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Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

What Is Constitutional Democracy?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Rediscover the values at the heart of American democracy and what makes it unique with your pupils. Use a reading and discussion questions—in addition to an analytical activity—on the preamble to the Constitution. An additional activity...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

ANTICIPATORY SET

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students are be able to analyze primary sources (photographs and speeches) and write a definition of American Democracy. They are shown a photograph of Martin Luther King Jr. by Ben Fernandez, students are asked what is happening in the...
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Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Is Democracy in Decline?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Has democracy outlived its usefulness? Pundits debate the topic, and now pupils weigh in, too. A reading on how democracy may be on the decline around the world, along with a structured conversation guideline, help guide scholars through...
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Unit Plan
C3 Teachers

Black Genius: How Did Black Genius Help Build American Democracy?

For Teachers 8th
"How did the slavery system undermine the United States' democratic principles?" This question launches a study of how the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence, Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, and Article IV,...
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eBook
Rice University

American Government 2e

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
An informative resource provides a textbook on American government that covers topics such as the definition of government and how democracy works. Each section provides brief questions at the end to assess scholars' understanding. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Studies

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Entitled American Studies, this small unit covers various topics related to the study of the United States. Learners warm up by creating a dictionary of democracy, then dive into three different lessons focused on government, famous...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Facing History and Ourselves

Defining Democracy

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
For democracies, it is both the best and the worst of times. As part of a study of the challenges facing democracies, young political scientists seek first to define democracy, and then to consider the relationship between democracy and...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Analyzing a Letter About American Indian Voting Rights

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An informative activity focuses on the law preventing Native Americans from voting until 1947. Scholars read documents from the Office of Indian Affairs, complete an online worksheet, and participate in group discussion. Academics learn...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Museum of Tolerance

The Role of Citizens in a Participatory Democracy

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Groups research participatory democracies and compare the role and rights of citizens in ancient history with those in recent U.S. history. Guided by a series of questions, individuals compose a persuasive essay in which they discuss the...
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Lesson Plan
Pace University

Jacksonian Democracy

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Jacksonian Democracy ... a total success or a complete failure? Young academics examine Jacksonian Democracy, including the concept of the supremacy of the federal government and the forced relocation of Native Americans. Scholars...
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Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

Doing Democracy

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
How do you explain democracy to a middle school classroom? A social studies resource breaks elections and the democratic process down for your class. Discussion questions, worksheets, activities that build critical thinking skills, and a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Literature of Democracy

For Teachers 12th
Read excerpts from Ralph Waldo Emerson's speech "American Scholar" to address and analyze passages from American literary works. Seniors will discuss three quotations from the text and read excerpts from the address. They then work in...
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Lesson Plan
2
2
Museum of Tolerance

Citizenship Then and Now: Comparing Ancient Rome and Contemporary American Society

For Teachers 6th Standards
Class members research citizenship in Ancient Rome and in the United States and use the provided graphic organizers to compare the rights and responsibilities of citizens in these two democracies.
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PPT
Curated OER

Development of American Political Parties: The Two-Party System

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Was American politics always bound to the two-party system? Learn how the two-party system developed, why third parties tend not to do so well, and all the various political parties that have emerged throughout US history. Each party is...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Facing History and Ourselves

Citizen Power Makes Democracy Work

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Eric Liu's formula "power plus character equals citizenship" and his three strategies to making change happen model for high schoolers how to develop citizen power, how to get involved and participate to make democracy work. Class...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Facing History and Ourselves

Insights on Democracy from South Africa

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
As part of their study of democracy, high schoolers listen to a podcast featuring two South African educators and their efforts to support the process of transforming the nation from apartheid rule into a democracy. Learners also read...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Facing History and Ourselves

Literature and Imagination Make Democracy Work

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The final lesson plan in the "What Makes Democracy Work?" series examines the connections between imagination, literature, and democracy. Class members listen to a podcast, read an excerpt from Azar Nafisi's, The Republic of Imagination,...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Facing History and Ourselves

Responding to Difference in Democracy

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Disagreements happen in a diverse democracy. It's what people do about these differences in a diverse society that the resource models. After listening to an eight-minute podcast about a woman who collaborated with people who have very...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
National Endowment for the Humanities

The Tyranny of the Majority

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
In American democracy, majority rules but what prevents the voices of the few from being crushed? Using excerpts from Alexis de Tocqueville's writings, young historians explore cases where minority rights were trampled upon. Extension...
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Lesson Plan
North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies

Missing Pieces of the Puzzle: African Americans in Revolutionary Times

For Students 5th - 11th
What's missing from most studies of the American Revolutionary War is information about the role African Americans played in the conflict. To correct this oversight, middle schoolers research groups like the Black Loyalists and  Black...
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Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

African Americans in the United States Congress During Reconstruction

For Students 5th
The Civil Rights Act of 1866, which granted citizenship to all males in the U.S., resulted in the first African Americans to be elected to Congress. Class members research 11 of these men, the challenges they faced, and craft...
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Lesson Plan
Global Oneness Project

Repairing the Fabric of Democracy

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
During elections, headlines constantly lament the issue of low voter turnout. Help class members understand why this is such an important topic with relevant articles, a discussion of both sides of the issue, and a reflective essay. 
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Activity
Museum of Tolerance

Documents That Shape Society

For Students 10th - 12th Standards
The Bill of Rights is a foundational document of American democracy, much like the Nuremberg Laws were a foundational document of the Reichstag of Nazi Germany. But that's where their similarities end. Engage high schoolers in a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Researching American Democracy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils compare Watergate and the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal. In this U.S. Constitution lesson, students define vocabulary terms and read articles regarding the impeachment process. Pupils respond to questions that require them to compare...

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