Students research a candidate in an election and discuss how the media portrays that candidate and how the media influences voters. In this candidate lesson plan, students also distinguish fact from opinion, look at political cartoons,...

Critical thinkers consider how word choice in speeches impacts the meaning and effectiveness of the message being presented. They examine and respond to some of the speeches made at the 2004 Republican and Democratic National...

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...

Blogs can be a good way for learners to engage in writing, critical thinking, and social media in a formal way. The New York Times has provided learners age 13-18 with an article, background information, and several prompts to get them...

Truth is often left on the cutting room floor when political ads are produced. After viewing the 2012 backfire ad, "Fundamentals" that takes John McCain's comments on the US economy out of context, class groups edit the audio and...

Build critical analysis skills with this cartoon for the classroom. Upper graders answer three critical thinking questions to help them analyze a political cartoon, which depicts how Presidential Candidates are judged and chosen. Put...

Who were the candidates in the 2008 US Presidential election and where did they stand on important issues? Use a resource that offers an opportunity to go back in time and examine candidates and issues involved in that election year.

Prepare your classes for election year debates with a series of activities that model how to watch televised debates and how to evaluate the moderators as well as the debaters.

Young historians investigate how sexism impacted the 2020 United States presidential election. They examine media coverage of the six women candidates, engage in a four-corners debate reacting to statements about gender and the...

Fifth graders visit the National Portrait Gallery to be introduced to politics, portraits, Presidents, and pretenders. They design campaign posters as a follow-up activity.

Twelfth graders explore the roles of political parties in presidential elections. They discuss the qualities needed by a presidential candidate and brainstorm ideas for their candidate to emphasize during a campaign.

Students research a company, create a new print advertisement and present their campaign to representatives of the actual company. They discuss and critique after each presentation to examine classmates' thoughts.

The objective of this lesson is to teach pupils about the importance of recycling. Initially, students have a chance to think about their impact on our planet by following the path that garbage takes. Pupils then learn about how...

Discuss bullies and cliques in school and methods that may be used to stop bulling. Create a campaign to identify ways to be kind to others and methods to deal with bullies. Illustrate posters which identify positive behaviors. As a...

Fourth graders discover the political career of Sam Houston. In this Texas history lesson, 4th graders research primary resources and create a modern-day version of Sam Houston's political campaign of the 1840s.

In this novel analysis worksheet, students use the various sections with online links to complete activities about the novel 1984. Students explore domestic surveillance, the U.S. Patriot Act, online privacy, advertising, doublespeak,...

High school health hopefuls unscramble twenty-one terms related to drugs and drug use. Assign these terms for collaborative groups to research together. Follow it up by having them create anti-drug campaign posters to share on campus.

Frame your lecture about Manifest Destiny around these maps, which portray the extended boundaries of various American territories in the 19th century. Campaigns of the Mexican War, and a map of the Spanish Missions on the West Coast are...

Why did Vietnam POWs and their families receive more media attention than POWs in previous wars?  To answer this question, class members view artifacts, read articles, and engage in class discussion. Individuals then assume the...

As part of their continued investigation of the reporting of the shooting of Michael Brown class members analyze photos of Michael Brown and the social media response to these images. The class then develops a guide they...

Did you know that in some states your pupils can pre-register to vote? Teach the advantages to pre-registering and engage the classroom in an intriguing discussion about youth voting trends. Class members participates in a live polling...

The electoral college can be confusing for citizens of any age. Clear up misconceptions with a handy printable map that details how many electoral votes are allotted to each state, as well as a history of modern elections, complete with...

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates saw two primary political candidates debating seven different times about one of the most important social movements in United States history. Middle and high schoolers read an article that describes the...

Students examine the Canadian electoral process through participation in a local election campaign. They volunteer in an election campaign of their choice, research the campaign issues, and write reflections of their experience.