Curated OER
Cultural Lit. 31: The U.S. and Iroquois Constitutions
Students identify and compare major elements of Iroquois and United States Constitutions.
Close Up Foundation
Rights Auction
In an engaging activity on universal and unalienable rights, learners work in groups to establish a democratic nation and determine what principles they want to protect to ensure a democratic society. They conduct a "rights auction" in...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Magna Carta: Cornerstone of the U.S. Constitution
High schoolers use the Internet to read a brief description of Magna Carta (link provided). They "walk through" the document with the teacher, identifying four major themes. Students read and discuss "The Rhetoric of Rights: Americans...
Curated OER
The Importance of Inauguration Day
As Inauguration Day approaches, prepare your learners by researching the protocol of years past.
Curated OER
Citizenship Worksheet 2 - A Government of Laws
In this citizenship and government laws worksheet, students identify what the United States government provides for its citizens, the foundations of that government, the principles of the Constitution, any amendments to the Constitution,...
School Improvement in Maryland
Affirmative Action
Do the government's affirmative action policies promote equity in the United States? The Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution and affirmative action policies come under scrutiny in an activity that asks class members to...
Curated OER
US & Iroquois Constitution Parallels
Pupils engage in a lesson that is concerned with the concepts related to comparing the United States and Iroquois Indians while focusing upon the foundations of the ruling documents like the US Constitution. They conduct research using a...
Curated OER
Core Democratic Values of American Constitutional Democracy
Students describe the ideas found in the core democratic values. In groups, they design and create a brochure explaining how the values relate to other ideas that Americans accept as a nation. They share what they know with with...
Curated OER
Fairy Tails Can Show Due:It can happen for you, If you play your part.,
Young scholars view a Reader's Theater focusing on the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The story is used as a springboard into a videotaped mock trial of Gold E. Locks developed by the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)....
Curated OER
Mosaic America: Patterns of Racism
Seventh graders use print and electronic resources to gather and analyze information on the political system in the United States. Using the Constitution, they identify and discuss instances of racism included in amendments and laws. ...
Curated OER
Revising The Constitution
Student review the Constitution using Dataviewer. Students discuss each Amendment in the Bill off rights and what each one means to individuals and their freedoms. Students break into groups and brainstorm about Amendments they think...
School Improvement in Maryland
Dividing the Powers of Government
Who does what? To develop an understanding of the balance of power between the US federal and state governments, class members research responsibilities in terms of legal systems, security issues, economic activities, lawmaking, and...
School Improvement in Maryland
Court Proceedings Civil Cases
What's the difference between civil and criminal law? How do the court proceedings differ in these two types of trials? How do the standards of proof differ? Why do these differences exist? As part of their examination of the US court...
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...
Curated OER
The U.S. and Iroquois Constitutions
Students receive and interpret copies of US Constitution and Iroquois Constitution. Then they reference (look up) the articles mentioned by Daly in the Iroquois Constitution text, and analyze for parallel meaning in the US Constitution....
Curated OER
US & Iroquois Constitution Parallels
Eighth graders identify and compare the stated purposes of the Iroquois and US Constitutions, and their roles as living documents.
Curated OER
Citizen Juries: Zacarias Moussaoui - May 1, 2006
Students consider deliberations by juries. In this citizen jury lesson plan, students complete readings regarding the constitutional right to a trial by jury as well as on the civic responsibility to serve on a jury.
Curated OER
War Making: Executive and Legislative Powers
High schoolers examine Constitution and what it says about war-making power, contrast roles and responsibilities of executive and legislative branches of government when it comes to making war, become familiar with important 20th and...
Curated OER
Supreme Court June 2010 Decisions Wrap-Up
Students consider constitutional rights. In this Bill of Rights instructional activity, students complete an activity guide that requires students to examine Bill of Rights-related cases of 2010. Students respond to discussion questions...
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.9
Guided by close-reading questions, groups examine the similarities and differences between the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. In addition, they look at how the principles are presented in these two foundational US...
Curated OER
The Constitution and The Bill of Rights
Studnets learn about The Constitution and The Bill of Rights through a series on Internet pages that include such things as the framers, court cases and games.
Curated OER
Expansion and Reform: Applying the Declaration of Independence
Students conduct inquiries and research-acquiring, organizing, analyzing, interpreting, evaluating, and communicating facts, themes, and general principles operating in American history. They use the Declaration of Independence to...
Curated OER
Documents and Symbols and American Freedom
Students complete a unit of lessons on the documents, symbols, and famous people involved in the founding of the U.S. government. They create a personal bill of rights, write a found poem, design a flag, conduct research, and role-play...
Curated OER
Branches of Government
Students explore the three branches of government. In this government and U.S. history lesson plan, students listen to a story about a boy who attempts to sponsor a bill to ban cartoons. Students interview three teachers who each...