Ben Across the Curriculum is a set of interdisciplinary lesson plans that highlight the five central themes in the international traveling exhibition Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World. These themes are Character Matters, B....

Studying the laws and policies enacted to restrict or reform immigration, including or excluding certain groups of people, is essential to understanding the complicated history of immigration in our nation's democracy. Three case studies...

The Constitutional Rights Foundation presents two lessons about the Electoral College. The first has scholars examine a text that provides background information about the Electoral College. Then class members engage in a role play...

A three-lesson unit teaches fifth and sixth graders about the importance of participation in a democratic society. The first lesson focuses on the purpose of and importance of civic duty. The second lesson looks at the justice system and...

The writings of a French diplomat and political philosopher, Alexis de Tocqueville, offer young scholars much to think about. In the three-lesson unit, class members examine Tocqueville’s arguments about the power of the majority and...

Seven lessons examine the Reconstruction Era that followed the United States Civil War. The series of detailed lessons provide background information on the era, teaching strategies, videos, and primary source materials.

Benjamin Franklin, statesman, inventor, President is the subject of a collection targeting young historians. The interdisciplinary lesson plans were originally designed to accompany the 2018 international traveling exhibition, “Benjamin...

Eight lessons make up a collection designed to help high schoolers make sense of an election year. Class members learn about voting rights, the importance of a free press, and civic participation. The focus is on the 2020 presidential...

Designed for teachers, a 15-lesson collection curated by the Smithsonian, examines how wars have impacted American society. Each resource includes a lesson plan, background information, a materials list, maps, images, and worksheets. An...

The Price of Freedom: Americans at War is a collection of 13 resources from a printable exhibition curated by the Smithsonian Museum of American History.  Each resource begins with a summary and a table of contents. The resources...

Every four years, American citizens choose a new leader. Sometimes the incoming president is an incumbent who has served before; other times, Inauguration Day serves as the first moments of a new era and administration. From these...

Democracies are not static. To learn more about how the United States form of democratic government has changed over time, class members examine primary and secondary sources, including works of art, and reflect on what these sources...

Our forefathers worked to create a more perfect nation for us, and the road to democracy was anything but smooth. Add these resources to your unit on the Declaration of Independence and show your young Americans the roots of their...