Students read excerpts from several Freedom Documents, evaluate amount of freedom guaranteed by each document, and rank documents on scale to determine which grant greatest and least amount of personal freedom.

Fourth graders complete a unit of lessons on the development of the U.S. government. They examine the main ideas of the Declaration of Independence, develop a class translation of the preamble to the Constitution, create a flow chart,...

Students act as newspaper reporters from 1787 and interview some of the signers of the Constitution. They study the contributions of these Founding Fathers: Washington, Franklin, Madison, Hamilton and discuss the purpose of the U.S....

Young scholars read and analyze three major documents in European history related to articulation of human rights, noting key principles, identify significant similarities and new concepts, and discuss application to contemporary issues...

Students explore the concept of individual rights. In this McCarthyism lesson, students determine how government may affect the rights of individuals as they examine the Constitution, participate in class discussions, and research the...

Learners explore First Amendment rights. In this U.S. Constitution lesson plan, students examine the freedom of expression as they view a PowerPoint presentation and listen to the lecture that accompanies it.

Even in court, your class members have procedural rights provided by the amendments. Teach high schoolers this important instructional activity by using the 18th installment of a 20-part unit exploring the US Constitution. The resource...

What is a good citizen? Here is a fantastic unit of ten lessons that will thoroughly cover the concept of civics and citizenship in your class. Examples of activities include learning stations, primary and secondary source analysis of...

Does a Christmas display on government property violate the Constitution? Learners study the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and learn about the landmark Supreme Court case Lynch v. Donnelly through watching a...

Young scholars explain five rights guaranteed to them by the Bill of Rights. They describe their own views on the right to limit some of our guaranteed rights. They finally describe the role of a nonprofit organization and how they...

Eighth graders identify how to be responsible citizens. In this civics instructional activity, 8th graders review websites of congressional members and then create questionnaires about the responsibilities of citizens.

How important are symbols and symbolic gestures in society? Middle schoolers have an opportunity to analyze the importance of symbols on American currency with a lesson that investigates the controversies surrounding redesigning the $5,...

Taking on the roles of a fiery Boston patriot, a Philadelphia merchant's wife, and a prominent abolitionist, your young historians will consider the reactions of these early Americans to the creation of the Declaration of...

Students participate in activities examining the Bill of Rights. They discover the different articles and Amendments.

Students review provisions of Bill of Rights and First Amendment, choose five rights they would like to preserve, support their choices and ideas with reasoned arguments, and discuss consequences of keeping or losing particular rights.

Students examine and analyze various excerpts from documents of freedom such as Magna Carta and Virginia Declaration of Rights, identify how documents influenced each other, and discuss ideas and rights necessary to build representative...

Eighth graders look critically at the 26 amendments to the United States Constitution.

Ninth graders consider the right of freedom of speech as it is outlined in the U.S. Constitution. They receive background information for the US Supreme Court, the Bill of Rights, and free speech. They discuss a series of actual cases...

Here is an interesting topic. Learners examine the economics that led to the founding of the First Bank of America. They participate in a reader's theater experience depicting the debate between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson...

Break the chain. An engaging lesson examines why it is so hard to break free of the prison system in the US. Academics participate in a reader's theater, read primary sources, and discuss their thoughts. The lesson explains the hardships...

Teach the class about the predecessor to Declaration of Independence—the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Using the foundational documents, scholars examine the two writings to consider how they are similar and how they are different. A...

Young scholars explore that there have been times during the history of the US when ,in response to real and perceived threats, both domestic and foreign, our country has responded by passing legislation. Students trace the fundamental...

An informative lesson provides scholars the opportunity to study a Supreme Court case regarding the First Amendment and make a ruling with the members of their group. Class members also participate in group discussion and prepare a...

The "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day" law requires schools receiving any federal funding to provide educational programming on the history of the American Constitution. The lesson plans, materials, videos, questions, and activities...