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Core Knowledge: A History of the United States
Three ebooks make up the Core Knowledge: A History of the United States curriculum designed for grades seven and eight. The year-long set includes a comprehensive teacher guide and two student volumes that cover the history and geography...
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Understanding Bias
The resources in the Confronting Bias: Ethics in the Classroom collection focus on understanding bias, experiencing bias and addressing bias. The 11 videos and interactives in the Understanding Bias segment are designed to help educators...
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National Constitution Center: Hall Pass Videos
The National Constitution Center offers this collection of informative and entertaining videos intended to start conversations and develop critical thinking skills. Viewers learn about the rights granted by the constitution, about the...
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Electoral College Lesson Packet
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...
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Judicial Learning Center: Landmark Cases
Five fact-filled lessons look at landmark Supreme Court Cases. Young scholars begin their study by examining the importance of these cases, key terms necessary for studying the court cases, and the relationship between court cases and...
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Judicial Learning Center: Organization of the Federal Courts
Six lessons cover the Organization of the Federal Courts. Lesson one helps those studying criminologies distinguish between the role of federal courts and state courts. The second explores the structure of the lower levels of the federal...
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From the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution
The year is 2777. Fifth graders, as delegates, are tasked with drafting a new Constitution for the United States. They begin the process by reflecting on the meaning of democracy. They examine the principles of the current Constitution,...
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America from Scratch
What if the people of the United States started over and, knowing what we know now about how things are working, redesigned the government created by the founding fathers? That's the central premise of the 11 resources in the American...
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Ben Across the Curriculum: Elementary School
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...
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Judicial Learning Center: Student Center
A collection of 22 interactive resources provides learners with information about the United States federal courts. The pages are divided into five sections: The role of the federal courts; The organization of the federal courts; How the...
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James Madison: From Father of the Constitution to President
James Madison, fourth president of the United States serving from 1809-1817, is the focus of a four-lesson collection that provides high schoolers with the information they need to understand why Madison is considered "The Father of the...
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Before and Beyond the Constitution: What Should a President Do?
A three-lesson unit provides middle schoolers with the founding fathers' vision of what they saw as the role of the president and the executive branch of the government. Young scholars examine the Articles of Confederation, Alexander...
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Organization of the Federal Courts
A three-lesson collection explores the federal and state court systems, as well as criminal and civil court systems. Along the way, high schoolers consider the qualifications necessary to serve in high-federal offices, and why courts...
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iCivics: Mini Media Literacy Library
Designed for the high school classroom, the mini-lessons in this collection combine studies of the United States government with news literacy skills. Each lesson includes a civics reading, a news literacy feature, and a news literacy...
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Political Systems
Designed for social studies classes, this collection of lessons examine both the history and the current state of US government institutions, policies, and economic programs.
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Changes in a Democratic Society
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...
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A History of the United States
New ReviewThis 262-page Core Knowledge teacher guide presents an overview of the two-volume History of the United States program designed for middle schoolers. The guide includes information about the learning strategies used, a pacing guide, the...
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Volume 1 - A History of the United States: Precolonial to the 1800s
New ReviewVolume One of the 299-page Core Knowledge History of the United States covers events from the Precolonial Period to the 1800s.
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Who, Me? Biased?: Understanding Implicit Bias
A 10-page interactive explains different facets of implicit bias, demonstrates how implicit bias works, and how people can counteract its effects. The interactive tools permit users to save their information in "My Work" folders, to take...
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American Dream: Reality, Promise or Illusion?
Dream or nightmare? Class members craft a synthesis essay with textual to determine to what extent the United States has fulfilled the ideas embodied in the America Dream.
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If Men Were Angels: Teaching the Constitution With the Federalist Papers
Much like the methods of group work, the writers of the Federalist Papers worked together to advocate for their viewpoints against the anti-federalists. The resource enables learners to break into small groups and conduct research before...
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Voting and the Constitution
How difficult was it for everyone to get voting rights? Understanding voting rights and the fight to get them for everyone in the United States can be tricky for some learners. However, they are clarified after engaging in the...
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Slavery and the Constitution
It's hard to believe the abolition movement was once seen as scandalous. Help learners understand how the US Constitution changed everything. A variety of activities such as corresponding reading activities, group work ideas, and...
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Substantive Amendments: Amendments I and II
The First and Second Amendments remain some of the most famous, even to this day. Learners read about several clauses from the US Constitution through a variety of captivating activities including before and after reading, group work,...