Students bring in their fat diaries and work in pairs to calculate their average fat intake per day during the week of data collection. The whole class gathers to calculate their total fat intake and average fat intake per student per...

Students study basic workplace rights and the limits of those rights. They determine how many of the rights guaranteed in the Constitution only regulate governmental actions, not private actions. They examine the concept of at-will...

Fifth graders examine what it means to be a citizen. Using the Constitution, they discover the functions and purpose of government. They compare and contrast the difference between a democracy and a monarchy. As a class, they discuss...

Pupils analyze conditions under which sections of United States Constitution are superceded, research history of Native Americans, African Americans, and Japanese Americans, and debate policy of reparations for various minority groups in...

Students examine Japanese internment camps of World War II. In this World War II lesson plan, students participate in a simulation of Japanese internment camps in the United States. Students determine the constitutional rights that were...

Learners examine the bill of rights as it relates to founding documents and their significance today. In this bill of rights lesson plan, students use newspapers as sources to answer critical questions regarding democratic citizenship....

Third graders learn the responsibility of citizenship and learn facts about a state they choose to research.

Students explore Latinos and the Fourteenth Amendment. In this government and law lesson plan, students analyze the ruling in Hernandez v. Texas. Students predict how the United States would be different if the court had made an...

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...

Students identify and describe the key terms as they relate to the Legislative Branch. Students describe how members of Congress are selected, how laws are created, and two of the limits on powers of Congress.

Students shoot Bill of Rights videos. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students film digital segment that illustrate the meaning of the first 10 amendments. Students integrate the video clips into PowerPoint presentations.

Students explore the Bill of Rights, which rights have limitations on them, and how these rights apply to their personal lives. They write their own Bill of Rights for the class community.

Learners discuss and research different Supreme Court cases and examine religious freedom and prayer in public schools.

Students study the history of the Pledge of Allegiance. They investigate the First Amendment concept of separation of Church and state using Internet resources.

Learners analyze the concept of democracy. In this democratic values lesson, students analyze the lyrics of selected popular music that address issues that challenge the role of United States as a world leader. Learners create exhibits...

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...

Pupils explore the First Amendment as it has been applied to teens and teen journalists. In this First Amendment lesson, students memorize the First Amendment, complete online research of the topic, and quiz. Pupils read about another...

Eighth graders examine the current amendments and discuss any change they would like to make. With a partner, they develop a proposal and an advertisement to redo at least two amendments. They also compare and contrast the amendments...

Students review amendments of the Constitution relating to due process. They discuss the Constitution in the case of Eberhard "Zip" Fuhr. They research the provisions of the WWII Alien Enemy Control Program. They determine how national...

Learners examine historic examples of authority during wartime. They interpret the Fifth Amendment. They debate the merits of the Patriot Act.

Use this U.S. History unit plan as a template for creating your own! Simply download the resource and edit the text fields with your own customized unit plan. This is a great jumping-off step, especially for newer teachers. 

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...

Fifth graders describe a wetland habitat and its components. They provide, in writing, at least one example of a wetland food chain, relate wetlands to ecological functions, and relate the importance of wetland functions to their own...

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...