Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building a Human Rights Document

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students identify the issue of basic human rights, examine the importance of the UDHR, and compare it to United States Bill of Rights. They create a definition of human rights as a class. Students are divided into groups of four and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Taking A Stand - Rules and Laws

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars explore the purpose of rules and laws in society, as well as some of the basic tenets of the Constitution that address equal rights for all citizens. Next, they examine historical examples of segregation and consider its...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Legislative Branch

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners analyze Article 1 of the Constitution. They respond to the Public Criticism E-Learning module.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Is the Bill of Rights?

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students discuss the purpose of the Bill of Rights and the United States Constitution. In groups, they write about the ten amendments and their purpose. They re-word the Amendments in their own way and answer discussion questions to end...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

FDR-Hitler: Conflicting Political Systems

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare and contrast the governments of the United States and Germany during World War II. Using different media, they identify the actions of both countries during the war and their major mistakes. They write a short summary...
Lesson Plan
1
1
University of Arkansas

Assessment and Discussion

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
"Without concerned citizen action to uphold them (human rights) close to home; we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world. . ." Eleanor Roosevelt's comment is used to set the stage for the conclusion of a five-lesson unit...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The First (and Last) Words

For Teachers 6th - 12th
What does "freedom of speech" mean to your class, especially in the context of Internet communications? In round-table discussion format, middle and high schoolers address the issues discussed in "State Legislatures Across U.S. Plan to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Makes a Good Law?

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Why were laws created? Spark a group discussion on why we need laws to co-exist. Should the sale of some things be outlawed on Sundays? Read a case summary between Target and the state of Minnesota that debated this issue. Ask your...
Handout
San Antonio Independent School District

Breaking Down the Declaration of Independence

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Are learners heavy sighing at the idea of reading a primary source, written in a language that is difficult to understand and in cursive? Look no further, because the resource breaks down the Declaration of Independence in an...
Interactive
2
2
Judicial Learning Center

The Power of Judicial Review

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Marbury v. Madison is arguably the most important landmark case in the history of the Supreme Court. A fact-filled lesson provides background information about the case and two others related to the concept of judicial review. Scholars...
Handout
ProCon

Right to Health Care

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Is health care a right or a privilege? Scholars review pro and con arguments to decide if all Americans should have the right to health care. They also watch informative videos and review information on the United States and...
Lesson Plan
Youth Outreach

Connecting the Separate Powers

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Scholars demonstrate what they know about the separation of powers through role play. Two individuals act out a skit as the remaining class members discuss and decide whether the interaction they observed is an appropriate example...
Lesson Plan
1
1
School Improvement in Maryland

Supreme Court Case Overview I

For Teachers 9th - 12th
As part of a study of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, class members examine four Supreme Court decisions—Gitlow v. New York, Mapp v. Ohio, Gideon v. Wainwright, and Griswold v. Connecticut—that incorporated the due...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Minorities in Mainstream American Society

For Teachers 11th Standards
So many people fought for Civil Rights in the United States. Read about the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and discuss what the act guarantees. Then pass out a slew of magazines and encourage them to observe how often minorities appear in...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Center for Civic Education

Citizenship Schools and Civic Education During the Civil Rights Movement and in the Present

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Your young historians will discover the importance that citizenship education has played in the social progress of the United States as they learn about early efforts to discourage African Americans from voting in the 1960s.
Handout
ProCon

Gun Control

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
According to some estimates, there are more guns than people in the United States. Learners decide if America should enact more gun control laws. They analyze information about gun deaths in the United States by year, read about the...
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Women's Rights in the American Century

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Today, many young people find it hard to understand why it took over 150 years for women in the United  States to get the right to vote—why there was even a need for the suffrage movement. As they read a series of primary source...
Lesson Plan
Teaching Tolerance

Changing Demographics: What Can We Do to Promote Respect?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
America has always been seen as a melting pot to the world. Scholars research the concept of blending cultures in the United States and how it is changing over time. The final lesson of a four-part series analyzes the changing...
Handout
ProCon

Gay Marriage

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
The first legal gay marriage in the United States occurred in Massachusetts in 2004. Since then, countless others have tied the knot. Scholars decide whether gay marriage should be legal by reading a history of the issue, analyzing the...
Lesson Plan
1
1
School Improvement in Maryland

Analysis of Marbury v. Madison

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Should the United States Supreme Court have the power of judicial review? Instructors guide class members through a review of Marbury v. Madison and assist class members in writing a brief of the case. As independent practice,...
Lesson Plan
Friends of Fort McHenry

Privateers in the War of 1812: Soldiers or Thieves?

For Teachers 8th Standards
Do governments have the right to authorize individuals to perform illegal acts during times of war? Did the US government really employ pirates? Use the War of 1812 as your vessel to answering these questions through class discussion and...
Worksheet
Bismarck Public Schools

Executive Branch Worksheet

For Students 5th - 12th Standards
Consider using this assessment on the executive branch of the United States Constitution to help you work backward and plan your curriculum accordingly. The learning exercise covers who specifically holds the office of chief executive,...
Lesson Plan
1
1
School Improvement in Maryland

Affirmative Action

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Do the government's affirmative action policies promote equity in the United States? The Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution and affirmative action policies come under scrutiny in an activity that asks class members to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Arguments Against Ratifying the Constitution

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students define federalism, Federalist, and Anti-Federalist, debate issue of ratification in classroom convention, and take vote on whether to add bill of rights. Three lessons on one page.

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