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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Preamble to the Constitution: How Do You Make a More Perfect Union?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students analyze the Preamble of the Constitution and identify the historical context that led to its wording. They, in groups, interpret phrases from the Preamble, examine relevant court cases and create illustrations for their portion...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

May The Best Character Win

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine the financial committment to running a campaign. They discuss the difference between electroal and popular votes. They realize how involved a political campaign is!
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Respect

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Investigate "respect" with your class. They will participate in a think/share activity in which they complete sentence starters about their personal experience with "respect." Then they view a video clip in which Holocaust survivors...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Martin Luther King Jr. and Nonviolence

For Teachers K - 5th
Using the book, Martin's Big Words, learners will discover the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Vocabulary is identified throughout the story by using several his famous protest speeches as examples. Class discussions on racism, during...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Blank Jeopardy

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Games are a great way to motivate learners to internalize information.. Using this PowerPoint which is in a Jeopardy format, students can review map skills and facts about the Civil War, famous places, and our government. This is a handy...
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Unit Plan
Carolina K-12

Active Citizenship in After School

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
Active citizenship is the bedrock of any great democracy. Continue the trend by teaching the next generation about voting rights and the functions of elections in society. The variety of activities in the resource includes a human...
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Unit Plan
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A&E Television

Documenting Democracy: Lesson Plans on the United States Constitution

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Balance and compromise. Class members come to understand the importance of these concepts as they investigate the concerns of the various stakeholders and how the format of the Constitution addressed these concerns.
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Lesson Plan
Newseum

Introduction to the First Amendment: What’s a Violation?

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Young historians take an in-depth look at the five freedoms granted by the First Amendment. Groups apply their knowledge of the freedoms to a series of scenarios to decide if the depicted actions represent a violation of the amendment.
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Lesson Plan
Judicial Branch of California

Balancing Act: The Three Branches

For Teachers 5th Standards
What do hula hoops and the American system of government have in common? Using hands-on station activities, pupils consider the roles of the three branches of government. A script for teachers and writing prompts help round out a...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Around the World with First Lady Pat Nixon

For Teachers 3rd - 9th
Travel the world with the First Lady!  Academics study images from Pat Nixon's travels as First Lady to discover her role in Richard Nixon's presidency. Historians match images to world locations, complete a worksheet, and participate in...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Election of 1800

For Teachers 5th - 8th
The 2020 election is not the only unpredictable one in history. The Election of 1800 highlighted an unforeseen event in a presidential election. The activity reviews documents from the elections and what happened when the electoral...
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Activity
US Department of Commerce

Apportionment: Grades 3-4

For Teachers 3rd - 4th Standards
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...
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Lesson Plan
Judicial Branch of California

The U.S. Constitution Bill of Rights

For Teachers 4th Standards
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...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Judicial Branch of California

Articles of Confederation…Well, They Were Trying!

For Teachers 5th Standards
Different currencies, multiple armies, unreliable protection from thieves: class members experience these challenges playing a game that demonstrates life under the Articles of Confederation. After playing the game—which takes them on a...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Judicial Branch of California

Our Government Today…What A System!

For Teachers 5th Standards
A group of citizens in North Canada has decided to leave their country, and they are asking for help in setting up an American-style democracy. Using a carefully structured activity, pupils lay out the principles in the American...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Judicial Branch of California

Public Service Announcement: Civic Responsibility

For Teachers 5th
Get your message across. Scholars use their prior knowledge and artistic skills to create public service announcements. The project is designed to explain the importance of civic harmony and the responsibility of all citizens to...
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Lesson Plan
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Judicial Branch of California

Defining Civic Duty and Participation

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
A instructional activity, geared toward older elementary scholars, combines art with social studies to explain the purpose of civic duty and how to encourage others in the community to participate. Academics create advertising campaigns...
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Lesson Plan
Judicial Branch of California

Planet Fourth Grade is Researching the U.S. Constitution

For Teachers 4th Standards
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. 
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Lesson Plan
Judicial Branch of California

The Constitution: What It Says and What It Means

For Teachers 5th Standards
Learners get the chance to act as representatives to the Constitution Convention, and must decide whether or not to recommend your state ratify the new framework. After examining the Constitution line-by-line, they consider their...
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Lesson Plan
Judicial Branch of California

The Power of the Press: The First Amendment

For Teachers 5th Standards
Was what happened in 1886 at the Haymarket riot a crime or a case of xenophobia? Using political cartoons from the time, young historians consider the role the media played in anti-labor sentiment during the time and how that influenced...
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Lesson Plan
Judicial Branch of California

Constitution Hall of Fame

For Teachers 5th Standards
Using a tableau activity, class members consider who they want to include in a Hall of Fame to honor the framer of the Constitution. Other activities include using a tableau to act out the various sections of the Constitution and related...
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Lesson Plan
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Judicial Branch of California

Where We Fit In: The Judicial Branch

For Teachers 5th - 6th
An interesting resource addresses the role of youth in civic participation and community events. It also explains the role of the justice system in creating boundaries and how citizens play a part in the judicial process.  Pupils listen...
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Lesson Plan
National Constitution Center

Separation of Powers

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Bill of Rights and You

For Teachers 4th - 6th
The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The instructional activity 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...