Students build their own nation in groups where they create a name, flag, declaration of independence, form of government, mathematical layout, and more. In this nation lesson plan, students also provide a scale drawing of their nation...

While just an outline for an exploration of the American Revolution, this lesson could be augmented to provide a richer experience. The activity calls for learners to discuss the Declaration of Independence, study Paul Revere's midnight...

Students research the structure of the Declaration: introduction, main political/philosophical ideas, grievances and assertion of sovereignty. They analyze the ideological/political origins of the ideas in the Declaration. Students...

In this protest and petition worksheet, students respond to 6 framework questions to help them outline and write their own Declarations of Complaints.

America: a nation that continues to change. Budding historians analyze primary sources to understand the key ideas of the American Revolution and how the country has changed over time. Scholars read text from the Declaration of...

Freedom for the few! An interesting lesson focuses on the Maryland Constitution and its lack of freedom for African Americans. Scholars examine the premise of freedom for all—which only extended to a limited few.  Academics complete...

Students demonstrate reading comprehension skills, including reading strategies, inference, literal meaning, and critical analysis.

Teach the class about the predecessor to Declaration of Independence—the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Using the foundational documents, scholars examine the two writings to consider how they are similar and how they are different. A...

Who does what? To develop an understanding of the balance of power between the US federal and state governments, class members research responsibilities in terms of legal systems, security issues, economic activities, lawmaking, and...

Tenth graders research the Declaration of Independence and its impact. They assemble puzzle pieces of the declaration and create their own declaration of independence including grievances and resolution.

Students conduct inquiries and research-acquiring, organizing, analyzing, interpreting, evaluating, and communicating facts, themes, and general principles operating in American history. They use the Declaration of Independence to...

Ninth graders study the sections of the Declaration of Independence.  In this American Government lesson, 9th graders participate in a weekly discussion board.  Students create a multimedia project to demonstrate their applied...

Students explore the foundations of America. In this early American history lesson, students watch Discovery video segments regarding the Boston Massacre, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights....

Students examine readings and symbols to learn about the War of Independence and Thomas Jefferson. In this War of Independence lesson plan, students explore the role of Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration for Independence. Students...

Students debate and role play about whether the colonists should declare independence from England or not. In this American history and oral communication instructional activity, students read informational text about the colonists and...

Students research the Declaration of Independence and write a group paper. Students use a set of designated questions as a guide for the threee to four page paper.

Young scholars explore the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. They research a philosopher using reference books and reliable Internet sources and write a two-page paper utilizing proper writing conventions. In addition,...

Eighth graders examine the importance of the Declaration of Independence by using a variety of research sources and computer technology to obtain information. They internalize the thoughts, actions, and motives of the signers of the...

Young scholars examine how religion affected arguments justifying American independence. They read and analyze primary source documents, and write an essay analyzing how Americans used religious arguments to justify revolution against a...

Students define the words: republic, Articles of Condederation, survey, Northwest Ordinance, republicanism, ordinance, ratified, and Northwest Territory. They view the video Charlie Brown Constitution.

Have you ever started a project only to realize you need to scrap it and start over? Scholars analyze the issues leading to the fall of the Articles of Confederation. A group investigation into Articles II, III, and VIII unveil the...

Lesson 6 of this extensive unit finally has your class begin to work their way through specific articles from the text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Before examining the rights actually detailed in the...

A continuation of the previous lesson, which is part of a larger group of lessons on human rights (see additional materials). Here, in Lesson 7, your class will explore more articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. After...

What if society sought equality by handicapping the gifted and dispelling any traces of diversity? Kurt Vonnegut Jr. offers one possible answer to this question through his incredibly engaging and thought-provoking satirical...