Curated OER
Laws...Who Needs Them?
Who needs laws? Junior high schoolers sure do! Provide your 7th-9th graders with an understandng about why laws are important and how they are used to create a functioning society. Learners use a series of handouts and readings to build...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nonviolent Resistance
Was nonviolent resistance the best means of securing civil rights for black Americans in the 1960s? For this highly engaging and informative lesson, your young historians will closely analyze several key documents from the civil rights...
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Unsung Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement
Students analyze historic rulings that played roles in the Civil Rights Movement. In this civil right lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding Plessy v. Ferguson, Sipuel v. Board of Regents of the University of...
Curated OER
Laws - Who needs them?
Students examine the need for laws. In this government lesson, students participate in 2 classroom activities that require them to consider the impact of laws on their personal lives. Students discuss how laws solve societal problems and...
Curated OER
Introduction to Contracts
High schoolers are introduced to the concept of contracts in street law. In groups, they compare and contrast contract law with tort law. They identify the basic concepts of each and view examples to see the concepts in use. They also...
Curated OER
Keeping A Watchful Eye
Students explore the use of satellite surveillance systems to track criminals. They consider how the use of this technology in law enforcement might affect them and write opinions on whether or not such a system should be adopted by...
Curated OER
Dr. King’s Leadership in the Aftermath of the Bombing of Birmingham’s Sixteenth Street Baptist Church
Students explore the concept of nonviolent resistance. In this nonviolent resistance instructional activity, students consider how Dr. King led during the aftermath of the bombing of Birmingham's Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.
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Safety Up in the Air
Students explore the controversy over a bill giving pilots the option to become armed federal law enforcement officers. They brainstorm other possible security measures for airplanes and airports.
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A Civic Duty to Protest
Students examine the concept of religious freedom by evaluating Hong Kong's security laws. In pairs students investigate the levels of religous freedom allowed in various countries around the world and present this information to the class.
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The Origins of Islamic Law: Sharia, Islam, Muslims
Students examine the development and history of Islamic Law (Sharia). They also begin to make comparisons to Western and Judaic Law traditions.
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Firestorms: The Bombing of Civilians in World War II: War, Ethics, Guernica, Precision Bombing
Students explore the history, rationale and ethics of civilian bombing in times of war. They consider war strategy, the laws and conventions of war and international implications.
Curated OER
From Canterbury to Little Rock: The Struggle for Educational Equality for African Americans
Students explain the magnitude of the struggle involved in securing equal educational opportunities for African Americans. They examine how Prudence Crandall challenged the prevailing attitude toward educating African Americans
Curated OER
Brown v. the Board of Education
Learners explain the history of race discrimination in the US and about the Brown vs the Board of Education trial.
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Individual Rights
Students study the individual rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. They determine where these rights come from, and why we value them as we do. They consider that our individual rights are not absolute, and may be limited by other...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Revolution '67, Lesson 1: Protest: Why and How
To some people, protesting is as American as apple pie, but the factors that lead to protests can be as confusing to veteran activists as to today's youth. Revolution '67 explores the riots in Newark, New Jersey as a case study. Using...
Curated OER
Freedom of Religion
Students use this lesson to focus on the freedom of religion. In groups, they discuss how the separation of church and state applies to the public schools across the country. They compare and contrast the establishment and free exercise...
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Individual Rights and Liberties: Free Speech
Young scholars review free speech laws and the First Amendment in the Constitution. They discuss a current event involving free speech. They present the information to the class.
Curated OER
In the Shadow of My Country: A Japanese American Artist Remembers
Students analyze artist's themes and means of communication, think critically about their sources of information, and weigh claims of national security against the civil liberties of diverse groups.
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Creating A Bill Of Rights In Space
Students define rights, analyze and apply the U.S. Bill of Rights to hypothetical situations, and create an Intergalactic Bill of Rights.
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Right of Privacy: 4th Amendment
Students are introduced to the 4th Amendment of the Washington state Constitution. In groups, they examine the Constitution of the state of Washington and compare it to the United States Constitution. They role play the role Supreme...
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Right to Privacy
Students examine the right to privacy as laid out in the United States Constitution. Using the text, they search the material for specific reference to protection of individual privacy. In groups, they use one provision of the Patriot...
Curated OER
What is a war criminal?
Students read the story Former president denies war crimes. They then read three different situations and discuss the situations. Students draw up plans for fair war, students are divided into two equal halves. The students and their...
Curated OER
Stolen Car Mini-Trial
Students participate in a mock trial about stolen cars. In groups, they take turns representing their clients and examining how a court operates. Other students act as the jury and share their reasons for the verdict they deliver.
Curated OER
The Supreme Court
High schoolers examine the Fourteenth Amendment. In this Supreme Court lesson, students define due process and equal protection as they analyze the impact of the amendment and the Supreme Court on workers' rights in the early 20th...