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Kid-Friendly CDVs
Students discover core democratic values. In this service learning lesson, students create posters in order to promote core democratic values.
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Greece
In this comprehension instructional activity on Greece, students read the article presented and then answer the questions that follow. There are 12 short answer questions to complete about Greece, where it is located, the people,...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Classroom Constitutional Convention
Learners investigate the eight phrases that comprise the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution to determine its principles and purpose. Their own Constitutional Convention is convened to craft a preamble for their school's governance.
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When Property Rights and the Public Good Clash
Students analyze a case involving a government's use of eminent
domain powers to construct a comprehension of property rights and how they might be viewed as essential protections for citizens in a constitutional democracy. They Use the...
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"All Men Are Created Equal"
Students identify the premise of the United States' Democracy. They list the major elements of the document. Students reflect on the inequalities of the late 1700's premise of other units. They complete a KWL chart about the Declaration...
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Tiananmen Square
Learners identify and explain the Tiananmen Square incident of June 1989.
Studentsl compare what it is to be an American Citizen (Democracy) vs.
Chinese Citizen (Communism). Learners identify and define various vocabulary terms,...
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The Election
Students participate in an election. They are asked to vote for one of four candidates without knowing who they are or what they stand for. Students gain an important lesson when voting to make sure that security of freedom and...
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What is a Democracy?
Students identify what makes a country democratic and compare United States and Indian political party symbols. They create their own political party and party symbol. They create a campaign speech, participate in the voting process...
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My Way or the Highway
Young scholars read "Saudis Uneasily Balance Desires for Change and Stability" from The New York Times and discuss Saudi Arabia as it considers a change from monarchy to democracy. Students work in groups to research and create timelines...
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Changing of the Guard
Students reflect on their knowledge of democracy. After reading an article, they examine current plans for the placement of a democracy in Iraq. In groups, they research past regime changes and democratization attempts and discuss the...
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Constitutional Struggle Over Centralized Power
Students participate in a classroom simulation to discover the issues facing those who formed the new U.S. government. They compare and contrast the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. Using resource sheets and working in...
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Elections
Fifth graders examine the voting process, the electoral college and the voting process. They identify qualities important to a president. They fill out ballot sheets and study the registration forms.
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A Dictionary of Democracy
Students create dictionary of terms for citizens of a democracy, using events and biographies from both their state's history and U.S. history.
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Freedom of the Press Around the World
Students research press freedoms in various countries such as Iran and North Korea. They create a freedom of the press report card for the countries examined.
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Constitutional Issues: Watergate and the Constitution
Students take and defend positions on what conditions contribute to the establishment and maintenance of a constitutional government. They debate whether or not the government should have prosecuted Nixon over the Watergate scandal.
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Democracy Sense
Students define democracy and distinguish representative from direct or pure democracy. Then, with the focus on representative government, students will discuss and trace voting patterns in the United States.
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Democracy in Action
Students consider words that reflect their knowledge and opinions about democracy. They work in groups to research countries that have recently transitioned to democratic forms of government.
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Liberty and Democracy for All?
Students consider what they already know about democracy and examine how viable democracy is for Middle Eastern nations such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
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The Republic; Roman History, Democracy
Students explain the ways in which current American system of government both resembles and differs from the system of government in Rome form about 510 to 264 B.C.
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Elizabethan Monarchy
Fifth graders explain the difference between democracy and monarchy. They see how the Queen Elizabeth and her Privy Council ran England. They explain the different terms involved in the Elizabethan government.
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TV ATTACK ADS AND THE VOTER
Students read about the history of negative political advertisements in U.S. elections. In this politics lesson, students view several ads for opposing candidates and analyze and discuss the content. Students write scripts for candidates...
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Roles of Individuals and Groups in Politics
Students review the Federalist Paper by James Madison. They discuss the influence of interest groups in contemporary politics.
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Mahatma Gandhi: My Freedom Fighter
While this presentation only provides a limited amount of information about Mahatma Gandhi, it could be used as an example for a student research project. The 7 slide presentation highlights key information about Gandhi's life. It could...
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Dictatorship
Fifth graders research world history by researching democracy. In this dictatorship instructional activity, 5th graders read the story "The Composition" and identify a list of former dictators on the Internet. Students define several key...