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Lesson Plan
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PBS

Constitution Day

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Travel back to 1787 as young scholars investigate the creation of the US Constitution. After first working in small groups to create sets of classroom rules, young scholars go on to read a summary of the Constitution and watch a short...
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Lesson Plan4:55
3
3
Curated OER

Our Classroom Constitution

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Develop a system of classroom rules created by the kids, for the kids with this three-part lesson series on the US Constitution. After learning about the structure of the Constitution and the government it established, young scholars...
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Activity
Constitutional Rights Foundation

How the First State Constitutions Helped Build the U.S. Constitution

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Did you know that the United States Constitution was adopted after many state constitutions were already in place? Young scholars examine facts about the influence of states through an informative and interesting resource. Groups then...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

A Day for the Constitution

For Teachers 6th - 12th
The "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day" law requires schools receiving any federal funding to provide educational programming on the history of the American Constitution. The lesson plans, materials, videos, questions, and activities...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Constitution Day

For Teachers 6th - 12th
September 17, Constitution Day so named because that was the day in 1787, that 39 men signed the Constitution, is the focus of a series of activities designed to simulate a Constitutional convention and open a study of the US Constitution.
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Lesson Plan
Federal Reserve Bank

Constitutionality of a Central Bank

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Considering the expressed and implied powers of Congress, was it constitutional for the United States to establish the Second National Bank in the early nineteenth century? What is the constitutionality of the Federal Reserve System?
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Lesson Plan
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C-SPAN

How A Bill Becomes A Law

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Seven steps are required for a bill to become a United States law. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201) is used as a model for the process of how a bill becomes a law.  Class members work independently through a Google...
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Lesson Plan
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Center for Civic Education

The Power of Nonviolence: Rosa Parks: A Quest for Equal Protection Under the Law

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Teach young historians about the historical legacy of Rosa Parks with a multi-faceted lesson plan. Pupils follow stations and use journals to explore prominent events, analyze primary resource documents, and engage in interesting...
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Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

The Rule of Law

For Teachers 8th Standards
What functions do laws serve in our society? Your learners will be guided through several interactive activities to address this question, and to consider the impact of rule of law in American society.
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Lesson Plan
C-SPAN

Should Your State Modify Its Voter Registration Laws and Methods for Submitting a Ballot?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What is the balance between democracy and security? Using articles and videos that examine state voting procedures, learners explore the difficult question. After looking at voting regulations in their state and nationally, they consider...
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Lesson Plan
Eau Claire Area School District

Intellectual Property Lesson Plans

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Fair use, intellectual property, public domain ... what does it all mean? Scholars act as judges to determine if different scenarios constitute fair use. They also advance their research skills by practicing paraphrasing and citing...
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Lesson Plan
iCivics

Limiting Government

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
While this lesson includes several nice worksheets to identify and discuss the various limits on government (i.e. a constitution, the rule of law, separation of powers, consent of the governed, etc.), its main value lies in a case study...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Bill of Rights is for US Today

For Teachers 7th - 9th
The first ten Amendments of the U.S. Constitution are vital for young people to understand. Provide the foundation of the laws that govern our country with this junior high school lesson. Groups use the newspaper to identify rights...
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Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

Declaration of Independence

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Give budding historians a guided exploration of the Declaration of Independence, historic photos, videos, and more as they deepen their understanding of the American Revolution and the attitude of the colonists leading up to the war.
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Lesson Plan
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C-SPAN

Presidential Birth Requirement

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Every president of the United States must be a natural-born citizen, but the definition of natural-born is not as straightforward as it seems. Secondary scholars examine two points of view surrounding the constitutional requirement and...
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Lesson Plan
1
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City University of New York

Jim Crow and the Fight for Civil Rights

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
The history of voting rights in America has always been rocky, especially in the time period after the Civil War. Learn about the ways that Jim Crow laws affected the voting rights of African Americans with a lesson featuring primary...
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Unit Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Lesson 2: Chief Executives Compared: The Federalist Papers

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Fix the Articles of Confederation or develop a new constitution? That was the question facing the Founding Fathers. Several of those in favor of a new constitution published a series of essays, collected in the Federalist Papers, urging...
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Lesson Plan
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University of California

The Civil War: Secession of the South

For Students 8th Standards
Was the Southern states' decision to secede from the Union protected by the United States Constitution? Eighth graders discuss the constitutionality of the South's justification for secession, particularly the secession of South...
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Interactive
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iCivics

Branches of Power

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Learners take on the roles of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government in the United States and work to develop public policy issues and ideas into laws in this engaging and well-designed online interactive.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Double Jeopardy Clause: A Fifth Amendment Constitution Trivia Game

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Here is a wonderful way to introduce your learners to the Fifth Amendment of the Bill of Rights. There are 16 questions designed to generate thinking and discussion questions about the Fifth Amendment. This lesson is extremely...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Chief Executives Compared: The Federalist Papers

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Delve into the responsibilities of the president by looking at President Hamilton's opinion of the presidential office in his own words. The second in a three-part series, the resource also offers an interesting compare-and-contrast...
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Lesson Plan
Friends of Fort McHenry

Privateers in the War of 1812: Soldiers or Thieves?

For Teachers 8th Standards
Do governments have the right to authorize individuals to perform illegal acts during times of war? Did the US government really employ pirates? Use the War of 1812 as your vessel to answering these questions through class discussion and...
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Lesson Plan
State Bar of Texas

Marbury v. Madison

For Teachers 8th Standards
Who has the final say in matters dealing with the rules under the United States Constitution? The case Marbury v. Madison brings to light the issue of judicial review. Learners investigate the Supreme Court's opinion in the case with a...
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Lesson Plan
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Teaching Tolerance

Using Photographs to Teach Social Justice | Legal Action: The Supreme Court

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
A social justice lesson focuses on the Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia which struck down laws that prohibited marriages between African Americans and white Americans. The lesson begins with class members examining a photograph of...

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