Curated OER
The President's Roles and Responsibilities: Communicating with the President
Students examine the roles and responsibilities of the U.S. president and their own roles as citizens of a democracy. They explore various websites, listen to a State of the Union address, and write a letter to the President of the...
Curated OER
Reflections on Judicial Power - Part I
Learners research the Constitutional provision for the Judicial branch of government. They examine different U.S. founder's positions on the relative strength of the judicial branch and act as a review court for Marbury vs. Madison.
Curated OER
You and the Judicial System
High schoolers explore how the structure of the state and federal judicial systems affect them. They select an appropriate media and create a presentation on the structure of the judicial system, the criminal judicial system and a guide...
Curated OER
New Supreme Court Justice Sworn In
Students react to a series of statements about the Supreme Court, then read a news article about the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and...
Curated OER
Lesson 2: The Tired King
Students are introduced to the three functions of government (legislative, judicial, and executive). They read and discuss a story about an overworked king who must handle all the tasks of government. Students give a description of the...
Curated OER
Branches of US Government
Students research the responsibilities of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. In this U.S. government lesson, students research the jobs of those in each branch and present their finding to their classmates.
Curated OER
How the Court Became Supreme
Students investigate how the Supreme Court changed under the leadership of John Marshall. In this Supreme Court lesson, students recognize the role of the Supreme Court as well as the significance of Marbury v. Madison. Students also...
Curated OER
Fair Judgment
Learners consider the demands of the judicial process and work in small groups to write editorials in response to the one that is read in class. For homework, they grade a television judge and write reflective essays.
Curated OER
Michigan Judicial System Conclusion
Learners identify the courts that make up Michigan's judicial system. They state the responsibilities of each court and diagram a flow chart of how a case moves to the Michigan Supreme Court. They participate in a quiz about the current...
American Bar Association
What Is Separation of Powers?
Who has the power? Scholars investigate the creation of the three branches of government in the United States Constitution. They analyze just why the framers created the branches the way they did.
Curated OER
The Three Branches of Government
Students write about working in one branch of government. In this branches of government lesson, students read about the three levels of government using various websites and then work in groups to discuss, illustrate and write...
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Parental Accountability and Public Policy
Students investigate parental responsibility for the actions of their Students. They compare the responsibility in the State of Washington and the rest of the country.
Curated OER
Executive Decisions
Students explore the role of judges in Britain. In this current events lesson, students visit selected websites to discover the responsibilities of judges and the justice reform in Britain.
Judicial Learning Center
Your 1st Amendment Rights
Why should classes care about the First Amendment? An engaging lesson serves as a powerful tool for answering just that. As all four cases in the lesson relate directly to freedom of expression in schools, young scholars explore the...
Judicial Learning Center
Your 4th Amendment Rights
Americans love to learn about their rights, especially those that protect them from the government's power to invade their privacy. Young people are especially engaged by this topic. An informative lesson explores four Supreme Court...
Judicial Learning Center
Getting Ready for Trial
A courtroom can be a scary place for the uninitiated. Get familiar with the process using a helpful overview of the activities that take place prior to both civil and criminal cases. The lesson explains the differences between...
Curated OER
American History Through the Len of the Supreme Court Decisions
Students examine the historical background of Supreme Court decisions and the basic principles behind legislation. As part of the lesson, students discover legal concepts and terms and write sentences using the vocabulary they have...
Curated OER
Branching Out
Students research structure, function and primary responsibilities of each office of the Executive branch, create a chart displaying their research.
Curated OER
United States Pride
Third graders learn the responsibility of citizenship and learn facts about a state they choose to research.
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Ohio Statehouse History
Fourth graders examine the history of the Ohio Statehouse and order the major historical events in its development. The lesson traces the development from the time of Ohio's vast wilderness to the house's completion in 1861.
Curated OER
Supreme Court Newspaper
Students examine the purpose and responsibilities of the Supreme Court and its justices. In groups, they research a specific case and identify how the Supreme Court affects their lives. Using the information they find, they create a...
Curated OER
How Government Works and the Rights of the People
Eighth graders identify how to be responsible citizens. In this civics lesson, 8th graders review websites of congressional members and then create questionnaires about the responsibilities of citizens.
Curated OER
Geography of the Hill
Middle schoolers explore the basic functions of Canadian government, who is responsible for each function and where the officials associated with each function work.
Curated OER
Words That Hold Court
Students research legal terminology used in the Supreme Court. In this legal terminology lesson plan, students study a quote from President Obama about the Supreme Court. Students make a list of facts about the Supreme Court and the...