Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Government Lesson Plan 11

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students apply United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the United States Constitution to contemporary situations, and predict possible United Nations responses to violations of the UDHR.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

America responds to Dred Scott

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders examine the reactions Americans had to the Dred Scott decision.  In this American History lesson, 11th graders read editorials from newspapers.  Students analyze these editorials and audio tapes from that...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Nez Perce and the Dawes Act

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore westward expansion in the United States. In this US History lesson, 11th graders watch the epic struggle of the Nez Perce. Students evaluate how a variety of Americans viewed Nez Perce through a role play. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How the West was Won? Conflict and Change on the Western Frontier

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders assess the conflict and change that occurred in the westward expansion following the Civil War. They list specific reasons why different groups moved west and the interaction between the "white" European civilization and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring the Life of a Slave

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore importance of abolitionists who worked to advance freedoms of black Americans prior to/during Reconstruction era, read and identify key concepts in Frederick Douglass's narrative, recognize how Douglass's slave...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Dream and an Idea: Searching for a Roadmap to Create a Country

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students listen in on American historical events. In this colonial America lesson, students participate in an activity that requires them to watch video segments that feature Revolutionary War battles and the Constitutional Convention....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The United States Flag

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Students investigate the history of the United States flag. In this civics lesson, students read handouts regarding the flag and its history. Students also read and discuss the Federal Flag Code.
Interactive
Curated OER

The U. S. Constitution (1)

For Students 9th - 12th
In this online interactive American history activity, students answer 10 multiple choice questions regarding the U. S. Constitution. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
Unit Plan
Curated OER

The White House or Bust: How Americans Elect Their President

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Students explain the presidential duties and who is eligible to run for president. In this The White House or Bust article, students complete a map of the electoral college. In addition students analyze historical campaign posters....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dorothea Lange and the Relocation of Japanese Americans

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students analyze a photograph and translate the analysis into words. They explain and explain the impact of governmental decisions made during a specific historical time period.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Democracy Sense

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students define democracy and distinguish representative from direct or pure democracy. Then, with the focus on representative government, students will discuss and trace voting patterns in the United States.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alexander Hamilton and the Roots of Federalism

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Explore the origin of political parties in the United States. Learners work in groups to read and analyze copies of the "Report on Manufactures" written by Alexander Hamilton. Then, they complete a worksheet comparing the Federalists to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pioneering Principles: Why Character Matters

For Teachers 6th - 8th
What does it mean to "be of good character"? What are the qualities that define such a person? The 1825 Colonization Law of Coahuila y Texas required that all new immigrants into Mexican Texas present documentation that they were of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Design of Fort McHenry: The Star Fort

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
What makes an effective fort, and why might a city feel that they need such a structure? Your young historians will explore the purpose and design for Fort McHenry, and build their own models of a fort based on the information they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Robert Coles’ The Story of Ruby Bridges forms the basis of this powerful cross-curricular study of civic education and civic responsibility. Class members consider how the book presents authority, responsibility, justice, and privacy.....
Lesson Plan
1
1
Center for Civic Education

Constitution Day Rap

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Engage your class while learning about the US Constitution with this fun primary grade social studies instructional activity. After viewing a picture of the US Constitution, young learners piece together a US flag...
Unit Plan
1
1
A&E Television

Documenting Democracy: Lesson Plans on the United States Constitution

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Balance and compromise. Class members come to understand the importance of these concepts as they investigate the concerns of the various stakeholders and how the format of the Constitution addressed these concerns.
Handout
San Antonio Independent School District

Breaking Down the Declaration of Independence

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Are learners heavy sighing at the idea of reading a primary source, written in a language that is difficult to understand and in cursive? Look no further, because the resource breaks down the Declaration of Independence in an...
Activity
Constitutional Rights Foundation

How the First State Constitutions Helped Build the U.S. Constitution

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Did you know that the United States Constitution was adopted after many state constitutions were already in place? Young scholars examine facts about the influence of states through an informative and interesting resource. Groups then...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Smithsonian Institution

Students’ Response to 9/11—A Documentary Report

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Young historians research the devastating attacks of 9/11 and use that information to script their own documentaries. The follow-up activity includes recording the documentary and conducting classmate interviews, 
Lesson Plan
PBS

President Theodore Roosevelt: Foreign Policy Statesman or Bully?

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Can a negative perception of a president's foreign policy harm his or her historical legacy? A project that winds the clock back to the date of Theodore Roosevelt's death puts students at the editorial desk of a fictional newspaper....
Lesson Plan
Global Oneness Project

Repairing the Fabric of Democracy

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
During elections, headlines constantly lament the issue of low voter turnout. Help class members understand why this is such an important topic with relevant articles, a discussion of both sides of the issue, and a reflective essay. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sectionalism in Early U.S.

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students, divided into three groups, representing the Northeastern, Southern, Western United States. They research these areas in early American history and as a group prepare charts, graphs and reports. They explain their needs and...
PPT
Curated OER

The U.S. Economy: Private and Public Sectors

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Filled with valuable key points and terms about American economics in the private and public sectors, these slides will inform both your economics and history classes about the ins, outs, and intricacies of the U.S. economy. A navigation...