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...

Why is it important for judges to operate independently of politics or other branches of government? Scholars ponder the question as they examine video clips, case studies, excerpts of the US Constitution, and an interactive computer...

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 lesson is extremely...

"Help Wanted: A Supreme Court Justice." What should be included in the ad? Learners ponder the question during a lively activity that asks them to examine the qualifications for various federal offices and then create job postings....

In an engaging activity on universal and unalienable rights, learners work in groups to establish a democratic nation and determine what principles they want to protect to ensure a democratic society. They conduct a "rights auction" in...

Fourth graders study women's involvement in Texas politics. In this US history lesson, 4th graders discuss woman suffrage, examine three Texas female pioneer legislators by reading biographies, and explore women's issues by generating a...

Students study the US Constitution, The Bill of Rights, and other amendments. They investigate the people who obtained the Bill of Rights and play a game based on their studies.

Students simulate the Constitutional Convention. They describe how the members of the Constitutional Convention might have felt as they gathered and began the arduous and memorable task of writing the United States Constitution .

Twelfth graders examine the background of democratic and authoritative rule in Haiti. In pairs they conduct a simulated interview, reporting for a news station about the political, personal, and economical life in Haiti. They conduct...

Learners view a Reader's Theater focusing on the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The story is used as a springboard into a videotaped mock trial of Gold E. Locks developed by the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). They...

Students conduct research into looking at a free-speech issue. They role play the events surrounding a court case. The instructional activity includes guiding questions to help create context and determine areas of further study. The...

Some of us never feel like we know how to do our taxes! Help scholars understand the process early by using an informative resource. They fill out their own tax forms in a simulation activity and view multiple resources to learn even...

Students answer preview questions about different terms to describe African Americans. In this Black Nationalism lesson, students listen to background information on Marcus Garvey, then read an editorial by Garvey on the Return to...

Here is an interesting topic. Learners examine the economics that led to the founding of the First Bank of America. They participate in a reader's theater experience depicting the debate between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson...

High schoolers participate in a mock trial. Given the scenario, students prepare a cases concerning the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and the right to assemble. In groups, high schoolers prepare an opening and closing...

Students discuss the issue of tribal/native nation sovereignty. They review the Constitution of the U.S. and discuss how it legally provides for sovereign nations. Then they participate in a mock trial of the 1823 Supreme Court Case...

Young scholars determine the areas of New Jersey and the US that are likely to have high radon concentrations. Students draw a map of their own neighborhood that show soil associations in their neighborhood.

Learners examine the issue of tribal sovereignty for Native Americans. Following a mock trial simulation based on the case of Johnson v. McIntosh, they write opinion papers based on the results of the Supreme Court decision in 1823.