US Department of Commerce
Apportionment: Grades 3-4
Apportionment is a big word for young pupils. Use a helpful cartoon video and worksheet with data set to help them understand how the census fuels representative democracy. After examining how the census determines the number of seats a...
Judicial Branch of California
The U.S. Constitution Bill of Rights
Using discussion questions and a poster-creating activity, learners explore how the framework of the Constitution and its Bill of Rights help create safe communities. After listening to a song about the preamble and reading the Bill of...
Judicial Branch of California
Protecting our Freedoms: The Bill of Rights
Take to the stage! Integrate both drama and civic skills by asking pupils to create and perform skills that demonstrate the importance of the amendments in the Bill of Rights. After reviewing the Preamble to the Constitution, learners...
Judicial Branch of California
Planet Fourth Grade is Researching the U.S. Constitution
Using the Constitutional Convention as a model, learners create their own governments. Other activities to explore the American Constitution include creating posters to help explain the Bill of Rights.
Judicial Branch of California
American Heroes
What makes a hero? After discussing the term and considering a book about Franklin D. Roosevelt, classmates work together to write a script and present their biography of a Great American hero. Notes sheets help group members organize...
National Constitution Center
Separation of Powers
Learners explore how the Constitution provides for separation of power and limited government, as evidenced by the three branches of government. They participate in role-playing situations, group discussions, and complete worksheets to...
Curated OER
The Bill of Rights and You
The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The lesson explains what the Bill of Rights is and how it applies to everyday life, like freedom of speech or the right to a jury trial. Young historians complete hands-on...
Smithsonian Institution
The American Presidency: Grades 4-6
An interesting unit explains the American presidency from the campaign trail all the way to the role of the president. Historians participate in discussions, create posters, conduct Internet research, and more to gain an understanding of...
iCivics
My County Works
A 22-page packet sheds light on the hard work taking place at a county's seat. Scholars read brief informational text and fill in information about their own county workers. Pages take you to a department around the county site each...
Judicial Learning Center
About Federal Judges: Qualifications of Judges
"Help Wanted: A Supreme Court Justice." What should be included in the ad? Learners ponder the question during a lively activity that asks them to examine the qualifications for various federal offices and then create job postings....
Judicial Learning Center
How to Create a Law
Laws affect everything from a scholar's favorite public park to rules in the classroom. Express the importance of lawmaking and teach how they relate to every facet of life with a resource on how a bill becomes a law.
Judicial Learning Center
Do You Know Your Bill of Rights?
The Bill of Rights is much more than an important piece of paper! The rights cover everything from freedom of speech to the right to remain silent if arrested. Scholars find out their own rights by answering the questions in the form of...
Children's Commissioner for Wales
Know Your Rights!
Children around the world enjoy a list of rights that protect their bodies, minds, families, and lifestyles. Review the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child with learners of all ages, and teach them all about their rights.
Newspaper Association of America
Game On: Constitution Activities for Elementary through High School
Who would've guessed that a document written over 200 years ago would still have a lot to teach us today? A set of folder games incorporates parts of a newspaper to teach about the Constitution and how it still applies to life today. The...
Newspaper Association of America
Using the Newspaper to Teach the Five Freedoms of the First Amendment
Of all the amendments found in The Bill of Rights, the First Amendment contains some of the most important freedoms for American citizens. A unit plan on the First Amendment features interactive lesson plans designed to teach about those...
US Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Day
Teaching class members all about the importance and meaning behind Veterans Day with an informative resource. Pupils complete a classroom activity guide and individual research to learn more about the brave men and women who defend the...
National Constitution Center
Abraham Lincoln's Crossroads
History enthusiasts participate in an interactive website that brings Abraham Lincoln to life as he shares his personal experiences between 1854-1864. Scholars listen and read carefully to form their own opinions and discover if they...
Our White House
The Our White House Inauguration Celebration Kit for Kids!
Get the youngest American citizens involved in the presidential election and inauguration with a set of social studies activities. Focusing on the history of presidential inauguration ceremonies, learners draft their own poems, design...
Advocates for Human Rights
Voices of Iraqi Refugees
The stated goal of this resource is to provide learners with basic facts about and build empathy for Iraqi refugees. To do so elementary classes develop a plan for how to welcome refugees to their classroom. Middle schoolers read...
Law for Kids
General Election Activity Booklet
It's never too early to practice smart voting! Gain practice voting in a general election using a booklet compiled of an assortment of activities including a word search, maze, graphing, and more!
Curated OER
The Presidents of the USA
Get an in-depth look into each of our United States presidents with an interactive website that offers details from their date of birth, to their presidetial legacy, and everything in between.
Freeology
Abraham Lincoln
Six witty quotes from Abraham Lincoln make up a worksheet that challenges scholars to examine the words and state their meaning in one to two sentences.
Mount Vernon
George Washington's Mount Vernon Virtual Tour
Take a tour to George Washington's Mount Vernon with the help of an interactive website that explores the property's ins and outs. Each stop offers an informational video, a detailed explanation, or a close-up image of the area in focus.
National Park Service
Help Lincoln Get to the White House
Though Abraham Lincoln rose to prominence in the White House, he began his life in an Indiana log cabin. Young Lincoln historians discover notable facts about the sixteenth president of the United States in a timeline interactive that...