Fifth graders debate the issue of school uniforms. They research, finding supporting evidence supporting their stance. Using the Lincoln-Douglas form of debate, 5th graders discuss the positive and negative issues of the topic. They...

Need topics that are sure to engage your debaters? This list of public policy questions includes such topics as school mascots, regulation of major league baseball, physician-assisted suicide, and violence in video games. A great...

Young scholars utilize an interactive map to explore the 1858 Senate campaign in Illinois. They examine how factors such as population, transportation, and party strongholds can affect campaign strategies. Students write an essay...

Students take a closer look at the election of Abraham Lincoln. In this historical analysis lesson, students analyze letters, political cartoons, and campaign materials from Lincoln's campaign. Analysis worksheets are included.

Students examine the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. In this Abraham Lincoln lesson plan, students analyze the political and constitutional issues that Lincoln dealt with during his time in the White House as they play an online game and...

Young scholars read selections from the Declaration of Independence, Northwest Ordinance of 1787, and the Wilmot Proviso of 1846. They contrast the maps of 1820 and 1854 to analyze developments in the national debate over slavery. They...

Eleventh graders explore arguments surrounding Abraham Lincoln's opposition to the Mexican War. They compare the arguments surrounding Lincoln's opposition to war with those surrounding war protestors during the Persian Gulf War in 1991.

Why did Stephen Douglas support the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854? Why did Abraham Lincoln oppose it? Young historians examine how the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 affected the political balance between free and slave states and explore how...

Young scholars examine the political alternatives regarding the spread of slavery and the preservation of the American union facing the American people in the decade leading up to the 1860 presidential election.

Students examine Lincoln's life. In this U.S. history activity, students examine facts about Abraham Lincoln and then complete 6 extension activities that require them to complete research regarding the Civil War.

Students use a primary source of a political cartoon to set the context for a lesson. They answer key questions in writing or orally. Students conduct a class discussion about the issue to stimulate higher order thinking skills like...