Curated OER
Divided We Fall
Students examine the Bill of Rights. In this U.S. Constitution lesson, students write essays for perform plays that feature the importance of the first ten amendments. Students imagine the United States without 1 of the amendments that...
Curated OER
The Election Is in the House: The Denouement
Students research the US Presidential election of 1824. They explain why the election of 1824 was decided in the House of Representatives. They summarize relevant portions of the Constitution on presidential election procedures.
Curated OER
Federal Court Systems and Court Cases
Ninth graders investigate the basis for the Common Law Tradition. They examine the organization of the Federal Court System and students identify the various sources of the American Law.
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Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution
Students examine the historical background of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, analyze the role of defense in our world today, and evaluate the repercussions of Article 9.
Curated OER
Government Lesson Plan: Lesson Plan 8
Learners analyze the Fourteenth Amendment. They discuss Reconstruction, read the provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment, define the provisions, and in small groups analyze a Supreme Court case that was impacted by the due process clause.
iCivics
A Trip Around the World
How do the rights of citizens in other countries, such as India, Germany, Brazil, and Iran, compare to those of Americans? Take a closer look at the provisions of various foreign constitutions, and compare and contrast the protections...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Lesson 2: The Debate in Congress on the Sedition Act
Pupils research and discuss the provisions in the Constitution that supported the arguments for and against the Sedition Act. They articulate objections to and arguments in favor of the Sedition Act.
Curated OER
Electronic Surveillance: Unlawful Invasion of Privacy or Justifiable Law Enforcement
Students state values and analyze them and the values of other students as it relates to the issue of individual privacy. They develop constitutional provisions which address issues relating to privacy with particular reference to item...
School Improvement in Maryland
Supreme Court Case Overview I
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...
Administrative Office of the US Courts
Cox v. New Hampshire
Staging a debate is a great way to class members to think deeply about issues, especially those related to rights guaranteed by the US Constitution. The Supreme Court case, Cox V. New Hampshire, focuses on the First Amendment's freedom...
Curated OER
Timeline of Compromises over Slavery
In this primary source analysis worksheet, students read excerpts of the Preamble, the Constitution, and the Fugitive Slave Act, the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the Crittenden Compromise....
Curated OER
Ambivalent Council
Young scholars consider the purpose of a constitution and research Iraq's five major population groups. They write a letter to the Iraqi Governing Council from the perspective of a member of one of these Iraqi population groups.
Curated OER
A Lesson on Reconstruction Legislation and Amendments
Pupils study the legislation and Amendments of Reconstruction period in America. For this Reconstruction lesson, students work in groups to dissect the Black Codes, an article in the US Constitution, as well as the 13th, 14th, and 15th...
Curated OER
Informal Amendment
Informal Constitutional amendments are the focus of this review worksheet, which covers the circumstances and methods by which Congress may informally amend the Constitution. The format of this worksheet would lend well to a homework...
Curated OER
Your Safety and Security or Your Civil Liberties - Which is More Important?
Students examine provisions of USA PATRIOT Act and controversies that led the ACLU to take legal action against the legislation. They create, conduct, and document results of a survey related to the PATRIOT Act and controversies...
Curated OER
What price Freedom! Civil War and Reconstruction
Fifth graders become familiar with the events of Reconstruction and the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. In this reconstruction lesson, 5th graders work in pairs where each student creates a building with blocks and draws it. Their...
Curated OER
Lesson 3: A Visitor From Outer Space
Students review provisions of Bill of Rights and First Amendment, choose five rights they would like to preserve, support their choices and ideas with reasoned arguments, and discuss consequences of keeping or losing particular rights.
Curated OER
The Articles of Confederation
The purpose of this lesson plan is to assist students in discovering the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and the foundation for creation of the United States Constitution. Students will investigate the events leading up ...
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Robert Smalls: Warrior and Peacemaker
Students research the events that led to the Civil War and the Reconstruction. In this Civil War history lesson, students study images of Robert Smalls and research his role in the Civil War. Students review the South Carolina...
Curated OER
Roots of Religious Liberty
Learners examine the First Amendment and consider the contributions of James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. They review conflicts between the rights of Church and State and write a Madisonian argument on the issue.
Curated OER
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...
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Civil Liberties
Students explore civil liberties. They identify the major provisions of the Canadian Constitution. Students describe fundamental principals of federal and provincial legal systems. They distinguish between individual and group rights....
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ZIP: A One-Act Play
High schoolers 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...
Curated OER
World War II Alien Enemy Control Program
Students review the history and language of the Alien Enemies Act and related laws as well as the Constitutional challenges it presents. They also review the World War II Alien Enemy Control Program and the Alien Enemy Hearing Board...