Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching With Documents Lesson Plan:Launching the New U.S. Navy

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students demonstrate understanding of the issues related to the creation and ratification of the United States Constitution and the new Government it established.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sow the Seeds of Victory!

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students use the National Archives and Records Administration's records to research the history of the U.S. Food Administation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Whose God?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate religious freedom in the U.S. They watch and discuss a Bill Moyers NOW video, take a Freedom of Religion quiz, write an essay, and participate in a mock trial and debate.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reflections on Judicial Power - Part I

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research the Constitutional provision for the Judicial branch of government. They examine different U.S. founder's positions on the relative strength of the judicial branch and act as a review court for Marbury vs. Madison.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Education Reform

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify problems and potential improvements for U.S. public school education. They research and debate the pros and cons of the "No Child Left Behind Act".
Lesson Plan
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C-SPAN

Presidential Birth Requirement

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Every president of the United States must be a natural-born citizen, but the definition of natural-born is not as straightforward as it seems. Secondary scholars examine two points of view surrounding the constitutional requirement...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Freedom by the Fireside: The Legacy of FDR's "Four Freedoms" Speech

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students read and analyze Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union Address. They listen to recordings of speeches by F.D.R., answer discussion questions, and participate in a debate.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Glorious Revolution, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students relate the Glorious Revolution, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution through web based research and scenarios.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Constitution Day

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Pupils examine and discuss recent court cases involving young people and the Bill of Rights.They use a focus question to create the context for class discussion: How does the Bill of Rights apply to young people and students?
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

George Washington's Foreign Policy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare George Washington's foreign policy to the policies of presidents who followed him. In this primary source analysis lesson, students compare Washington's Farewell Address to the Roosevelt Corollary, the Monroe Doctrine,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gun Control and Terrorism: Laws or Loopholes?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the Second Amendment of the Constitution. They research and organize key arguments and other fundementals of gun control. They participate in a debate defending the wording of the Second Amendment.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The New Republic

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Learners research the Federalists and Anti-federalists. In the lesson on state legislature, students use primary sources to create a brochure and write an essay that illustrates federalist and anti-federalists viewpoints.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Cherokee Removal

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders examine the issue of Cherokee removal from the perspectives of Andrew Jackson, members of Congress, and members of the Cherokee nation. They adopt the perspectives and engage in debate over the issue of Cherokee removal.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Marshall Plan for Rebuilding Western Europe

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars examine the aftermath of World War II. In this Marshall Plan lesson plan, students listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding the plan to rebuild Western Europe and its outcome.  Young scholars respond to...
Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

If Men Were Angels: Teaching the Constitution With the Federalist Papers

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Much like the methods of group work, the writers of the Federalist Papers worked together to advocate for their viewpoints against the anti-federalists. The resource enables learners to break into small groups and conduct research before...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Origins of Islamic Law: Sharia, Islam, Muslims

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the development and history of Islamic Law (Sharia). They also begin to make comparisons to Western and Judaic Law traditions.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: The u.s. Constitution: Governing of the u.s.

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
This unit includes four lessons using primary sources to examine continuity and change in the governing of the United States. Lessons one and two are focused on a study of the Constitution and Bill of Rights and provide access to primary...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs News Hour: Constitutional Amendments and Gay Marriage

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this lesson, students examine and debate the issue of same sex marriage by studying background information, news articles, legal arguments and the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. They then draft an amendment of their own to...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Federalists & Anti Federalists

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Look at the debate and eventual compromise, between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists that occurred around the creation of the U.S. Constitution.
Lesson Plan
Other

Gunston Hall Plantation: Mason Objects

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this set of activities, students learn what George Mason's objections were to the U.S. Constitution. They then evaluate them through a class discussion and divide into groups to hold a debate about the disagreement between the...
Lesson Plan
Other

Freedom Forum: Lesson Plans for the First Amendment

For Teachers 9th - 10th
These lessons address constitutional principles and contemporary issues involving the First Amendment. They intend to have explore how freedoms began and how they operate in today's world. Students will discuss just how far individual...
Lesson Plan
The Dirksen Congressional Center

Congress Link: Lesson Plans

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
The Dirksen Congressional Center provides abundant lesson plans on all aspects of the US Congress and the US Constitution. All lessons contain time frames, objectives, and links to material, and are built around Bloom's taxonomy.