How much power is too much power for the federal government? Scholars use primary documents and constitutional research in groups to analyze the creation of the Second National Bank under James Madison. This is the second lesson of a...

Social media and United States history combine as your young historians design a Facebook page for two major defendants of landmark Supreme Court cases. The resource includes a detailed rubric for research and page design, as well as a...

The contributions of African-Americans to the American Revolution are the focus of this Social Studies and language arts instructional activity. After reading and discussing Linda Crotta Brennan’s The Black Regiment of the American...

High schoolers learn about citizens who were actively involved in the civil rights movement, and the strategies they used to overcome the Jim Crow laws that were so prevalent in the 1960s. They investigate the voting amendments of the US...

Young scholars use the Internet to learn about the Constitution.  In this Constitutional Amendments lesson, students read and discuss the twenty seven amendments and work in groups to rewrite the amendments in their own words. ...

Students examine both the Preamble of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They work in small groups to connect the two documents and analyze how the documents are important to their lives today. They create a poster that visually...

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...

Eighth graders watch as their teacher presents information on the Constitution, government and laws through a PowerPoint presentation. In groups, they discuss the importance of government and laws and identify the main ideas in the...

Students brainstorm their rights as Americans. In this The Constitution Lives! lesson plan, students discern the difference between rights and rules by completing a worksheet. Students consider the differences between types of...

Students identify the basic freedoms of citizens in the United States.  In this Bill of Rights lesson, students act out scenarios about the Bill of Rights.  Students create a picture book describing the rights they've acted out.

Students study the Constitution and then in an interactive group activity create a "Second Constitutional Convention" specifically designed to evaluate and trim down the number of amendments.

High schoolers explore what the United States would be like today if the Bill of Rights had never been written.  In this exploring the constitution instructional activity, students research Supreme Court cases that were heard in the...

Students develop a strategy for furthering the First Amendment interest and knowledge in the school through posters, school-wide announcements, speakers, contests and more during the rest of the school year. Student research about free...

Students design colorful posters to "get out and vote" after studying the three amendments to the US Constitution that extend voting rights. They analyze the importance of voting to a healthy democracy.

Explore how the Civil War impacted the Civil Rights Movement. Class members complete a series of projects for a unit that uses a layered curriculum approach to learning. 

Students create a set of rights that promote safety and tolerance at the school site. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students read the U.N. Declaration on Rights of the Child. Student presenters lead a discussion of these rights and have...

What a creative and engaging project to incorporate into your studies of the 1920s! Your young historians will work in groups to design a magazine discussing the political and cultural topics of the decade, each member writing one...

Students examine the basic rights in their state's constitution. They vote on a class issue, analyze how an amendment is passed, develop a flow chart to demonstrate the steps, and write and illustrate a booklet about their basic rights.

Learners examine the US Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Supreme Court cases in order to broaden their understanding of the US Judicial System. They research a variety of textual and Internet resources to create a tri-fold brochure,...

Students shoot Bill of Rights videos. For this Bill of Rights lesson, students film digital segment that illustrate the meaning of the first 10 amendments. Students integrate the video clips into PowerPoint presentations.

Students are introduced to the Bill of Rights. After their introduction, they interview adults about the rights and create a list of them in their own words. They graph the results and analyze them and share their conclusions in a...

Eleventh graders examine the First Amendment.  In this US Government lesson, 11th graders analyze the scope and meaning of the first amendment.  Students conduct a survey on First Amendment freedoms.  Student evaluate the...

Students study the history of the Bill of Rights. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students read and use two handouts to learn about the history of the Bill of Rights. Students then work in groups to study the Bill of Rights. Students then...

Students study the Bill of Rights. As a class, they create a "School Bill of Rights," with amendments. Students discuss the difference between rights and responsibilities and examine Supreme Court decisions dealing with the first ten...