Lesson Planet
Search educational resources
  • Sign In Try It Free
  • AI Teacher Tools
    • Discover Resources Search reviewed educational resources by keyword, subject, grade, type, and more
    • Curriculum Manager (My Content) Manage saved and uploaded resources and folders To Access the Curriculum Manager Sign In or Join Now
    • Browse Resource Directory Browse educational resources by subject and topic
    • Curriculum Calendar Explore curriculum resources by date
    • Lesson Planning Articles Timely and inspiring teaching ideas that you can apply in your classroom
    • Our Story
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Us
  • Pricing
  • School Access
    • Your school or district can sign up for Lesson Planet — with no cost to teachers
      Learn More
  • Sign In
  • Try It Free

Hi, what do you want to do?

Create a lesson plan
Create a lesson plan
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Find a teaching resource
Find a teaching resource
Democracy in Danger: Should the Right to Vote Be Protected in the Constitution? Unit PlanDemocracy in Danger: Should the Right to Vote Be Protected in the Constitution? Unit Plan
Publisher
C3 Teachers
Resource Details
Curator Rating
Educator Rating
Not yet Rated
Grade
12th
Subjects
Social Studies & History
3 more...
Resource Type
Unit Plans
Audience
For Teacher Use
Duration
4 days
Instructional Strategies
Collaborative Learning
5 more...
Usage Permissions
Creative Commons
BY-NC-SA: 4.0
cc
Unit Plan

Democracy in Danger: Should the Right to Vote Be Protected in the Constitution?

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Democracy in Danger: Should the Right to Vote Be Protected in the Constitution? unit plan also includes:
  • Democracy in Danger: Voting Rights (.html)
  • Democracy in Danger (.docx)
  • Elections 2012 | The Right to Vote - Electoral Dysfunction | Op-Docs | The New York Times
  • Voting Rights, Clip 1
  • Voting Rights, Clip 2
  • Voting Rights, Clip 3
  • The History Of Voter Fraud In The United States
  • Election Fraud Cases
  • H.J.Res.74 — 115th Congress (2017-2018)
  • Right to Vote Amendment
  • Local Officials Must Remain in Control of Elections
  • Activity
  • Assessment
  • Join to access all included materials

High school seniors investigate what national, state and local rules say about voting. After examining the Constitution's articles, clauses, and amendments, researchers look at videos, listen to podcasts, and read articles to gather background information about historical and current challenges to voting rights. They then address whether the right to vote should be protected in the Constitution by stating a claim supported by evidence from their research.

14 Views 11 Downloads

Concepts

voting rights, the voting rights act, the constitution, guided inquiry, evaluating claims, supporting evidence, constitutional amendments, arguments, counterarguments, persuasive arguments, persuasive language

Instructional Ideas

  • Have groups investigate local and national voting rights challenges for the current election
  • Set aside additional prep time to examine the packet and prepare the required materials carefully

Classroom Considerations

  • At the beginning of the unit, establish rules that ensure safe, respectful discussions
  • Class members need access to devices with internet
  • Instructors and learners should be familiar with the inquiry format

Pros

  • The 21-page packet includes teacher notes, an appendix that cites passages from the Constitution that address voting, and the text of the proposed voting rights amendment

Cons

  • None

See similar resources:

Lesson Plan

Fights, Freedom, and Fraud: Voting Rights in the Reconstruction Era

Middle Tennessee State University
As part of a study of post Civil War era, young historians investigate the changes in voting rights during the Reconstruction Era (1863-1876), the fraud involved in the Hayes-Tilden presidential election of 1876, and efforts by Pap...
8th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

LBJ and Voting Rights

K20 LEARN
Challenges to voting rights is not a new thing. Using President Lyndon B. Johnson's 1965 "The American Promise" speech on voting rights as a starting point, young historians research current voting rights laws and challenges.
11th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Show Me Your Credentials: Voting In America

K20 LEARN
The debate over voting rights continues. To begin their study of voting rights, class members first vote on proposed new classroom rules. After a discussion of the activity, groups are given a copy of the 1965 Alabama Literacy Test and...
11th - 12th Social Studies & History
Lesson Plan

Voting

Deliberating in a Democracy
Young scholars read about voting rights and compulsory voting in democracies. For this voting rights lesson plan, young scholars analyze the reasons for supporting and opposing compulsory voting and discuss whether compulsory voting is...
8th - 12th Social Studies & History
Lesson Plan

Voting and the Constitution

Heritage Foundation
How difficult was it for everyone to get voting rights? Understanding voting rights and the fight to get them for everyone in the United States can be tricky for some learners. However, they are clarified after engaging in the...
9th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

A Documents-Based Lesson on the Voting Rights Act

Teaching for Change
How did the Voting Rights Act affect the daily lives of American citizens? A document-based activity developed by the Student Non-Violent Coordinating committee (SNCC) presents a case study of the impact of the Voting Rights Act of 1965...
9th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

The True History of Voting Rights

Teaching Tolerance
Explore what voting rights really are in an intriguing instructional activity that explores the history of American voting. The resource examines the timeline of voting rights in the United States with group discussions,...
6th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Designed
Instructional Video

The Fight for Full Access to Voting Rights Continues | Carrie Chapman Catt

PBS
"Hard Won, Not Done" is the big idea behind a short PBS video that celebrates the efforts of early suffragists like Carrie Chapman Catt and underscores the work that still needs to be done to ensure voting rights for all U.S. citizens.
5 mins 5th - 12th Social Studies & History
Activity

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Digital Public Library of America
Despite the passing of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, as well as the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the struggle to ensure fair voter registration and election procedures continues. Young historians...
9th - 12th Social Studies & History
Lesson Plan

History Detectives: Voting Rights in Mississippi, 1964

Teaching for Change
Promises made and promise broken. Spies and activists. Voting rights in Mississippi are the focus of a lesson that has class members research the history of the struggle in Mississippi. Learners take on the role of voting rights...
9th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
Try It Free
© 1999-2026 Learning Explorer, Inc.
Teacher Lesson Plans, Worksheets and Resources

Sign up for the Lesson Planet Monthly Newsletter

Open Educational Resources (OER)

  • Health
  • Language Arts
  • Languages
  • Math
  • Physical Education
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Special Education
  • Visual and Performing Arts
View All Lesson Plans

Discover Resources

  • Our Review Process
  • How it Works
  • How to Search
  • Create a Collection

Manage Curriculum

  • Edit a Collection
  • Assign to Students
  • Manage My Content
Contact Us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Use