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An Introduction to Law
With so many different types of law, it can be difficult for learners to discern which is which! Use a newspaper to give tangible examples of various types of law, including criminal, civil, consumer, family, local, state, federal and...
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The Bill of Rights is for US Today
The first ten Amendments of the U.S. Constitution are vital for young people to understand. Provide the foundation of the laws that govern our country with this junior high school lesson. Groups use the newspaper to identify rights...
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The Gingerbread Man Trail
What a fun way to familiarize your young learners with friendly faces on campus! Scholars read "The Gingerbread Man," discussing the characters he meets. Then, they examine a map of the campus, placing photos of employees (such as the...
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The Voting Game
Upper graders play the voting game to help them understand voting patterns, political movements, and build a content specific vocabulary. Each student creats a chart to determine if his or her political view veers liberal or...
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Negative and Positive Numbers
Help scholars explain the concept of positive and negative numbers. Here you will find three separate activities that will help them to correlate positive and negative numbers with real life. Note: Activities require that the teacher...
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American Political Culture
Examine American political culture with your scholars using this self-assessment instructional activity. Individuals rate a list of 14 values from highest to lowest, including ideas such as financial security, right to private property,...
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What to do Between AP Exams and Semester Finals
Trying to write your end-of-year exam while encouraging scholars to begin reviewing? Do both using this study-skills strategy, which has scholars writing their own test! Although this lesson plan is intended for AP classes, it is...
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Literature Review
Here's a great game that will help your class review a book or unit before an exam. Three pupils act as judges while two teams take turns responding to your knowledge, interpretation, and judgement questions. Complete directions for the...
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Appropriate Use of Helping Verbs
Intended for learners struggling with or having issues using auxiliary verbs, this activity has them orally compose sentences using one of the provided helping verbs. They will attempt to find patterns in groups of verbs and make class...
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Creating a Bill of Rights
Creating a Bill of Rights isn't easy! Help your scholars experience what the Founding Fathers did by challenging them to write a Bill of Rights. Groups pretend they are a new democratic country and proceed to create that country's Bill...
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The Declaration Versus The Communist Manifesto
Upper graders put their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution to the test when they are asked to mark which of several statements are from either the Constitution or the Communist Manifesto. A class discussion follows. Use this resource as...
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Symbolic Speech
Ninth graders consider the right of freedom of speech as it is outlined in the U.S. Constitution. They receive background information for the US Supreme Court, the Bill of Rights, and free speech. They discuss a series of actual cases...
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Supreme Court Decisions and Their Effect On Us
Consider five Supreme Court cases and how their outcomes have directly affected the American population. Government students research and compose a 1-2 page pager outlining the examples of our daily life that have specifically been...
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Planning a Government
Demonstrate the complexities of running a government with this group activity. Young politicians are arranged into small groups and become leaders of a hypothetical country (outline of country provided). Groups must outline 6 (listed)...
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Graphic Organizing: Early American History
In collaborative groups, young US historians sort cards (each labeled with a single early American event or issue) according to which of the first four presidents was leading the country at the time. Learners copy the events onto a...
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Consumer Borrowing and Spending
Credit can be confusing for teens, some of whom are already using credit cards. Clear up misconceptions with this group research activity which has a solid outline with a lot of room to adjust to your needs and resources. Groups are...
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Paper Clip Game for Learning the Value of Rules
Rules may carry a negative connotation with many adolescents, but this simulation activity reminds them of the importance of a fair and consistent set of laws. It's very simple: pupils are arranged in rows, with the first person in each...
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Civil War Research Project
Give your WWI study collaborative energy using a group research project. Groups are assigned one of the six main themes (included). Each group has an outline to guide research but will need an assignment guide. Consider supplementing the...
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Supreme Court Decisions on Freedom of Religion
What does freedom of religion mean? Analyze a series of Supreme Court cases where the First Amendment right to freedom of religion was put to the test. They discuss the cases' outcomes and argue whether the right decision was made....
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Making Binding Agreements
A verbal contract can be legally binding under the right circumstances. Upper graders are assigned verbal topics to study and present. They prepare and deliver a 2-3 minute talk about their topic. Each topic relates to an aspect of...
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Genealogy Research
Personalize history through genealogy. Get your scholars examining their family's past by utilizing resources at your local genealogical society. Learners complete family pedigree charts and choose to do one of the following: research...
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Comparing Cultures
Young readers compare two stories/cultures, identifying how they are alike and different. They share their own version of a well-known story and adapt it to another culture. They explain their adaptations.
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Pornography Debate
Present your seniors with a controversial topic while studying the first amendment: pornography. This multi-layer resource has scholars writing a pros and cons research paper. They also attend a city council meeting to prepare for an...
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Homemade Political Parties
Use this 5-day lesson to clarify the platforms of the two major parties, comparing and contrasting against students' beliefs. Begin by looking at unlabeled summaries of both party platforms, having learners identify most with one. Groups...