Carolina K-12
Are You a Democrat or a Republican? Are You Really?
Have new or soon-to-be voters examine different political parties and their platforms as they figure out which one aligns most with their beliefs. After taking a few online quizzes, students split into pairs to discuss and then in larger...
Curated OER
Political Parties and Election Results, 1997 and 2000
Young scholars become familiar with the results of the Canadian Federal Election by analyzing data on the number of valid votes by political affiliation. In this civics lesson plan, students integrate data and knowledge with other...
Facing History and Ourselves
The Nazi Party Platform
Not all party platforms stay democratic. A resource covers many political issues in Germany during the time of World War II, and teaches pupils about the Nazi party platform and what went wrong. Individuals participate in a warm-up...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Beyond a Two-Party System
Young political scientists go beyond the two-party system and research third-party candidates running in the 2020 US Presidential election. Groups present background information about the candidate, the party's platform points, and a...
Mikva Challenge
Political Forum Viewing Guide
Is there a way to determine a winner of a political debate? Use a helpful rubric to evaluate the issues, specificity, evidence, reasoning, and delivery of candidates in a debate. After assessing each person's performance, high schoolers...
Curated OER
History of Political Parties in the U. S.
Twelfth graders name some of the parties in the political system of the United States. They identify the two main parties along with key information, issues, events, elections and/or people for each system. They then break into groups...
Curated OER
Do Factions Control Political Parties Today?
Students establish how the first political parties were formed. In this U.S. History lesson plan, students work in groups to share their personal viewpoint on various topics provided by the teacher, then they are assigned to bring a...
National First Ladies' Library
Political Party History
Students research and examine the role of political parties in the history of the twentieth century of the Unites States. They divide up into groups of four to analyze the twenty-six presidential campaigns and the candidates who...
Curated OER
Voter Behavior
Transform your government students into informed voters with this straightforward worksheet. Five matching questions and five multiple choice questions test students' knowledge on voter behavior and political parties, and the format...
Curated OER
A New Political Party
High schoolers participate in a Political Spectrum Analysis, then align themselves with other students with similar scores. In groups, they develop political parties, policies, philosophies, and organize political campaigns.
The New York Times
A Guide to Political Donations
Voters determine the outcome of elections, but campaign donors can influence the attitudes of those voters. Explore nine examples of donors and the amounts of money they want to contribute, and the legal ways the groups can or cannot...
City University of New York
Urban Politics: Machines and Reformers
What were political machines and whom did they serve? As part of a study of US immigration patterns and how these patterns influenced politics, groups investigate how Tammany Hall and other political machines gained support from voters.
PBS
The Black Panthers
Stanley Nelson's acclaimed film, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution uses interviews, archival footage, and images to document the story of the radical political party established in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. A...
Curated OER
Progression of Political Movements
High schoolers examine the various political parties throughout history. In groups, they are given documents identifying the platforms of the parties in the 1868 election. To end the lesson, they share their information with the class...
iCivics
Mock Election
Here is an excellent resource in which class members host a mock election for a candidate and policy that will be implemented into your very own classroom. Progressing from primaries, through the campaign trail, and finally to the mock...
Facing History and Ourselves
The Weimar Republic: Historical Context and Decision Making
Did you know that way before Hitler became a dictator, he actually spent nine months in a German jail? Provide the background for the escalating point before the Nazi party took over in World War II through the exercises in the resource....
C-SPAN
Debates
How do the presidential debates of 2016 compare to the debates from the 1980's? What about the 1960's? Evaluate a chosen candidate or issue from the 20th and 21st centuries with a lesson plan focused on political debates. Middle and high...
Curated OER
Political Parties
Twelfth graders give their current events presentations to the class today. After completing the "T" exercise on classifying certain individuals as Democrats or Republicans, they pair up to figure out where the political parties fit into...
Curated OER
Political Cartoons Illustrating Progressivism and the Election of 1912
Learners study a current political cartoon to introduce the ideas of symbolism, humor, exaggeration, and caricature in editorial cartoons. They study cartoons from the past to gain an understanding of the culture of 1912.
Curated OER
Presidential Election Year: Major Issues
Whether or not it's a presidential election year, this debate activity will spark research on current political issues. Split your government scholars into 4 groups and assign each a political party. One person will be the "candidate"...
PBS
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History—Snapshot Lessons
The Roosevelt family was one of the most influential and prominent political forces in the 20th century, leaving behind a wide-ranging legacy of conservation, progressivism, and economic growth. Learn more about President Theodore...
Curated OER
Early Presidents
Students are introduced to the lives and contributions of the first seven presidents of the United States. They, in groups, conduct further research on one of these president and his political platform and design a presentation for the...
Curated OER
Learning about Interest Group Politics
Students identify and interpret major interest groups and think tanks of the government. Students evaluate, record, and discuss the viewpoints of guests on the News Hour. Students select several Web-based transcripts of interviews,...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Campaign Fundraising
Although this political cartoon analysis assignment has your scholars glancing back at the 2008 presidential campaign, its message is relatable anytime. Background information provides context, giving learners access to the cartoon,...