Curated OER
36 Public Policy Questions to Energize Your Government/History Classroom Debates
Need topics that are sure to engage your debaters? This list of public policy questions includes such topics as school mascots, regulation of major league baseball, physician-assisted suicide, and violence in video games. A great...
Curated OER
American Idealist Lesson 3: Participation through Public Policy
Students explore America's War on Poverty. In this American history lesson, students research the work of Sergeant Shriver regarding poverty during the Johnson administration. Students share their research finding in an essay or oral...
Curated OER
A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History
The Nashua River serves as the focal point of an investigation of the treatment of and care for natural resources. A reading of A River Rand Wild: An Environmental History by Lynne Cherry, launches the study and class members consider...
Brown University
Considering the Role of Values in Public Policy
Strong opinions come from deeply held values. Young citizens explore the values that are most important to them in a class discussion and activity. As they prioritize a list of values cards that include freedom, justice, and democracy,...
PBS
Master of the Airwaves: How FDR Used Radio to Ease the Public’s Fears
The political and economic climate during the 1930's was uncertain and tumultuous. But Americans' minds and hearts were eased with the reassuring words of their president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and addresses over the radio. High...
Curated OER
African-American Women and the Women's Christian Temperance Union
Students examine the appeal of temperance to African-American women. They also discover the racial tensions involved in this movement. They work together to read articles and answer questions.
Curated OER
Influencing the Agenda: The Impact of Interest Groups on Public Policy
Young scholars define the terms "interest groups" and "public policy". In groups, they discuss the ways in which interest groups can have an effect on how a Board member votes. Using examples, they discover the effectiveness of...
Foreign Policy Association
Public Diplomacy Online Lesson Plan
To build an understanding that there are many perspectives of global issues and that an individual's perspective is influenced by background and experience, class members assume the identity of a person in the global community and...
Center for History Education
How Did the Public View Women’s Contributions to the Revolutionary War Effort?
Calling upon the legacies of Joan of Arc, Elizabeth I, and Catherine the Great, Esther Reed rallied Southern women to support the American Revolution. Using a broadside by Reed and other primary sources, such as poetry, young historians...
Curated OER
The Foreign Policies of Harry S. Truman
Young scholars read an article about the new interest in Harry S. Truman. In groups, they review his foreign policy decisions and how situations might have been different if he had made a different decision. They also examine the...
Curated OER
Cold War Conflict in Vietnam: The Vietnam-Era Presidency
Comparing and evaluating various media types is a great way to build critical analysis skills. Learners read about the Vietnam era presidency, specifically the foreign policy established by Johnson and Nixon. Then they compare several...
Curated OER
Government Protecting Rights
Students explore tribal sovereignty. In this American Indian lesson, students learn about tribal sovereignty, watch a movie, take notes, and complete a reaction paper.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Plyler v. Doe: Can States Deny Public Benefits to Illegal Immigrants?
Illegal immigration is an ever-changing source of consistent controversy. A reading passage about the rights of undocumented workers and illegal immigrants—and the lack thereof—guides high schoolers into a mock trial activity. Three...
Curated OER
The Tet Offensive and the Vietnam War
Students discover how the United States became involved in the Vietnam War, the importance of the Tet Offensive in turning American public opinion against the war, and how the Vietnam War is still a part of American life and culture.
National History Day
Uncovering a World at War
Has media always had an influence on public policy? After researching and reading news articles written during World War I, learners understand the influence of communication and media. They discuss articles in small groups and as a...
Curated OER
The Superheroes of Public Land Management
Students study public land management agencies and their missions. They research a management agency, design a superhero to represent the agency and describe the skills and training needed to manage public lands. They include the...
Curated OER
Who Are the Arab Americans?
Students explore the concept of diversity. In this Teaching Tolerance lesson, students take a quiz titled "Who Are the Arab Americans?" and then use the quiz as a lens through which to discuss misperceptions regarding Arab Americans....
Curated OER
Indian Removal
Learners discuss how the various acts used to force Native Americans from their home. Using the Internet, they compare and contrast the policies toward the Native Americans by presidents through Jackson. They evaluate the impact of...
Curated OER
Marching to Freedom: PowerPoint Presentation debating for or against going to war
Fourth graders present research on war. In this debate instructional activity, 4th graders create a power point presentation debating for or against the American Revolution. Students share their presentations with the class.
Curated OER
Race and Crime in the United States: Are We Victims of Discrimination or Antiheroes?
Using methods adopted by Public Policy Analysts (PPA) class groups define a social problem, gather evidence to document the existence of the problem, identify causes, evaluate existing policies designed to deal with the problem, develop...
Curated OER
Religion in Public Schools
Seventh graders conduct research on important background information regarding the role of religion in American public schools. In this Ethics lesson, 7th graders examine and become familiar with the First Amendment of the Bill of...
Curated OER
Religion in Public Schools
Students examine the presence of religion in public institutions. In this ethics instructional activity, students focus on one aspect of the presence of religion in public institutions, and the controversy surrounding religion in the...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Issues of Asylum in the U.S.
Who gets to come to the United States? Examine cases of individuals seeking asylum with an informative reading passage that includes examples, statistics, and representations of public opinion regarding asylum. Groups then go on to...
Curated OER
American Influences on Eugenics in Nazi Germany
Students examine the Eugenics movement in America. They discover the Nazi's belief in racial purity and how it relates to Eugenics. They also analyze how science has been influential in creating public policy.