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Activity
Digital Public Library of America

The Poetry of Maya Angelou

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Maya Angelou's work reflects her passion for life, civil rights, and justice for all. A collection of 12 primary sources provide scholars with insight into this amazing woman. The set includes photographs, articles, recordings of...
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Interactive
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Judicial Learning Center

State Courts vs. Federal Courts

For Students 6th - 12th
Popular culture often portrays the Feds as the most fearsome of law enforcement agencies. Yet, someone charged with a crime is considerably more likely to end up in a state court. The lesson, one of six covering the Organization of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Experiment in Unfair Treatment/Prejudice

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
A rigged spelling bee gives class members a chance to experience some of the feelings associated with unfair treatment. Team one is given easy words while team two is given difficult words. As teams realize the unfairness the instructor...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Political Culture

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Examine American political culture with your scholars using this self-assessment lesson. Individuals rate a list of 14 values from highest to lowest, including ideas such as financial security, right to private property, justice,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Religion in the Schools

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The requirements of the Equal Access Act are studied and applied to factual situations. By looking at the particular contexts suggested your class can examine the difficulties faced by administrators in whether they should permit...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seeking Civil Rights

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students explore the impact of the Plessy v. Ferguson case. For this social justice lesson, students examine the case, Jim Crow laws, and non-violent forms of protest. Students write essays to persuade the government regarding unjust laws.
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Lesson Plan
1
1
US House of Representatives

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Groups select a photograph from one of the four eras of African Americans in Congress and develop a five-minute presentation that provides background information about the image as well as its historical significance. The class compares...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Visualizing School Equity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners examine how school segregation is affected by funding gaps. In this equity lesson,students read the article, "Crossing the Gap." Learners analyze funding gaps between schools. Students understand that every learners is entitled...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Can You Find in the Cabinet?

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Looking in the cabinet can be fascinating! Examine the various departments of the Executive Cabinet in this group research project, which jigsaws so each small group has a different department and presents to the class. Groups create...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Holding the Debate on the Modern Issue of Equality

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Pupils present opening statements, along with their sign and slogan reflecting their point of view on an issue. 3. They debate the issue of whether there should be a double/single standard to promote equality in the United States services.
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Lesson Plan
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Learning for Justice

Mary Church Terrell

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Excerpts from an 1898 speech by civil rights activist Mary Church Terrell offers young scholars an opportunity to investigate how Black American women fought for civil rights long before Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement of the...
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Study Guide
Penguin Books

The Discussion Guide to the Inaugural Poem: The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman

For Teachers 6th - Higher Ed Standards
National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman's "The Hill We Climb," featured at the 2021 inauguration of President Joseph Biden, is the focus of a six-page guide. The guide includes before reading, during reading, and after reading...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Religion and the Civil Rights Movement

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers investigate the role of religion in the Civil Rights Movement. In this religion and ethics lesson, students explore the separation of church and state as they examine how religious faith has inspired social change in the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Brown v. Board of Education

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine school segregation and equal protection laws. In this Supreme Court lesson, students examine primary documents from Brown v. Board of Education and discuss the implications of the decision.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Regents of the U. of California v. Blake

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine affirmative action and equal protection. In this Supreme Court lesson, students examine primary documents from Regents of the U. of California v. Blake and discuss the implications of the decision.
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Activity
Curated OER

Getting Our Facts Straight! Holocaust Group Research Projects

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students work together in groups to research the Holocaust. Using a rubric, they gather information and develop visual aids. They apply principles of justice, equality and freedom to real-life situations. They present their information...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

In the Struggle for Equality and Justice for All

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars focus on the struggle for minorities rights. They describe the civil rights movement of the late 1950's and the 1960's. They trace the roots of the movement in the second-class treatment accorded many black Americans and...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Scottsboro Boys and "To Kill a Mockingbird": Two Trials for the Common Core

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Here's a must-have resource for anyone reading To Kill A Mockingbird or using Harper Lee's award-winning novel in a classroom. The packet contains Miss Hollace Ransdall's first-hand, factual account of the trials of the Scottsboro Boys,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Symbols and Landmarks

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders study American national holidays, symbols, songs and landmarks. They appreciate the meaning and significance of our nation's ideals of liberty, justice and equality.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mock Trial

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students rewrite a traditional fairy tale to represent the viewpoint of the villain. They participate in a mock trial of that villain in which all regular court participants (judge, jury, defendant, witnesses, plaintiff, etc) play roles.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Circle Sculpture

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discover the Theatre of the Oppressed. In this diversity lesson plan, students practice confronting injustice as they participate in "circle sculpture" to role play performance models that deal with social justice issues....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fair Dinkum!

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students define fairenss, justice and equity as they are known to them. In groups, they role-play varoius scenerios and discuss their reactions to it. As a class, they share experiences in which they were treated unfairly and what could...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

US Constitution

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Think about the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence with your budding historians. They analyze the importance of historical documents by examining several famous documents, and then they complete activities that check...
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Lesson Plan
Foreign Policy Research Institute

Defining Democracy and Freedom

For Teachers 10th - 12th
This is a simple but effective introduction to democracy. It requires the class to generate working definitions of key terms (provided) and to determine the degree of democracy in various geographic locations today. After they conduct...