C-SPAN
Presidential Birth Requirement
Every president of the United States must be a natural-born citizen, but the definition of natural-born is not as straightforward as it seems. Secondary scholars examine two points of view surrounding the constitutional requirement...
Advocates for Human Rights
Human Rights Defined
Class members continue their investigation of the factors that influence migration with a lesson on human rights. As they examine the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and selected US Constitutional Amendments, learners compare the...
Anti-Defamation League
Women's Suffrage, Racism, and Intersectionality
The Nineteenth Amendment granted women the right to vote—as long as they were white. High schoolers read articles and essays about racism in the suffrage movement and consider how intersectionality played a role in the movement. Scholars...
Curated OER
The Supreme Court and the Fourteenth Amendment
Students examine the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment. In this Reconstruction Era instructional activity, students read and analyze 4 Supreme Court decisions regarding the Fourteenth Amendment and determine how the decisions...
Curated OER
U.S. Constitution Roll Call
First graders simulate the signing of the constitution. In this American history lesson plan, 1st graders take on the roll of newspaper reporters during 1787. Students must pretend to interview signers of the constitution and create a...
Curated OER
U.S. Constitution Roll Call Test
Students act as if they are newspaper reporters from 1787 and they are to interview the signers of the Constitution. Teachers help guide students in what to ask the signers.
Heritage Foundation
Courts and Judges
If the Supreme Court is so supreme, why do all cases not just start there? High schoolers learn why every case does not start at the Supreme Court as well as the importance of hierarchy in the US judicial system in the 11th installment...
Heritage Foundation
Exercising Judicial Power
We should all do more exercising, but should the judicial branch as well? High schoolers develop their understanding of what powers the judicial branch carries because of the US Constitution, as well as where their limits lie in the...
Theodore Roosevelt Association
Interpreting the Past; Assessing Its Impact on the Present
Even though the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt ended over 100 years ago, we can still learn something from his stances and policies that is applicable today. Class members first look over a list of prevalent political issues from the...
Middle Tennessee State University
Fights, Freedom, and Fraud: Voting Rights in the Reconstruction Era
As part of a study of post Civil War era, young historians investigate the changes in voting rights during the Reconstruction Era (1863-1876), the fraud involved in the Hayes-Tilden presidential election of 1876, and efforts by Pap...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Background on the Patriot Attitude toward the Monarch
Learners explain the Patriot attitude toward the British monarchy, which helps them embrace the Founders' reluctance to have a strong executive under the Articles of Confederation as well as their desire to build in checks of executive...
Curated OER
Writing a Newspaper Article
The perfect resource for a beginning journalism teacher or someone designing a journalism unit, this activity prompts students to write a newspaper article. It covers all aspects of the writing process, such as a guided warm-up...
Curated OER
Understanding the Twenty-Seven Amendments
Students use the Internet to learn about the Constitution. In this Constitutional Amendments lesson, students read and discuss the twenty seven amendments and work in groups to rewrite the amendments in their own words. ...
Curated OER
Teaching Six Big Ideas in the Constitution
Learners debate the constitutional principles of the United States. In this U.S. government lesson, students examine the meaning of the text of the U.S. Constitution and analyze other primary documents of the era. Learners prepare for...
Curated OER
The Juvenile Death Penalty
Sensitive material is discussed in this activity. Please review to ensure that the content is suitable for your class. The topic is the Eighth Amendment and how the U.S. Supreme Court makes determinations about what constitutes cruel and...
DocsTeach
Analyzing a Petition about Slavery
Practice analyzing primary sources in a thought-provoking lesson on the impact of slavery. Young historians read a petition regarding the Fugitive Slave Law and answer a series of questions to understand the importance of the document....
C-SPAN
Choice Board: Expressed and Implied Powers
Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution expressly lists powers given to Congress. Over the years, lawmakers have expanded the enumerated powers to include powers implied by the list. To better understand the significance...
Curated OER
George Washington: The Precedent President
Students investigate precedents set during George Washington's term in office. They conduct Internet research, develop a list of the responsibilities of the President, match Washington's accomplishments with the list, and play a game.
iCivics
Hey, King: Get Off Our Backs!
Young historians explore the reason American colonists were unhappy under British rule. Class members complete hands-on activities and participate in a group discussions to understand why colonists drafted the Declaration of Independence.
Advocates for Human Rights
The Right to a Clean Environment in the United States
Even if a school has gone digital, chances are there's still plenty of paper being used. The three activities help scholars learn about the environmental impact of paper and another consumer products of their choosing, the issue of...
C-SPAN
Electoral College Pros/Cons and Alternatives
If every vote counts, why do we need the electoral college? Middle and high schoolers study the Constitutional precedent of the electoral college, as well as its place in historical and modern elections, with an engaging social studies...
Curated OER
Constitutional Convention
Learners examine the structure and function of the United States government established by the Constitution. They also explore the problems the country faced under the Articles of Confederation.
Curated OER
The Role of the Executive Branch in the Lawmaking Process
Learners research the Executive Branches role in making a law. In this law making lesson plan, students study the history of the Constitution and see how much power the President has in making a bill into a law. Learners then research on...
Curated OER
Get To Know The Constitution
Middle schoolers search the Constitution for specific information. For this Constitution lesson plan, students read the Constitution and search for the branches of government, specific Amendments, and more, in groups.