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...

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...

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.

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 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.

Ben Franklin was the only American to sign The Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Alliance with France, the Treaty of Paris, and the US Constitution. An interesting resource explores his role in the latter by comparing the US...

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 determine whether the Constitution should be ratified. In this U.S. Constitution lesson, students research the roles of famous Federalists and Antifederalists in order to prepare them to participate in a classroom simulation...

Fifth graders read a rewritten version of the Declaration of Independence, create a set of pictures illustrating the Preamble of the Constitution and create a version of the Declaration of Independence in the form of a song, a poem,...

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...

US history classes will enjoy the challenge of a cut-and-paste activity in which they put various historical events in chronological order. The worksheet provides space for learners to write details about each event, which could be...

Students describe the ideas found in the core democratic values. In groups, they design and create a brochure explaining how the values relate to other ideas that Americans accept as a nation. They share what they know with with...

Students use both electronic and traditional resources to research information about U.S. Constitution, answer questions pertaining to Congress and the Presidency, and design HyperStudio presentation to display answers to research...

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

Eighth graders use information found in their textbooks to create flip charts containing information about Articles of Confederation, U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, English Bill of Rights, House of Burgesses, Magna Carta, and...

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...

Students create their own HyperStudio cards which include scanned images of at least one member (designated reader) of each group. They add the text of a predetermined amendment. The designated reader then reads the selected amendment.

Students complete a unit of lessons on the documents, symbols, and famous people involved in the founding of the U.S. government. They create a personal bill of rights, write a found poem, design a flag, conduct research, and role-play...

Young historians take a close look at the most famous patriotic symbols of the United States and determine what they actually stand for. Symbols such as Uncle Sam, The Statue of Liberty, The Bald Eagle, and The Liberty Bell are studied....

Can a negative perception of a president's foreign policy harm his or her historical legacy? A project that winds the clock back to the date of Theodore Roosevelt's death puts students at the editorial desk of a fictional newspaper....

Students examine human rights abuses in thirty countries, specifically explore abuses in Dominican Republic's Trujillo regime, research one country with significant human rights abuses, use Preamble to U.S. Constitution as measure of...

Students identify the basic freedoms of citizens in the United States.  In this Bill of Rights instructional activity, students act out scenarios about the Bill of Rights.  Students create a picture book describing the rights...

Fifth graders discuss different facts about the election process and the US Constitution. They work in groups to create their own political parities with specific platforms and act out elections.

Students explore values that unite Americans. In this government lesson, students recall the symbols of America and discuss how to create a "Classroom Constitution." Students form rules and write their own Constitution.