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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Let Freedom Ring: The Life & Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students use text and photos to visualize the delivery of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s historic "I Have A Dream" speech. They analyze Dr. King's speech for examples of imagery and allusion and create original poetry and illustrations...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Speaking Freely In the Soviet Union's Autocratic Government

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Speak your mind! The lesson explores the difference in free speech between the United States and the Soviet Union. Academics review the constitutions of both governments, political cartoons, and case studies to understand how freedom of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Free Speech or Hate Speech?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students see the difference between protected and prohibited speech as guaranteed by the First Amendment. They explain why free speech is essential to a democracy and consider how best to deal with speech they find offensive.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Clear and Present Danger

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students assume identities of lawmakers, judges, writers, and protestors during times in American history when freedoms of speech and press were limited because country was on the brink of war or fighting one. Students use primary source...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Texas v. Johnson

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine the freedom of speech. For this Supreme Court lesson, students analyze primary documents from Texas v. Johnson and discuss the implications of the decision regarding flag burning.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Press-ing Freedom

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students consider how free speech applies to journalistic practices in light of a legal case involving two reporters. They participate in a fishbowl discussion about journalism codes of ethics and write response papers.
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Rights And Responsibilities: Debating Free Speech, Responsibility And Censorship on Campus

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students weigh rights of students and others to free speech versus the responsibilities that come with those rights.
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Activity
Administrative Office of the US Courts

Elonis v. U.S.

For Students 10th - 12th Standards
With the explosion of social media sites, with online threats and cyber bullying, issues of freedom of speech have taken on a whole new aspect. Elonis v. U.S. represents the first time the Supreme Court has considered whether or not...
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

The Wrong Side of History: How One Group Justified Its Opposition on the Freedom Riders and Civil Rights for African Americans

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Designed as a supplement to the study of the Freedom Riders, this resource uses primary sources to reveal the views of those who opposed the Freedom Riders. After careful study of the arguments presented by the members of the Montgomery...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Am a Book

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders discuss books that have been banned and the things that they have in common. They explore the concept of freedom of speech and write poems based on their discussion.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The First Amendment: What's Fair in a Free Country

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students describe the contents of the First Amendment while telling about an example of speech that is protected by the Constitution and that which is not. They attempt to apply the First Amendment to situations that could occur in their...
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Worksheet
Administrative Office of the US Courts

Cox v. New Hampshire

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
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...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Free Speech Questions

For Students 9th - 12th
In this First Amendment worksheet, students respond to 14 short answer questions about freedom of speech and restrictions of speech.
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Lesson Plan
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Facing History and Ourselves

The Importance of a Free Press

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
"Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;. . ." Why is this guarantee of free speech and a free press the First Amendment to the US Constitution? Why are these rights so essential to a democracy?...
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Unit Plan
Bill of Rights Institute

Preserving the Bill of Rights

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
Consider how America's founding fathers and their experiences contributed to the rights we all enjoy today. A collection of reading, writing, and collaborative exercises prompt high schoolers to think about the ways their current lives...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution: The American Revolution

For Teachers 5th - 8th
The contributions of African-Americans to the American Revolution are the focus of this Social Studies and language arts lesson. After reading and discussing Linda Crotta Brennan’s The Black Regiment of the American Revolution, class...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

You Can Say That Again!

For Teachers 10th
A discussion of the Supreme Court’s Opinion of Tinker v. Des Moines generates a discussion of the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment. Although the key elements of this activity are based on a video that is not included, the...
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Unit Plan
Newspaper Association of America

Citizens Together: You and Your Newspaper

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Not all news in a newspaper comes in the form of a traditional article; photographs, charts, and even editorial cartoons help spread important information, too. A civics-based unit describes the parts of the newspaper as tools for...
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Lesson Plan
Newseum

Battle for the Bill of Rights: Ultimate Survivor Amendment Game

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
To understand the importance of the wording of the articles of the First Amendment (freedom of religion, freedom of speech and the press, and freedom to assembly and petition), teams argue before a jury for draft amendments of one...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: Shine the Light on Your Government

For Students 9th - 12th
What don't we know about our government? Explore the concept of transparency and freedom of information throught this analysis handout, in which scholars examine 2 political cartoons. Background information provides context, explaining...
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Activity
Administrative Office of the US Courts

Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Freedom of speech is not always free. Scholars investigate how the First Amendment provides for the right to express opinions. Through the court case Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, they analyze free speech using primary documents—and hopefully...
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Lesson Plan
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Reading the Work of B. Franklin, Printer

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Placing Ben Franklin’s ideas about a free press next to those embodied in the First Amendment sheds light on both. Learners interpret and compare two primary sources and then examine them in the light of a contemporary survey about...
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Lesson Plan
National Constitution Center

The Development and Application of the First Amendment

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What are the limits on freedom of speech? While a cherished right in the Constitution, it is not unbridled. Budding historians consider what checks should exist on this liberty using news stories, court cases, and College Board prompts.
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

The Freedom Riders and the Popular Music of the Civil Rights Movement

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s marched to its own beat—literally. Using songs from the era, as well as other primary sources such as King's "I Have a Dream" speech, class members analyze lyrics to discover how music and protest...

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