National Endowment for the Humanities
“From Time to Time”: Presidents and Communicating with the Public
While the Constitution requires a "State of the Union" address, it doesn't give many details. In fact, it wasn't until Woodrow Wilson that the periodic update to Congress was given in-person. Using primary sources, recordings and...
Curated OER
Comparing Governments
Twelfth graders research and discuss the different elements of the governments of China, Great Britain, Mexico and the United States. They discuss the differences between the various governments and create explanation cards for each type...
Curated OER
We Are the Government
Young scholars read primary documents to find the motivations of the founding fathers of the United States. In this primary documents lesson, students discuss the meaning of the Preamble to the Constitution, read parts of the...
Curated OER
The Roots of Our Rights
Students examine the Preamble to the Constitution. In this government lesson, students read the Preamble of the Constitution and define the meaning of unknown words. Students write about examples of how the Constitution protects our rights.
Curated OER
To Vote or Not to Vote? that is the Question!
Students examine voting rights provided by the United States Constitution. In this voting lesson, students focus on 3 amendments that extended voting rights to all citizens. Students discuss the importance of expressing opinions through...
Curated OER
The Alien and Sedition Acts
Learners discover the conflicts that arose between the political parties over issues of foreign policy and economics. Using the Internet, they research the Alien and Sedition Acts and how they relate to the U.S. Constitution. They...
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.
Curated OER
Nativist and Racist Movements in the U.S. and their Aftermath
Students examine the nativist and racist movements in the history of the United States. In groups, they analyze the reactions of religious and ethnic groups to these movements and create a chart to compare the goals of each group. To...
Curated OER
The U.S. Constitution
Students examine the people and events associated with the United States Constitution. Using the Articles of Confederation, they discuss its shortcomings and the significance of the Bill of Rights. They listen and sing songs that...
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The Constitution and Governance
Students explore the facets of constitutional government. As a class, they read and discuss the origin and principles of constitutional government. Working in small groups students evaluate the formation of government using examples from...
Curated OER
The Constitution and The Bill of Rights
Students explore the Constitution and The Bill of Rights including the process of the Convention throgh a variety of websites that examine the framers, venets leading up to and after the convention games and more.
Curated OER
The constitution and The Bill of Rights
Students explore an Internet site that introduces the Framers, court cases, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and even games and quizzes.
Curated OER
Constitution Web-lesson
Learners examine multiple sources like america's founders, court cases, headilnes and more to learn about the Constitutional Convention of 1787
Bill of Rights Institute
Preserving the Bill of Rights
Consider how America's founding fathers and their experiences contributed to the rights we all enjoy today. A collection of reading, writing, and collaborative exercises prompt high schoolers to think about the ways their current lives...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Declaration of Independence
Give budding historians a guided exploration of the Declaration of Independence, historic photos, videos, and more as they deepen their understanding of the American Revolution and the attitude of the colonists leading up to...
Curated OER
The Beginnings of Constitutional Government
Students examine excerpts of Thomas Paine's Common Sense. In this early American history lesson, students read Paine's pamphlet and analyze the information according the rubric provided.
Curated OER
United States Pride
Third graders learn the responsibility of citizenship and learn facts about a state they choose to research.
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
Pupils 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 learning exercise, 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...
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
Students 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 worksheet would be a great homework assignment or silent...