As part of a study of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, class members examine four Supreme Court decisions—Gitlow v. New York, Mapp v. Ohio, Gideon v. Wainwright, and Griswold v. Connecticut—that incorporated the due...

Students investigate the Exclusionary Rule and other ways of to enforce the protections found in the Bill of Rights. They study how effective criminal control and public safety is carried out while citizens Constitutional rights are...

The Fair Play Act of 2009 came about due to the actions of one woman. Young historians research Lilly Ledbetter and what she went through to get pay equal to that paid to men for the same work at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. The...

So many US Constitution clauses, so little time. The 17th installment in a 20-part series teaches pupils about the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Amendments. Learning through activities such as group work, connecting to current events, and...

Here is a wonderful way to introduce your learners to the Fifth Amendment of the Bill of Rights. There are 16 questions designed to generate thinking and discussion questions about the Fifth Amendment. This activity is extremely...

Students examine the intent  Bill of Rights. In this American government lesson, students watch segments of the Discovery video "The Bill of Rights."  Students discuss and debate the 4 Supreme Court cases featured in the video.

High schoolers use the Internet to read a brief description of Magna Carta (link provided). They "walk through" the document with the teacher, identifying four major themes. Students read and discuss "The Rhetoric of Rights: Americans...

Students explore the concept of "reasonable doubt" in our criminal court system and compare it to "preponderance of the evidence" in the civil court system. They discuss the trials of OJ Simpson and other historical criminal defendants.

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 scientists study light reflection and refraction as they determine the critical angle, the rainbow angle, and color separation in rainbows. Teams record the data they collect in a shared spreadsheet and discuss results with the class.

Students read the document " The Recent Tragedy at Harry Cole's Rum Saloon" and sing the song. They decide if the actions taken by Mrs. Jere Swett were proper.

Twelfth graders explore citizenship. They discuss what makes a person a citizen of a country. Students examine the differences between resident aliens and naturalized citizens. They discuss the process for becoming a citizen and decide...