The political system of the European Union is historically unique and has been constantly evolving. To better understand the structure of the EU, class members compare the EU's branches to those of the United States Federal Government.

The Supreme Court gets all the glory, but very few federal cases make it to the highest court. An interesting lesson explores the structure of the lower levels of the federal court system. In addition to outlining the organization of...

Students identify the branches of Indiana's judicial system and determine the differences between the different courts and different types of cases. Students create a flow chart showing how a court case works its way through the legal...

Students 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 to the...

The process of nominating and confirming federal judges can sound like a lot of bureaucratic hoops, but a resource breaks down the steps of the Supreme Court nominations in a simpler manner. Learners participate in four activities that...

Students examine the United States Constitution and how the application for due process differs in two amendments. They research the changing definition of the term since the Civil War. They use the internet to research press coverage of...

Students research the branches of government and write summaries about both the state and federal systems. After conducting reaserch in texts and online, students create Venn diagrams displaying the governmental functions of the three...

Twelfth graders survey how controversial court cases have changed the viewpoints of civil rights.  In this U.S. Government lesson, 12th graders work in small groups to prepare summaries of specific court cases, then present their...

To launch a study of civil rights, class members brainstorm rules and expectations of behaviors at home, in school, in the workplace, and in sports. They then look at civil rights cases and examine the rules embedded in these cases. 

Students identify the powers of national and state governments. They evaluate the balance of national versus state power. They utilize worksheets imbedded in this plan to gain a deeper perspective of how the government powers are separated.

Students explore the branches of government. In this U. S. Constitution lesson, students examine the system of checks and balances in the U.S. plan of government as they read the document and define vocabulary words.

Students explore and identify the power of national and state governments. They discuss the concept of federalism and the distribution of governmental powers. As a class, they examine the balance of power between the federal and state...

This document provides useful information for a unit on democracy in China. While it does not include detailed activities, it does have a list of democratic principles, and important facts about China that facilitate understanding of its...

Young scholars identify Fairfax County government as council-manager government, describe term of office held by members of Board of Supervisors and districts they represent, how Chairman of Board of Supervisors is elected and term and...

Students examine the difference between a jury trial and a bench trial. They discuss any protections that the Indiana and United States Constitution offers its citizens. They use the internet to research any current press of jury trials.

Learners compare and contrast the American system of government with that of Brazil. They research how the Brazilian govenment functions.

Eighth graders research capital punishment and then type a six paragraph paper.