Students analyze the 2008 presidential primaries by reading and discussing the New York Times Upfront article "Primary Matters." They complete a KWL chart, complete a handout, read the article and answer comprehension questions, and...

Students read about the history of negative political advertisements in U.S. elections. In this politics lesson plan, students view several ads for opposing candidates and analyze and discuss the content. Students write scripts for...

Eleventh graders examine political issues in the United States between 1936 and 2000. In this American history lesson, 11th graders study the economy, education, government, civil rights, and sports of this time period. Students compare...

Students analyze documents, cartoons, speeches and articles about Joseph McCarthy and his crusade against "Un-American" activities. They guide their research with a worksheet and participate in class discussions about their findings.

Over the corse of a month, small groups will monitor the price of a specific energy commodity and analyze it in relation to global and domestic events. They play a trade simulation game and create infographics showing what they've...

Difficult redistricting concepts are covered in a context that will make it understandable to your government scholars. They begin with a KWL on the term redistricting and then watch a video to answer some questions. They...

Students analyze the lyrics from a Pearl Jam song and examine the concept of truth in political advertising. They watch the video, "VH1 Storytellers: Pearl Jam," participate in a class discussion, conduct research, and prepare a report...

In this current events worksheet, students analyze political cartoons about the election of 2008 and respond to 3 talking point questions.

Most people are eager to offer their opinions about topics of interest, but what's the most effective way to collect and assess these opinions as a matter of fact? High schoolers learn about the history of polling, as well as the...

The Civil War—in its breathtaking ferocity—came to a close in 1864. However, turmoil echoed throughout the country's politics, including the presidential context between Lincoln and McClellan. Performing chronology and primary source...

An excerpt from Ronald Reagan's October 27, 1964 speech in support of presidential nominee Barry Goldwater, "A Time for Choosing," is the text for primary source analysis activity. After reading the document, learners respond...

Students discuss the history and importance of voting. In this voting lesson, students research the women's suffrage movement and the methods used to change people's beliefs about suffrage for women. Students also create posters to...

Young scholars are shown how to analyze the messages and the impact of the candidates' politicial adertisements in print, video, and audio formats. They are shown the techniques that candidates use to influence voter decisions and how to...

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....

High school seniors investigate what national, state and local rules say about voting. After examining the Constitution's articles, clauses, and amendments, researchers look at videos, listen to podcasts, and read articles to gather...

An executive is not just a leader of a company; you can also use the term to describe the president of the United States. The ninth part of a 20-part unit teaches high schoolers about the importance of the executive branch and the...

What would you ask a presidential candidate if you had the chance? Bring politics to your language arts classroom with this lesson, in which young readers brainstorm questions they would have liked the presidential candidates to answer....

What advantages do political cartoons have over written editorials? Scholars discuss the topic by exploring editorial cartoons. Working in small groups, pupils analyze an Uncle Sam cartoon and complete a worksheet. As a fun extension,...

A cross-curricular resource that takes the electoral votes and allows your learners to organize and analyze the data. Young voters can determine which states are more influential and interpret the dotplot provided for more data....

How do interest groups try to influence elections? As part of their study of the election process, groups view 30-second advertisements produced by advocacy groups and use the provided worksheet to evaluate these ads. They then craft...

The New York Times article “Supreme Court, Split 5-4, Halts Florida Count in Blow to Gore” provides the opening to an assessment of the United States Supreme Court decision in the case of the 2000 presidential election. Assuming the...

Young scholars read about voting rights and compulsory voting in democracies. For this voting rights lesson plan, young scholars analyze the reasons for supporting and opposing compulsory voting and discuss whether compulsory voting is...

With all the hubbub surrounding national elections, it's easy to forget the importance of local government. After learning about county governance and voter turnout for local elections, young citizens demonstrate how local...

Students analyze documents to determine the steps taken in the selection of judges.