Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Justice in America

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students use the Preamble to the Constitution as the central resource, to consider the concept of justice in the United States, from past times to the present. Thoughtful questions are posed and helpful hand-outs provided.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

First Things First: Using the Newspaper to Teach the Freedoms of the First Amendment

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners use the newspaper as a tool to make connections about what the five freedoms guarantee in the First Amendment. In this first amendment lesson plan, students analyze events in the newspaper to form conclusions about the freedoms...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

1930 Census and the Consitution

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars read the Constitution and discuss the importance of enumeration. In this Census lesson, students complete a Census schedule and discuss the job skills of applicants. Young scholars research Census data to compare and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The 1812 Louisiana Constitution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze the Louisiana Constitution of 1812 and then draw up a constitution for their particular school. They compare the Louisiana Constitution to the United States Constitution of 1789 and create a graphic organizer of both...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Branches of Government

For Students 5th - 8th
After reading a short text on the branches of government in the United States, future voters answer 8 fill-in-the-blank questions, as well as 11 true or false questions. This worksheet would be a great homework assignment or silent...
Unit Plan
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

The Progressive Era: Muckrakers

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Using Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, guide your class in the process of identifying unknown terms using context clues and formulating text-based answers. The lesson plan includes a useful worksheet incorporating scaffolding questions on an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rights and Responsibilities, Is It Breaking the Law?

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Young scholars investigate the life and trial of Rev. John Mahan who was involved with the illegal Underground Railroad. The issue of breaking the law to help slaves escape is examined in this lesson.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparison of Constitutions Lesson

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars compare and contrast the United States and Croatia's Constitution. In groups, they argue the point for or against a country's constitution being able to take a citizen's life. They analzye how each constitution outlines...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Constitutional Resources

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students survey information on the Constitution. In these history lessons, students explore the founding principle's of the United States.
Lesson Plan
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University of Arkansas

Assessment and Discussion

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
"Without concerned citizen action to uphold them (human rights) close to home; we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world. . ." Eleanor Roosevelt's comment is used to set the stage for the conclusion of a five-lesson unit...
Lesson Plan
Heritage Foundation

Courts and Judges

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
If the Supreme Court is so supreme, why do all cases not just start there? High schoolers learn why every case does not start at the Supreme Court as well as the importance of hierarchy in the US judicial system in the 11th installment...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The U.S. Constitution and Disability Laws

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the United States Constitution for laws that protect people with disabilities. They discover how the education system provides equal education to all students and how the Federal Government makes sure this is occuring.
Activity
National Constitution Center

Thirteenth Amendment Poster

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
President Lincoln believed in the Thirteenth Amendment so strongly that he signed 14 copies of it, but died before he could see it passed on December 18, 1965. Explore the text that forever abolished slavery in America with a document...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We the People

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Learners examine both the Preamble of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They work in small groups to connect the two documents and analyze how the documents are important to their lives today. They create a poster that visually...
Activity
Administrative Office of the US Courts

Texas v. Johnson

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Which right does the Constitution weigh more heavily: the sanctity of the American flag as a symbol of national unity, or the right to burn the flag in protest? The 1989 Supreme Court case of Texas v. Johnson explores a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Celebrate the Constitution

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the process of writing our Constitution through an interactive program. They are to put themselves in the place of the statesmen and predict how they felt at the time. They compare the founding fathers.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

U.S. Constitution - Selecting the President

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Students study how the electoral college works to select a U.S. President.  For this history lesson, students examine the U.S. Elector College methods then answer questions and write an essay that relate to the state where they live.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding the Twenty-Seven Amendments

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students use the Internet to learn about the Constitution.  In this Constitutional Amendments lesson, students read and discuss the twenty seven amendments and work in groups to rewrite the amendments in their own words. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Constitutional Amendments

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students analyze how the Bill of Rights affected people.  In this U.S. History instructional activity, students research specific Amendments then prepare an oral report and visual presentation on one amendment to share with the class.
Lesson Plan
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Classroom Law Project

What does the Constitution say about voting? Constitutional Amendments and the Electoral College

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
As part of a study of voting rights in the US, class members examine Constitutional amendments connected with voting and the role of the Electoral College in the election process.
Interactive
National Constitution Center

Writing Rights: The Bill of Rights

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
Where did the cherished ideals enshrined in the Bill of Rights originate? While history gives the Founding Fathers much of the credit, laws in colonial America influenced the Bill of Rights. An interactive web-based activity allows...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Separation of Powers: Connecting the Separate Powers

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students study the concept of separation of powers. They recognize how the Constitution provides for separation of powers and categorize public officials into one of three branches of government. Students do a role play and see if...
Lesson Plan
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iCivics

Congress

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Through reading materials, worksheets, and a primary source activity, this resource provides an overview of the structure and powers of the legislative branch of government in the United States. Readings review how a bill becomes a law,...
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

The Louisiana Purchase: Real Estate Deal of the Century?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
It's about real estate! Almost overnight, Thomas Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase about doubled the size of the young United States ... but was it constitutional? Using a variety of secondary and primary sources, including Jefferson's own...