Curated OER
Legal Rights, the Charter, and Canada's Constitution
Students explore the issue of human rights in Canada and compare and contrast the Bill of Rights and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They debate whether Canadians are giving up certain democratic rights in exchange for the greater good.
Curated OER
Unit Plan Template
Use this U.S. History unit plan as a template for creating your own! Simply download the resource and edit the text fields with your own customized unit plan. This is a great jumping-off step, especially for newer teachers.
Curated OER
The Preamble
Students read and analyze the meaning of the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution. They read and discuss the Preamble, look up difficult words in a dictionary, rewrite the Preamble in more common words, and create posters displaying the...
Curated OER
The First Amendment
In this government worksheet, students read the First Amendment to the United States Constitution before reading about the limitations of the laws. They answer 2 short answer questions about the freedoms, and write an essay on the back...
Curated OER
The Bill of Rights and Your Life
Learners review the contents of the Constitution by taking a trivia quiz and brainstorm the rights contained in the Bill of Rights. After discussing the Bill of Rights, students categorize and outline its content. Given a worksheet,...
Curated OER
Legislative Branch
Learners analyze Article 1 of the Constitution. They respond to the Public Criticism E-Learning module.
Curated OER
Branches of Government
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 activity would be a great homework assignment or silent...
Curated OER
The Ongoing Debate: Crime Control v. Due Process Protection
Students investigate the Exclusionary Rule and other ways of to enforce the protections found in the Bill of Rights. They study how effective criminal control and public safety is carried out while citizens Constitutional rights are...
Curated OER
How Congress Works
Students describe role of the U.S. Congress in American government as set forth in the Constitution, and explain why the Framers created a Congress with a House and a Senate and gave them different roles.
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3 Branches of Our Government
This straightforward fill-in-the-blank activity could be used for a variety of purposes. Young historians are given 10 sentences about the branches of government; they fill in the blanks with terminology that is related to the United...
Curated OER
Ask Me What's Great About America
Learners pretend to be citizens of a new space colony and have been elected to the Intergalactic Senate to consider adding a Bill of Rights to the Constitution. They break into groups and discuss what seems unfair and fair about the...
Curated OER
Writing a Newspaper Article
The perfect resource for a beginning journalism teacher or someone designing a journalism unit, this activity prompts young scholars to write a newspaper article. It covers all aspects of the writing process, such as a guided warm-up...
Curated OER
Citizenship and the Constitution
Students identify government officials and resources on a local, state and national level. They determine the structure of local, state, and national governments.
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Benjamin Franklin: Master Diplomat for One Last Time
At 81, Benjamin Franklin was the oldest delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention, where he exercised significant influence in shaping key elements of how the United States operates. The class examines his role, using “The Scene at...
Center for Civic Education
Ronald Reagan and Executive Power
Article II of the United States Constitution grants Presidents executive powers in areas of international conflict, domestic and foreign policy. Using examples drawn from Ronald Reagan's presidency, class members are asked to consider...
Curated OER
Constitution/Impeachment/Reconstruction
Eleventh graders analyze a chart comparing U.S. census data from 1850, 1880, 1900, and 1920. They read a handout summarizing immigration legislation from 1882-1996 and create a graph charting how open / closed U.S. immigration is over time.
Friends of Fort McHenry
Privateers in the War of 1812: Soldiers or Thieves?
Do governments have the right to authorize individuals to perform illegal acts during times of war? Did the US government really employ pirates? Use the War of 1812 as your vessel to answering these questions through class discussion and...
Kauai's Hindu Monastery
The History of Hindu India
What obstacles did India face during their post-colonial formation after gaining independence? Topics discussed in the lesson include Pakistan's conflict over Kashmir, the Indian Constitution, economic development, and the...
Ashbrook Center at Ashland University
Federalist - Antifederalist Debates
Who should have the power—individual states or the federal government? Scholars research the arguments of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists during the formation of the United States Constitution. Online resources, including a vast...
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum
Developing Your Voice and Your Right to Free Speech
Three activities focus on the First Amendment, especially the freedom of speech. Scholars craft a letter to the President of the United States and express their views about a topic important to them. Another activity has participants...
NPR
Same-Sex Marriage
The battle over same-sex marriage is a prevalent issue in the United States, and a valuable topic to be discussed in your social studies classroom. Here is a basic outline of introductory questions, focus questions, vocabulary, and media...
Center for History Education
Nineteenth Century Reform Movements: Women's Rights
It's hard to imagine a world where women were marginalized from the seats of power. Yet, there are women today who remember what it was like to not be allowed to vote. Using a DBQ of images and other primary sources, such as political...
Curated OER
Inspiration for and Application of the Bill of Rights
Students examine individual rights. In this case law lesson plan, students discuss the from and function of the Bill of Rights prior to investigating several cases that deal with Constitutional rights. Students discuss the outcome of the...
Curated OER
We the People: 270 out of 538
Students engage in a lesson that helps them better explain the quadrennial ritual surrounding the election of a president in the United States of America.