Curated OER
Lesson 1: The Importance of Rules in Our Country and in Our Classroom
Explore the importance of rules in a community with the engaging first lesson of this series on the US government. To begin, children play a paper clip game that requires them to make up their own rules as they go, after which the...
Judicial Learning Center
Law and the Rule of Law
We hear a lot about the importance of the rule of law, but most people do not really know what those words mean. The lesson is a webpage that defines the rule of law, explains why it is important in a democratic society and provides...
McGraw Hill
Classroom Rules Sample and Suggestion
Set up your class with a strong foundation by creating a clear set of class rules. This document provides suggestions for phrasing and distributing class rules as well as list of rules you might try out.
Facing History and Ourselves
How Do Rules and Traditions Shape Communities?
Sixth graders explore the concepts of laws and customs in a community, examining the reasoning behind rules. Then then collaborate to write their own classroom code of conduct.
Curated OER
Rules and Responsibilities: Youth and the Process of Change
First graders analyze politics by participating in a class rules lesson. In this democracy lesson, 1st graders identify several class and school rules they dislike and conduct discussions to examine if they should be changed or not....
Curated Video
Policy - The Community Guidelines
Following a site's community guidelines is just one step toward being an excellent digital citizen. After a brief introductory video, small groups come up with their own community guidelines and present their ideas to come up with a...
Cornell College
Dred Scott v. Sandford Supreme Court Decision
Dred Scott was a harbinger of the Civil War. An enslaved man claimed freedom because his owner had taken him into free territory. Not only did the Supreme Court rule that Dred Scott and his wife were to remain enslaved, but it also ruled...
Rainforest Alliance
Who Takes Care of the Maya Forest Corridor?
Who keeps animals safe? Who keeps us safe? Discover the helpers that make learning and growing possible through a medley of activities that focus on habitats—ours and those in the rainforest. Scholars are asked to identify one helper who...
Curated OER
Rules and Laws of the Community
Second graders recognize and identify the need for rules in school. They also discuss the importance of safety rules at school, home, and in the community. They illustrate a rule which they have learned in class, and write letters to the...
Curated OER
The Rule of Law
Students examine the rule of law and government in this civics lesson plan. They discover the origins and how it impacts them on a daily basis. They also analyze its role in the judicial system.
Curated OER
Know The Code
Students explore how codes of conduct guide our daily lives. After learning about specific codes of conduct, students write articles exploring aspects of different codes and how they affect people in their community.
Curated OER
Writing Environmental Laws Refer To Reading Material
Students examine the steps and decisions that are made when drafting an environmental statute. They examine the interplay of opinions, values, beliefs, and science in the development of law. They identify methods to obtain information...
Curated OER
Lending Discrimination and the Community Reinvestment Act
Write about economic and banking issues of concern to the public. Investigate lending discrimination and the impact of the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act. Use a guide to do research and write an essay.
Curated OER
Community Treasures (Rivers and Trees): An Integrated Curriculum Unit
Third graders demonstrate an understanding of geography and its effects on lifestyles and culture. Then they apply basic economic terms and principles
and identify the United States government and history. Students also identify and...
Curated OER
Local Laws Citizens Follow
Learners identify and disuss the various laws that are in place in their commmunity. In groups, they illustrate the different laws and write a description. As a class, they discuss the reasons why the laws are necessary and their...
Curated OER
Rules and Responsibilities Youth and the Process of Change
First graders learn vocabulary in regards to laws, courts, and policeman. They read and discuss the book, The Value of Respect: The Story of Abraham Lincoln. An attorney visits the classroom and discusses the roles of judges and juries.
Curated OER
You Make the Rules
Students explore the nature of rules and see how they help in the formation and operation of organizations. Working in small groups, students create their own charter for a new club
Curated OER
The Ongoing Debate: Crime Control v. Due Process Protection
Young scholars investigate the Exclusionary Rule and other ways of to enforce the protections found in the Bill of Rights. They study how effective criminal control and public safety is carried out while citizens Constitutional rights...
Curated OER
Governance
Third graders participate in decision-making situations. In this social studies lesson students make connections between rules and laws and the purposes for those rules and laws. Students use critical and creative thinking skills to...
Judicial Branch of California
Separate But Equal - Is It Black or White?
The story of Ruby Bridges and the case of Brown vs. The Board of Education are fantastic tools for discussing the concept of separate but equal. Kids tackle some big questions about what is fair, what is civil, and what rights or laws...
University of Alaska
Lesson Plans for Teaching Self-Determination
How do we prepare kids, especially those with disabilities, for life after school, for the workplace, for independent living? This 96-page packet is loaded with self-assessment surveys, with skill builders, with information about rules,...
Curated OER
We Are a Comm-un-it-y. I've Got All My Classmates with Me-Part I
Students investigate the meaning of community. In this community lesson, students look at the concepts of civic engagement, civic responsibility, and common good. They determine how a classroom is a community and the need for having...
Judicial Learning Center
Your 1st Amendment Rights
Why should classes care about the First Amendment? An engaging lesson serves as a powerful tool for answering just that. As all four cases in the lesson relate directly to freedom of expression in schools, young scholars explore the...
Judicial Branch of California
The U.S. Constitution Bill of Rights
Using discussion questions and a poster-creating activity, learners explore how the framework of the Constitution and its Bill of Rights help create safe communities. After listening to a song about the preamble and reading the Bill of...