Curated OER
Our Constitutional Amendments
Students analyze how the Bill of Rights affected people. For this U.S. History lesson, students research specific Amendments then prepare an oral report and visual presentation on one amendment to share with the class.
Curated OER
Launching the New U.S. Navy
Students analyze the U.S. Constitution for references to the creation and management of the U.S. Navy. They discuss their research and complete a worksheet and then research how the current Navy is organized.
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Preamble to the Constitution: A Close Reading Lesson
"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union..." These familiar lines begin the Preamble to the Constitution, but do learners know what they mean? A close reading exercise takes a look at the language of the...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Ratifying the Constitution
Ratifying the Constitution was no simple task. Using primary sources, such as classic writings from the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, young scholars examine the arguments for and against the Constitution. They then decide: Would they...
Curated OER
The Mayflower Compact
Eighth graders investigate historical documents of the United States by reading the Mayflower Compact. For this U.S. History lesson, 8th graders analyze the wording of the original Mayflower Compact of the first U.S. settlers and...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Benjamin Franklin and the Long Struggle for Independence
Students explore U.S. history by reading biographical material in class. In this Benjamin Franklin instructional activity, students identify the life of Franklin and the events that led him to become one of America's first heroes....
Curated OER
"Whispering Wires": Public Law vs. Individual Civil Liberties
High school student love discussing controversial issues like those brought up in this fourth amendment case study. They examine the 1928 Olmstead vs. U.S. prohibition court case, applying the fourth amendment to determine whether or not...
James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
Those "Other Rights:" The Constitution and Slavery
Did the United States Constitution uphold the institution of slavery, or did it help to destroy it? Young historians study Article 4, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution and evaluate the rights of slaveowners as they compared to or...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Alabama's 1901 Constitution: What Was at Stake?
Who should be able to vote? As part of a study of the 1901 Alabama Constitution, class members examine primary source document that reveal the reasons the authors gave to support their positions on this question and their assumptions in...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
History of Immigration Through the 1850s
Everyone living in the United States today is a descendant from an immigrant—even Native Americans. Learn about the tumultuous history of American immigration with a reading passage that discusses the ancient migration over the Bering...
Curated OER
Bill of Rights: Rights and Responsibilities
Students explore the meaning of freedom. For this U.S. History lesson, students research the Declaration of Independence and how it relates to American freedom by completing activities and a mock trial.
Center for Civic Education
Orb and Effy Learn About Authority
Simplify the teaching of the US Constitution with this primary grade social studies lesson. While reading a fun story about an imaginary place called Bubble Land, children learn about the concept of authority and the importance of rules...
American Constitution Society
Constitution in the Classroom: The Right to Vote
The system of checks and balances is integral to the functionality of the United States government. Learn more about the ways the three branches of the government work together—and about the limitations of their power—with an informative...
Curated OER
U.S. Involvement in Nation-Building Before Iraq
Learners analyze U.S. involvement in Iraq. In this foreign policy lesson, students listen to their instructor lecture on America's nation-building policies. Learners respond to questions pertaining to nation-building practices.
Curated OER
Taxes in U.S. History: Evolution of Taxation in the Constitution
Young scholars receive an overview of the role and purpose of taxes in American history. They identify different types of taxes implemented by the US government and explain the origin of the federal income tax.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Refugees: International Law and U.S. Policy
Discover the ways America has opened its borders to international refugees, and the ways other countries have been more or less welcoming, with an informational passage about United States and international policies on refugees. After...
Arizona Department of Education
American History Impact of the Women’s Movement
Take a look at important images that depict the women's suffrage movement, the support for the Equal Rights Amendment, and wage equity for women over the last two centuries. As class members work through a lesson on primary source...
Curated OER
Launching the New U.S. Navy
Students analyze United States Constitution, locate general references to common defense, and specific references in document to U.S. Navy. Students then respond to questions on Document Analysis Worksheet, and discuss relationship...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Classroom Constitutional Convention
Students investigate the eight phrases that comprise the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution to determine its principles and purpose. Their own Constitutional Convention is convened to craft a preamble for their school's governance.
Curated OER
American Focus on World Constitutions
Upper graders read several passages to gain an understanding of the nations that have adopted a constitution similar to the United States Constitution. This is a scripted lesson that is intended to build content-specific vocabulary and...
Curated OER
American Focus on World Constitutions
Eighth graders describe essential components of a constitution and cite cultural factors affecting international law-making.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Issues of Asylum in the U.S.
Who gets to come to the United States? Examine cases of individuals seeking asylum with an informative reading passage that includes examples, statistics, and representations of public opinion regarding asylum. Groups then go on to...
Curated OER
Constitution Day 2006
Students consider how the U.S. Constitution affects their daily lives. They use picture books to take part in a Constitution Scavenger Hunt. They draw a picture showing one way their life might be different if the Constitution had not...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Naturalized Citizens and the Presidency
Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution takes center stage in a lesson that asks class members to assume the role of state senators, debate a resolution to amend the U. S. Constitution to permit naturalized citizens to run for...