Students debate a bill. In this Senate lesson plan, students investigate the steps of the House of Representatives when amending a bill that has passed. Students role-play law-making.

Students consider how free speech applies to journalistic practices in light of a legal case involving two reporters. They participate in a fishbowl discussion about journalism codes of ethics and write response papers.

Students examine and defend various positions in the argument over a book ban in the Miami-Dade school system and then write a letter to the Miami-Dade school board expressing their opinion about the issues raised in the debate.

Students explore the initial Supreme Court decision to regulate commercial speech, and then analyze the legal precedents and principles underlying a recent case contesting this regulation.

Students, using a New York Times article as a springboard for discussion, investigate and debate the complex issues of First Amendments Rights and censorship for Hate Groups using Websites for propaganda.

Students weigh rights of students and others to free speech versus the responsibilities that come with those rights.

Learners consider the purpose of talk radio and examine its importance in the new democratic Iraq. They enact mock talk shows based on current events and reflect on the value of free speech and the role audience members play in radio...

Three activities focus on the First Amendment, especially the freedom of speech. Scholars craft a letter to the President of the United States and express their views about a topic important to them. Another activity has participants...

Students investigate how a jury is chosen, and what the rights and responsibilities of juries are. They examine case studies to determine the role of the jury in both criminal and civil cases.

In this voting worksheet, students identify and discuss changes in voting rights throughout American history. Then, they identify why voting is an important right for Americans. Finally, students create voting bookmarks instead of or in...

Eighth graders explore the effect of the Fourteenth Amendment.  In this US History lesson, 8th graders read and analyze primary source documents.  Students write a three minute paper demonstrating their understanding of the...

Learners correct the spelling and punctuation of the article in reference to President James Madison. They should be able to find 10 mistakes in the article. Learners are given the printed activity as an Every-Day-Edit activity.

Students examine the context of a speech delivered by Barack Obama. In this African-American history lesson, students discuss the 15th Amendment and the American Civil Rights Movement prior to analyzing Barack Obama's speech "A More...

Students identify legal requirements of searches conducted with and without a warrant, and identify the legal standard for conducting searches in public schools.

Students discover voting barriers. In this government lesson, students explore the history of voting. Students work in small groups to analyze and debate if certain groups of people should have the ability to vote or not.

Students identify at least three places presenting First Amendment problems. They analyze how the First Amendment applies to school newspapers. Students argue for and against limiting First Amendment rights in school. They analyze th...

Learners study situations where rights are in conflict. In this conflict in rights lesson, students review a conflict situation and the Supreme Court ruling for the issue. Learners review the Bill of Rights and then receive their own...

Students explore the concept of human rights by developing and defending their own 'Bills of Human Rights' and by writing a reflective essay that compares their notions of human rights and the protection of them.

Middle schoolers examine the United States Constitution. They prepare a skit dealing with the Bill of Rights. They practice being responsible citizens and becoming involved in the community.

Eleventh graders distinguish between fact and fiction in a one day selection of the Official Proceedings of the Alabama 1901 Constitution

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...

Students investigate the influence of political and societal forces on judicial decisions. Among the topics they examine are the selection of judges and the cause and effect relationship between politics, society, and the law. to...

Students discuss hatred toward immigrants, and what kinds of behaviors constitute prejudice, explore attitudes toward people from other places, and analyze where these attitudes come from, and discuss ways to avoid and reduce prejudice...

Students read and analyze primary source documents. In this matching lesson, students read sections of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. Students match the document sections with paraphrased sections and discuss the accuracy of...