Curated OER
It's In Your Pocket
Students examine federal powers. In this U.S. Constitution lesson, students explore the powers of Congress to coin money. Students also study the meaning of the symbols on U.S. coins.
Curated OER
It's in Your Pocket
Students examine American coins. In this American currency lesson plan, students study how American money came to be as well as the responsibilities of the U.S. Mint. Students discover details regarding American coins and design their...
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The Drafts of the Declaration of Independence
Seventh graders compare drafts of the Declaration of Independence. For this primary source analysis lesson, 7th graders access copies of Thomas Jefferson's original draft of the document and compare it the final document that gave birth...
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A Five-Step Plan for the Ohio Country and the Northwest Territory
Students complete five worksheets which correspond to the five problems the American government faced and the five solutions they instituted, accompany this lesson. They select and research one of the steps in this plan and write a...
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Secession: A Southern Perspective
Eighth graders determine how secession impacted South Carolina as well as the United States. In this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders examine selected primary and secondary sources in order to study the state's sovereignty and the...
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National and Regional Identity
Students examine state quarters to identify symbols that represent national and regional identity. They discuss the process used to determine what is put on the quarter. They review colonial money, and euros to look for cultural images.
Curated OER
The Federalist Debates: Balancing Power Between State and Federal Governments
Middle schoolers explain the basic positions of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. They chart the differences and similarities between state and federal governments. They write a persuasive essay in response to an open-ended...
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Avast Ye Mateys: Learning About Blackbeard the Pirate
Students participate in an on-line scavenger hunt to explore a collection of information associated with pirates and Blackbeard.
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A More Perfect Union
Fourth graders complete a unit of lessons on the development of the U.S. government. They examine the main ideas of the Declaration of Independence, develop a class translation of the preamble to the Constitution, create a flow chart,...
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Documents and Symbols and American Freedom
Students complete a unit of lessons on the documents, symbols, and famous people involved in the founding of the U.S. government. They create a personal bill of rights, write a found poem, design a flag, conduct research, and role-play...
Curated OER
Birth of a Nation
Fifth graders portray one of the actual framers of the Constitution. They summarize each class period with a journal entry and culminate the experience with the actual framing and signing (or not signing) of the Constitution.
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Decisions, Decisions: The Constitution
Eighth graders, after working with the software Decisions, Decisions: The Constitution, become face to face with the dilemmas, compromises, and struggles of writing the American Constitution. Each student is evaluated on how well they...
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19 Chains and 50 Links
Learners investigate surveys as it relates to chains and links. In this math lesson, students relate math to history and surveys done above, below and on the earths' surface. They review vocabulary pertaining to this lesson before moving...
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The Three Branches of Government
Sixth graders discover details about the 3 branches of government. In this primary source analysis lesson, 6th graders examine documents and images from the Library of Congress to investigate the structure of the U.S. government.
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Federalism
Students become familiar with the Federalist papers and the work of the federal government. In this federalism lesson plan, students find similarities and differences between state and federal government.
Curated OER
Jefferson vs. Franklin: Revolutionary Philosophers
Students examine the contributions of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson to American Independence. In small groups, they conduct Internet research, read and discuss primary source documents, and complete a chart.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Learning About Our Government
learners about the organization of our nation's government. They are introduced to the three branches of American government and the responsibilities of each. They discuss the requirements for becoming President.
Curated OER
Shays’ Rebellion: A Massachusetts Farmer’s Account
High schoolers analyze the effects of Shays' Rebellion. In this Shays' Rebellion lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding the details of the rebellion and the events that led to it. High schoolers respond...
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The Three Branches of Government
Seventh graders discover details about the responsibilities of the 3 branches of government in the United States. For this checks and balances lesson, 7th graders view a SMART Board supported lecture that reveals the jobs of the...
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The Legislative Branch
Students identify and describe the key terms as they relate to the Legislative Branch. Students describe how members of Congress are selected, how laws are created, and two of the limits on powers of Congress.
Curated OER
Government Lesson Plan: Lesson 1
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.
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Our System of Checks and Balances
Pupils study the governmental system of checks and balances between the individual branches. The balances are reviewed and the goal of the lesson is to develop and answer the question, "What are some ways the three branches of our...
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Surveying: 19 Chains and 50 Links
Through an interdisciplinary lesson, emerging engineers explore the history of surveying systems. After discussing various systems, they perform surveys on printable pages. Using their geometric skills, they physically stake out plots...
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Currency Depreciation
Eighth graders engage in the study of monetary currency while conducting research that focuses upon the time period of the Revolutionary War. The research is used to set the context for a class play. They pretend their is an auction and...