curated OER
Turning the Tide on Trash: Marine Debris Curriculum
Six different lessons comprise this unit on marine debris. Science, language arts, social studies, and art projects make this an ideal interdisciplinary unit. The result will be well-informed future citizens who can help make a...
Curated OER
Connecticut Communists
Eleventh graders investigate Cold War politics. In this Connecticut history lesson, 11th graders discover details about the Connecticut Seven who were indicted for violating the Alien Registration Act of 1940. Students write closing...
Curated OER
Understanding the Importance of Cyber Ethics
Students play a paper clip game which leads to a lesson on cyber ethics. In this cyber ethics lesson plan, students play the game, and then discuss the proper rules of how society should act and view their internet usage.
Curated OER
World Food Day
Students view slides of people without food and discuss how to fight hunger and what it means to be food secure. In this hunger lesson plan, students draw pictures based on the slides they see.
Curated OER
Timeline of Compromises over Slavery
In this primary source analysis worksheet, students read excerpts of the Preamble, the Constitution, and the Fugitive Slave Act, the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the Crittenden Compromise....
Curated OER
"Lista Negra-The Black Lists"
Students review the history and political motivation behind the U.S. adoption of the Monroe Doctrine and how national security measures collide with the issues of due process and human rights during times of war. They learn about how the...
Curated OER
Marriage Equality: Different Strategies for Attaining Equal Rights
Learners examine gays rights issues in the United States. In this gay marriage lesson, students investigate how people have made their cases before the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government to secure their civil...
Curated OER
Welfare to Work: The States Take Charge
Young scholars examine the Work Opportunity Act of 1996. In this welfare lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding the history of welfare and the passage of welfare reform. Young scholars respond to...
Curated OER
Cold War
In this Social Studies learning exercise, middle schoolers find the words related to the study of the Cold War and the answers are accessed with the button at the bottom of the page.
Curated OER
In the Shadow of My Country: A Japanese American Artist Remembers
Students analyze artist's themes and means of communication, think critically about their sources of information, and weigh claims of national security against the civil liberties of diverse groups.
Curated OER
Act-It-Out Columbus Boat
Young scholars investigate the trip Christopher Columbus took to the new world. In this U.S. History lesson plan, students create a fictional ship from cardboard and construction paper simulating the ship Columbus used to get to the New...
Curated OER
Wartime and the Bill of Rights: The Korematsu Case
Students examine the balance between civil liberties and protection. In this national security instructional activity, students explore the Korematsu case which references the Japanese internment camps of World War II. Students draw...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Driver’s Licenses And Unauthorized Immigrants
Should driver's licenses be granted to unauthorized immigrants? That is the question class members grapple with in a lesson that asks them to first read a fact sheet that details the arguments for and against licensing unauthorized...
US Institute of Peace
Simulation on Peacekeeping in Kashmir: An American Choice
Will the United States take a stand in the Kashmir conflict? A mock meeting of the minds examines a peace proposal between China, Pakistan, and India to determine if the United States should deploy troops to the area. Individuals take on...
Curated OER
American Foreign Policy: 1920 - 1941
Take your class through the period between World War I and World War II. Covering various treaties and pacts between America and its neighbors - namely, Japan, Germany, and the Soviet Union- these slides could inspire some political...
Federal Reserve Bank
The Car Deal Package
Buying a car is no easy task, and can have major long-term consequences if done without proper financial knowledge. Ensure your learners are prepared with the information and criteria for comparing different car deals and signing contracts.
Humanities Texas
Primary Source Worksheet: Thomas Jefferson, Message to Congress Concerning Louisiana
Proficient reading of informational text, especially primary source documents, requires practice. This message from Thomas Jefferson about the Louisiana Purchase offers readers a chance to develop these comprehension skills.
C-SPAN
The Role of the Executive Branch in Policy Making
Although the president of the United States does not have the power to pass laws, they can propose legislation, veto bills passed by Congress, and issue executive orders that bypass Congress. Six video clips show middle schoolers these...
Curated OER
Rebuilding a Nation
Students are introduced to the challenges faced by Afghanistan today as it begins the rebuilding process after years of war. They work in groups to identify the elements important to rebuilding a society. Each group assembles to...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Federal Policy and Immigration
How is federal policy established? To gain insight into this complex and often messy process, class members read an article that uses information on attempts to establish public policy in immigration to illustrate the role proposed...