PBS
African American History: Lunch Counter Closed
Young historians investigate and evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies the Civil Rights Movement used to end segregation in the United States. After watching an video interview with Carl Matthews and Bill Stevens who participated...
Anti-Defamation League
Shirley Chisholm: Unbought, Unbossed and Unforgotten
A 13-page packet introduces high schoolers to a lady of amazing firsts. Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to Congress, the first Black woman to run for President of the United States, and a leader of the Women's Rights...
George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate & Gardens
George Washington: Centerpiece of a Nation
A neat Presidents Day activity, this lesson provides a culminating learning experience for upper elementary aged learners. After analyzing George Washington's, "A Display of the United States of America," your learners will conduct...
Curated OER
D-Day Message from General Eisenhower to General Marshall
Students use documents in the National Archives of the United States to evaluate the effectiveness of D-Day.
Advocates for Human Rights
U.S. Immigration Policy
The United States Immigration Policy is incredibly complex. To gain a deeper understanding of the criteria, quotas, preferences, and categories of immigrants admitted to the US, class members engage in a role playing activity that...
K12 Reader
Alliteration and Tongue Twisters
Did she sell seashells by the seashore, or did Bill buy berries by the ballpark? Practice literary skills with an activity based on famous tongue twisters. Kids replace the nouns, verb, and adjectives in two phrases to create a new...
Center for Civic Education
What Is Authority?
Young scholars examine the concepts of power and authority as they begin learning about government in this elementary social studies lesson. Through a series of readings, discussions, and problem solving activities, children...
Consumers Energy
The Cost of Electricity
How much is your toaster costing you every day? Young environmentalists calculate the monetary costs of household appliances based on their average consumption of wattage.
Curated OER
Constitution Day
Pupils examine and discuss recent court cases involving young people and the Bill of Rights.They use a focus question to create the context for class discussion: How does the Bill of Rights apply to young people and students?
Curated OER
Building Awareness of the Japanese American Wartime Experience
Students research the Japanese American World War II Camp Experience. They discuss the experience in the context of civil rights and the Bill of Rights.
Curated OER
Constitutional Convention Simulation
Why did the Founders make it so challenging to amend the US Constitution? To gain an understanding of why the process is so difficult, class members engage in a Constitutional Convention simulation. Groups draft, propose, and debate...
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...
Heritage Foundation
Substantive Amendments: Amendments I and II
The First and Second Amendments remain some of the most famous, even to this day. Learners read about several clauses from the US Constitution through a variety of captivating activities including before and after reading, group work,...
Judicial Learning Center
The Constitution
Supreme Court justices debate the meaning of the US Constitution, but we expect teachers to explain it to scholars with far less training and experience. A daunting task for sure, but it's not insurmountable with resources that simplify...
Curated OER
Concealed weapons bill on target in Ohio
Students research concealed gun legislation in the various states and create a chart for the class that shows the similarities and differences between what has passed and what has failed.
Curated OER
Our National Documents
Students consider the significance of selected American documents. In this civics lesson plan, students analyze excerpts of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
Curated OER
Representation of the Common Citizen From Declaration of Independence to Present
Students create working definition of common citizen, and investigate and discuss important sections of Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, and other Amendments. Students demonstrate...
Curated OER
Courage to Be You: King Day (7th)
Students define discrimination and relate it to their own experiences. In this discrimination lesson plan, students discuss feeling like a stranger and complete a personal experiences worksheet. Students then find strategies to reduce or...
Curated OER
The Progressives and Direct Democracy
Students analyze the Progressive Movement. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students listen to their instructor lecture on the Progressive Movement and direct democracy. Students respond to discussion questions connected to the...
Curated OER
Solving Word Problems with Fish
Send your class fishing...for the right answers! Small groups collaborate to create math word problems based on the fish in their classroom aquarium or on the aquarium itself. After all groups determine the answer for their ownproblem,...
K12 Reader
Will You Stay and Play?
Start off your day with a study of -ay words. Pupils can practice long a with -ay words by reading the brief poem included here. After they read, class members answer three reading comprehension questions right on the page.
Curated OER
My Secret War: Lesson 5
Fifth graders determine how freedom comes with rights and responsibilities through literature and poetry about World War II. In this World War II lesson, 5th graders use the letters in the word "infamy" to write an acrostic poem. They...
Administrative Office of the US Courts
US v. Alvarez
Is it illegal to lie about military service? Discuss the ways the First Amendment affects the Stolen Valor Act with a lesson that focuses on the Supreme Court case U.S. v. Alvarez. As high schoolers learn more about the history of the...
Curated OER
Foundations of the Constitution
Eighth graders explore the Magna Carta and the Mayflower Compact.