Curated OER
Eleanor Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy
Students discuss the election of 1960. They examine the political styles of important leaders, the issue of money, and the issue of fair play in American politics. Students explore the lives of Eleanor Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy.
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Electoral College
Eleventh graders discover how the Electoral College works. For this presidential elections lesson, 11th graders compare and contrast the Electoral College and popular vote as they participate in a classroom simulation. Students also...
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Face the Nation! A Panel Discussion
Sixth graders simulate an election-year debate between opposing political parties. In this persuasive-speech lesson plan, 6th graders will work in teams to prepare for and participate in a debate between opposing parties. The lesson plan...
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Andrew Jackson and the Formation of Political Parties
Eighth graders explore the political election process. They identify how the system changed during the presidency of Andrew Jackson. Students use analogies and discussion, and answering questions to explore Jackson and his cabinet. ...
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Campaign Finance Reform and Public Opinion
Learners discuss the issue of finance reform in political campaigns. Using the internet, they identify the positives and negatives of finance reform and research the problems associated with campaign fund-raising. They share their...
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Debates Over Suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus
Eighth graders study the concept of Habeas Corpus. For this Civil War lesson, 8th graders research the reasons for and against suspending the writ of habeas corpus. Students analyze various documents.
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Who’s Got Rights? An Introduction to Human Rights and Human Rights Defenders
Students explore human rights issues. In this social justice instructional activity, students examine human rights as they read segments of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights," discuss photographs with human rights implications,...
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Candidate Debate; Making Informed Voting Decisions
Students study the concept of what it means to be an informed voter who makes conscientious voting decisions based on significant information. In this making informed voting decisions lesson plan, students are introduces...
Facing History and Ourselves
The Audacity of a Vote: Susan B. Anthony’s Arrest
Susan B. Anthony's speech "Is It a Crime for Women to Vote?" takes center stage in a lesson that asks class members to consider how they might respond to what they consider an unjust law. Groups work through the speech paragraph by...
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Electoral Politics
Students formulate their own opinions about the issues in an election campaign through a critical examination of political advertisements, candidate debates, and political cartoons.
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The Will of the People
In this math worksheet, students solve a word problem about three candidates running for governor. Students use percentages to find out who will win the election.
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The Cold War: Civil Defense or Nuclear Disarmament?
Learners research the positions of civil defense and nuclear disarmament during the Cold War era. They participate in a class debate to support a given position.
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Cartoons for the Classroom: Charisma vs. Experience
In this current events worksheet, students analyze a political cartoon about the 2008 Presidential election and respond to 3 talking point questions.
University of California
The Civil War: Secession of the South
Was the Southern states' decision to secede from the Union protected by the United States Constitution? Eighth graders discuss the constitutionality of the South's justification for secession, particularly the secession of South...
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The Lesson: Kenya
Students consider how recent historical events have impacted Kenya. In this global studies lesson plan, students visit selected websites to discover information about President Mwai Kibaki, Kenya's statistics, and Swahili. Students share...
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A House Dividing: The Growing Crisis of Sectionalism in Antebellum America
Students explore the debates over American slavery and the power of the American federal government for the first half of the 19th century and how the regional economies and political events produced a widening split between the states.
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Cartoons for the Classroom
Political cartoons have been used to decades. What do they symbolize? Why use a political cartoon instead of an editorial piece? Look at the two political cartoons illustrated here and analyze them as a class or in pairs. Consider...
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Sandra Day O'Connor: Always Supreme
Demystify America's governing system through a legendary role model and a fabulous website.
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Private Property Vs. the Public Good: the Problem of Eminent Domain
Students view video The Electric Valley, discuss film clips and review news articles and other documents pertaining to eminent domain, prepare declarative statement on issue that has pro or con side, and present case to opposing side in...
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Cartoons for the Classroom: Charisma vs. Experience
Which is more important for a president: experience or charisma? Scholars consider this as they analyze 2 political cartoons in this analysis handout. Background information gives context through a quote from The Telegraph, and 3 talking...
Curated OER
The Kennedy Administration
From his inaugural speech to the Bay of Pigs, major events concerning the Kennedy presidency are discussed. Slides provide an array of images and web links to highlight some of the bigger issues surrounding President Kennedy. The...
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Major Issues Facing America
Students continue to examine the issues of the 2004 presidential election. Using the internet, they discover where they stand on each issue and where each candidate stands on the issues as well. In groups, they participate in a...
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Electing a President
Students brainstorm and list qualities that they would look for in a president; students rank qualities in order of importance.
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The Electoral College
Learners read and complete an assignment debating whether the Electoral College should be replaced.