Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pornography Debate

For Teachers 12th
Present your seniors with a controversial topic while studying the first amendment: pornography. This multi-layer resource has scholars writing a pros and cons research paper. They also attend a city council meeting to prepare for an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Individual Rights and Liberties: Free Speech

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students review free speech laws and the First Amendment in the Constitution. They discuss a current event involving free speech. They present the information to the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Four Freedoms

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders consider the freedoms they hold dear. In this historical perspectives lesson, 7th graders identify 4 freedoms that they have and then compare them to the listed freedoms in Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Four Freedoms" speech.
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!: Simulating the Supreme Court

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Students have freedom of speech—or do they? Using an actual court case and research materials on the Supreme Court, young legal scholars examine the Supreme Court's role and history. Then, they argue a case the court declined to hear and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Newspapers in the Digital Age

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Is journalism more or less reliable with the influx of Internet sources? Learners investigate the issues of freedom of speech, journalistic ethics, and social responsibility in the age of Twitter and Facebook. After examining the...
Activity
Administrative Office of the US Courts

Snyder v. Phelps

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Does the Westboro Baptist Church have the protection of the Constitution when protesting military funerals? High schoolers examine the 2011 Supreme Court case of Snyder v. Phelps before comparing the situation to a fictional...
Worksheet
Reading Through History

The March on Washington

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
How does marching get a point across to the government? Teach pupils about civics, human rights, and freedom of speech using the resource about the March on Washington. After reading, learners complete multiple-choice and short-answer...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Bill of Rights and You

For Teachers 4th - 6th
The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The lesson explains what the Bill of Rights is and how it applies to everyday life, like freedom of speech or the right to a jury trial. Young historians complete hands-on...
Assessment
New York State Education Department

US History and Government Examination: August 2012

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Just how far can the American government go during war time? With primary source documents, learners consider the effects on restrictions of freedom of speech, the detention of American citizens of Japanese descent, and the Patriot Act...
Lesson Plan
Heritage Foundation

Substantive Amendments: Amendments I and II

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The First and Second Amendments remain some of the most famous, even to this day. Learners read about several clauses from the US Constitution through a variety of captivating activities including before and after reading, group work,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Module 11--Rules and Freedom

For Teachers 5th - 6th
In this verb usage worksheet, students determine if ten rules are true or false and if false change the underlined verb so that they are true. Students match five laws that were put into practice with the time period that they were...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Alien and Sedition Acts: Defining American Freedom

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze the Alien and Sedition Acts. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding the details of the Alien Act and the Sedition Acts. Students examine Supreme Court...
Activity
1
1
Freeology

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream"

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech "I Have A Dream" is hailed as one of the most eloquent and moving speeches of the 20th century. But what makes his words hit his listeners' ears in just the right ways? Young orators study Dr. King's...
Activity
Administrative Office of the US Courts

Texas v. Johnson

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Which right does the Constitution weigh more heavily: the sanctity of the American flag as a symbol of national unity, or the right to burn the flag in protest? The 1989 Supreme Court case of Texas v. Johnson explores a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chicago Tribune vs. US (1942): When Does Freedom of the Press Go Too Far?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students define freedom of the press in peace and war time. As a class, they identify the need for the public to be informed, but discuss where the line should be drawn to protect national security. They develop their arguments and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Constitutional Rights

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students read an account of a students reaction to the Vietnam War. They complete comprehension questions from the reading passage. They read arguments from the Supreme Court Justices and decide which arguments they agree with.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring the First Amendment as it has been applied to Teen Journalists

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students explore the First Amendment as it has been applied to teens and teen journalists. In this First Amendment lesson, students memorize the First Amendment, complete online research of the topic, and quiz. Students read about...
Interactive
2
2
Judicial Learning Center

The Constitution and Rights

For Students 6th - 12th
What's the right way to teach young historians about the Bill of Rights? Many an instructor has asked this question when pondering lesson plans over the US Constitution. The Constitution and Rights is a nifty resource that provides a...
Worksheet
Polk Bros Foundation

John F. Kennedy: Remarks in the Rudolph Wilde Platz, Berlin

For Students 9th - 12th
“Ich bin ein Berliner.” Here’s the full text of John F. Kennedy’s famous address delivered to the people of Berlin on June 26, 1963. The resource could be used as part of a study of Kennedy’s presidency, of rhetorical devices, or as...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Curated OER

A Close Reading of Learned Hand's "I Am an American Day"

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Judge Learned Hand's "Spirit of Liberty" speech delivered during the July, 1944 "I Am an American Day" celebration is the subject of a close reading activity that models for learners how to approach a dense, difficult text.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Six Day War

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Learn about the diverse perspectives involved in the Six Day War by having learners examine and annotate presidential speeches given by the three nations—Egypt, Israel, and the United States—at the heart of the conflict and producing...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

ELD Lesson Plan: Courage

For Teachers 6th
What is true courage? Your class can explore the answer with these three Houghton-Mifflin stories ("Hatchet," "Passage to Freedom," "Climb or Die," and "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle"), which feature courageous characters and...
Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

Public Christmas Displays and Lynch v. Donnelly

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Does a Christmas display on government property violate the Constitution? Learners study the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and learn about the landmark Supreme Court case Lynch v. Donnelly through watching a...
Unit Plan
1
1
Madison Public Schools

Journalism

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Whether you are teaching a newspaper unit in language arts, covering the First Amendment and censorship in social studies, or focusing on writing ethics in journalism, a unit based on the foundations of journalism would be an excellent...

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