Other
National Council for the Social Studies: Cloture Motion to Cease Debate
Using the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 as an example, students will understand the congressional procedures of cloture and filibuster. An in-depth article on how a filibuster was used during debate on this bill, the actual signed cloture...
Other
Freedom Forum: Lesson Plans for the First Amendment
These lessons address constitutional principles and contemporary issues involving the First Amendment. They intend to have explore how freedoms began and how they operate in today's world. Students will discuss just how far individual...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: The Major Debates at the Constitutional Convention
Activity on the orgins of the U.S. Constitution and the debates surrounding it. Includes questions for discussion and small group learning activity in which students evaluate the fairness of state representation within the structure of...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: National Security and Freedom
In-depth and comprehensive learning activity in which students analyze the debate surrounding the Patriot Act and apply constitutional reasoning to formulate opinions about the balance between national security and right to privacy....
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Life Under Communism in Eastern Europe
Activity based resource on political and economic systems, asks students to explore communism, capitalism, socialism and democracy and formulate informed opinions for discussion and debate. Group and individual work.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Developments in Democracy
Activity for high school students in which they apply Constitutional reasoning to explore the topic of equality for women and debate the necessity of an Equal Rights Amendment. Site provides comprehensive background and resource material...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Developments in Democracy
Learning activity in which students study the ideas of Enlightenment philosophers, Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau. Lesson includes individual, group and whole class activity in which students write, discuss and debate the role...
University of Chicago
The Founders' Constitution
The University of Chicago provides thousands of primary source documents concerning the diverse contents of the Constitution. Documents underlying the proposed Constitution, as well as documents of the time debating the proposed...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Welfare to Work: The States Take Charge
Lesson on public policy, history and public debate over welfare and the Welfare Reform Act. Includes informative text with background and historical information, questions for writing and discussion, and guidelines for class debate.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Proposed Changes in the Way the Federal Government Operates
Examine amendments made to aid the government in balancing the budget and income tax as well as the debate over term limits.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Controversies: The Bush Doctrine
Activity-based resource from 2003 in which students research multiple sources on U.S. foreign policy and the implications of the Bush Doctrine then prepare to debate whether or not the Bush Doctrine should be part of U.S. foreign policy.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: The German Weimar Republic: Why Did Democracy Fail?
Activity for students on the development of the Weimar Republic and why democracy failed in the end. Students read about events leading to the Weimar Republic and debate whether or not it was destined to fail. Links to comprehensive...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Revolution and Change: England's Glorious Revolution
Activity in which students read about and answer questions on the history of England's Glorious Revolution, citing evidence for discussion, then debate the goal or intentions of King James in a class activity.
iCivics
I Civics: Federalists & Anti Federalists
Look at the debate and eventual compromise, between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists that occurred around the creation of the U.S. Constitution.
Digital History
Digital History: Writing a Constitution [Pdf]
This site is from a unit called 'Writing the US Constitution.' It looks at the documents that preceded the Constitution, and the major issues that were debated while the Constitution was being created.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: How Hate Changes Society
Government classes usually focus on the workings of the United States Government alone. In this unit of study, students will compare the United States government with that of pre-Nazi Germany. This unit will demonstrate to students how...
The Dirksen Congressional Center
Congress Link: Lesson Plans
The Dirksen Congressional Center provides abundant lesson plans on all aspects of the US Congress and the US Constitution. All lessons contain time frames, objectives, and links to material, and are built around Bloom's taxonomy.