Curated OER
Civil Rights: An Investigation
High schoolers take a closer look at the political side of the American Civil Rights Movement. In this 20th century American history lesson, students research the contributions of President Johnson, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and J....
California Department of Education
Learning the Skills to Pay the Bills
Is CTE the right choice for me? Introduce the class to career and technical education through an exploratory lesson, fourth in a series of six career readiness activities. After an introductory video, scholars determine possible careers...
Annenberg Foundation
The New Nation
The conclusion of the American Revolution brought about a new conflict—choosing the stye of government for the newly formed United States. Using the views of both Federalists and Anti-Federalists, learners work in pairs and groups to...
Curated OER
Social Studies: Vocabulary
Build vocabulary and have a class discussion. Use this PowerPoint to illustrate concepts of Early American History, including, Bill of Rights, Supreme Court, elections, and the Constitution. Note: Each slide has only a single vocabulary...
Curated OER
Constitutional Resources
Students explore the REpublican Era and the writing of the constitution and Billof Rights through various links and activities included in this collection.
Curated OER
American English 2
In this American English 2 worksheet, students match the fifteen British English words on the left with the fifteen American English equivalent words on the right.
Curated OER
Civil Rights
Students are introduced to the concept of Civil Rights. In groups, they use a timeline of the Navajo tribe to identify the ways the tribe has made advances in Civil Rights throughout the years. To end the lesson, they take notes and...
Curated OER
The Constitution of the United States
Students explore the Web site provided to answer questions about The Constitution of the United States. They write the missing word of words in the blanks. Students use this Scavenger Hunt to help familiarize themselves with the...
Curated OER
Are We Free Yet?
Students read excerpts from several Freedom Documents, evaluate amount of freedom guaranteed by each document, and rank documents on scale to determine which grant greatest and least amount of personal freedom.
Curated OER
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,...
Curated OER
The Glorious Revolution, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution
Students relate the Glorious Revolution, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution through web based research and scenarios.
Curated OER
Fairness: Incarceration of Japanese Americans During World War II
Young scholars examine fairness in relation to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. In this equality lesson, students watch a video "Rabbit in the Moon" and discuss what happened to the Japanese Americans during WWII....
Curated OER
Who’s Got Rights? An Introduction to Human Rights and Human Rights Defenders
Learners explore human rights issues. For this social justice lesson, students examine human rights as they read segments of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights," discuss photographs with human rights implications, and play a...
Curated OER
Significance of Individuals to Defending Human Rights
Eleventh graders examine four different kinds of human rights. In this American Government lesson plan, 11th graders research the assigned human right in their groups. Students create a presentation about this human right to...
Curated OER
Justice in America
Eleventh graders analyze primary sources for evidence of intent and purpose. In this American government lesson, 11th graders compose a one-page response explaining their understanding of "justice." Students read and examine quotes about...
Curated OER
Rights and Responsibilities
Young scholars focus on the rights and responsibilities of being an American citizen as they develop a T-chart and discuss the topic.
Curated OER
American Revolution Worksheet
In this American Revolution worksheet, students complete a nine multiple choice question quiz based on facts of the Revolutionary War.
Curated OER
From a New Nation to a Divided Nation
Quiz your students or prepare them for the big exam with this presentation. Included are 24 multiple choice questions related to Early American Government, The Colonial Period, Westward Expansion, and State Formation.
Curated OER
Journey to Topaz, a Literature Based Approach
Students view a video clip of the experiences of Japanese-Americans during World War II. They read parts of a book in which a child tells her story about living in the internment camps. They participate in a simulation activity as well.
National Constitution Center
Born in the U.S.A: Music as Political Protest
Though often used in shows of patriotism, Bruce Springsteen's 1985 song "Born in the U.S.A." is critical of America's role in the Vietnam war and its treatment of American veterans. High schoolers analyze the song's lyrics in an activity...
Teaching Tolerance
Understanding the Prison Label
Break the chain. An engaging lesson plan examines why it is so hard to break free of the prison system in the US. Academics participate in a reader's theater, read primary sources, and discuss their thoughts. The lesson plan explains the...
Teaching Tolerance
Parallels Between Mass Incarceration and Jim Crow
Is history repeating itself? A riveting lesson examines the parallels between mass incarceration in the U.S. and the Jim Crow Laws of the past. Academics review Jim Crow Laws and compare them to mass incarcerations of African Americans....
Judicial Branch of California
Balancing Act: The Three Branches
What do hula hoops and the American system of government have in common? Using hands-on station activities, pupils consider the roles of the three branches of government. A script for teachers and writing prompts help round out a...
National Endowment for the Humanities
A Day for the Constitution
The "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day" law requires schools receiving any federal funding to provide educational programming on the history of the American Constitution. The lesson plans, materials, videos, questions, and activities...