Scholastic
Women's Suffrage for Grades 6–8
Learners study the decisions and solutions involved in winning the right to vote. After reading background information on the fight for women's suffrage, including one woman's story, and its eventual success in the United States and...
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...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Special Order 40
The city of Los Angeles' 1979 Special Order 40 states: "LAPD officers shall not initiate police action with the objective of discovering the alien status of a person." After reading a fact sheet that details the history of Special Order...
Curated OER
Jackie Steals Home
Students read articles relating to Jackie Robinson's breaking of the racial barrier in professional baseball. This leads to a deeper exploration of racism in the United States. They use a variety of worksheets imbedded in this plan to...
Curated OER
WikiLeaks: High-tech terrorists? Or Journalists?
Students investigate the credibility of WikiLeaks. In this history lesson, students read three WikiLeak articles, then answer questions that relate to each article.
Curated OER
Tribal Sovereignty Mock Trial
Students discuss the issue of tribal/native nation sovereignty. They review the Constitution of the U.S. and discuss how it legally provides for sovereign nations. Then they participate in a mock trial of the 1823 Supreme Court Case...
Curated OER
Who or What is Un-American?
Learners explore concepts about civil liberties, research the history of sedition-related legislation in the U.S. and create a position paper on the topic.
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Alabama's Secession in 1861: Embraced with Joy and Great Confidence. Why?
From December 20, 1860 to June 8, 1861, eleven states seceded from the Union. Alabama seceded on January 11, 1861. Why did so many white Alabamians want to secede? Why did they believe the South could win the war? These are the essential...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Immigration Enforcement Raids
Class groups take on the role of advisors to the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Policy & Planning of ICE. Their charge is to prepare a report for the secretary on the effectiveness of enforcement actions of the ICE in stemming...
Curated OER
Bill of Right in Action
Groups reserach and write about topics given to them by their teacher dealing with the Bill of Rights.
Curated OER
Right of Privacy: 4th Amendment
Students are introduced to the 4th Amendment of the Washington state Constitution. In groups, they examine the Constitution of the state of Washington and compare it to the United States Constitution. They role play the role Supreme...
Curated OER
Constitution Day
Students examine and discuss recent court cases involving young people and the Bill of Rights.They use a focus question to create the context for class discussion: How does the Bill of Rights apply to young people and students?
Curated OER
Who Is Sarah Mae Fleming?
Fifth graders learn about two influential women. In this historical figures activity, 5th graders work in groups to read articles about Rosa Parks and Sarah Fleming and share their findings with the class. Students use a Venn Diagram...
Curated OER
Treason and Trials - Aaron Burr
Students examine the Constitutional definition of treason and research the case of Aaron Burr as first interpreted in 1807. They consider how Burr's case relates to the case of John Walker Lindh.
Curated OER
White Southerners' Defense of Slaveholding
Students read transcriptions of articles from two historical Virginian newspapers and examine how white southerners defended the institution of slavery. They write a one-act play or a dialogue between an abolitionist and a slaveholder.
Curated OER
HEALTH & SOCIAL SCIENCE
Students use the information gathered from the Nick News Special Edition about homelessness. Each student creates a homeless collage poster featuring magazine and newspaper pictures and articles about the topic and a brief descriptive...
Curated OER
Issues in Public Education During the Kentucky Civil Rights Era
Students conduct oral history interviews and research historical and contemporary media articles about multiculturalism and diversity.
Curated OER
The Legislative Branch
Students identify and describe the key terms as they relate to the Legislative Branch. Students describe how members of Congress are selected, how laws are created, and two of the limits on powers of Congress.
Curated OER
Poverty and Inequality in the World's Richest Nation
Students examine poverty and inequality in America. For this current events lesson, students read the provided articles "Poverty," "Inequality Growing in America," "Inequality: Views on Causes, Effects, Remedies," and "Theories on the...
Curated OER
Worksheet #61 Questions - James Madison
In this James Madison historical term quiz, students define the meaning of several terms relating to the aforementioned topic in order to advance their historical knowledge.
Curated OER
Does My Vote Count? Teaching the Electoral College
Students comprehend the purpose, function, origin, and historical development of the electoral college. They evaluate issues of fairness and representation in the electoral process, both individually and through group discussion....
Curated OER
The Bill Of Rights And The News
Students investigate the concepts related to the Bill Of Rights. They conduct research using a variety of resources and focus upon the human rights provided in the legislation. Students read a news article and reflect the upon the...
Curated OER
Memorandum of a Conference with President Eisenhower after Sputnik
Young scholars document and list excerpts from a document that shows how calmly officials reacted to the launching of Sputnik. They research contemporary magazines and newspaper articles of the day as well.
Curated OER
Understanding the Election of 1800 and the Twelfth Amendment
Eleventh graders examine the election of 1800. In this American Government lesson, 11th graders summarize the events that made the election controversial. Students advocate for a candidate during a short role playing session.