Thomas Jefferson lived a controversial life. A series of lesson plans shares information about Jefferson's Sons, a novel about the infamous founding father. Discussion questions and other tasks explore different points of view and cover...

Declaring war is not as easy as some may think. High schoolers learn about Congress's limits regarding war by reading important clauses in the US Constitution. Various independent and collaborative activities reinforce learning, making...

Fifth graders complete a timeline activity in which they outline the events from explorations to the early Colonial era. In groups, they discover an overview of the events that lead up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. ...

Students explain why the American colonies declared the independence, students should relate to that which is held most dearly i.e. life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They participate in a drama that illustrates this.

Students explore the road to the American Revolution. In this American history lesson, students research the events in colonial America that led to the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution. They then create a timeline.

Eighth graders read copies of The Declaration of Independence, United States constitution, and the Bill of Rights. They write an opinion about the document they feel is most important in the history of the united states. This is their...

Eighth graders watch as their teacher presents information on the Constitution, government and laws through a PowerPoint presentation. In groups, they discuss the importance of government and laws and identify the main ideas in the...

Students examine the life of Thomas Jefferson, explore great American landmark Monticello, discover relationships between climate, geographical factors, and time as to what kind of architecture was used, conduct research online, write a...

Provide your 11th graders with a basic understanding of U.S. Geography. They label the state, regions, and boundaries found in the contiguous U.S. as well as Hawaii and Alaska. Then, they complete two Internet related activities. 

Students answer questions about the purpose of government as stated by the Declaration of Independence.

Eleventh graders explore the era of slavery when Jefferson was President. For this United States History lesson, 11th graders participate in a class discussion that is led by the teacher.  A PowerPoint presentation on the topic is...

High schoolers use the Internet to read a brief description of Magna Carta (link provided). They "walk through" the document with the teacher, identifying four major themes. Students read and discuss "The Rhetoric of Rights: Americans...

Students discribe the principle and the history of separation of powers.

Students examine the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. During a visit to the George Bush Presidential Museum, they watch a video about the Texas v. Johnson flag burning case. In groups, they discover the role of the Supreme Court...

Young scholars identify important arguments for independence made in Thomas Paine's Common Sense. They explain why these arguments helped persuade American colonists that independence was necessary. Students describe the importance of...

Young scholars examine a series of documents which discuss the contradiction in the Americans' rhetoric about slavery. They act as members of designated Committees of Correspondence in the five different colonies, communicating their...

Students take part in an activity that allows them to learn the names and some interesting facts about the signers of the Declaration of Independence while having fun and participating in physical activity.

Students use events and biographies from their state's history and U.S. history, to create a dictionary of terms for citizens of a democracy.

Students consider the significance of selected American documents. In this civics lesson, students analyze excerpts of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

What important facts about Dr. Seuss influenced the Read Across America movement...? This is the driving question of a research project that requires scholars to find information about Dr. Seuss' life and work. Class...

Students use political cartoons and editorials to study Brown v. Board of Education. In this Brown v. Board of Education lesson, students read the background information on eight cartoons and editorials for a study on Brown v....

High schoolers identify the powers of national and state governments. They evaluate the balance of national versus state power. They utilize worksheets imbedded in this plan to gain a deeper perspective of how the government powers are...

Students examine the U.S. Constitution. For this American government lesson, students explore the purpose and significance of the Constitution as they read the provided handouts and complete the provided worksheet.

High schoolers research the passage of the 19th Amendment as an illustration of the mutual influence between political ideas and cultural attitudes. They also read the Seneca Falls Declaration and explore the cultural shifts it both...