Deliberating in a Democracy
Freedom of Expression
Should democracies include hate speech as a protected right? Scholars analyze the rights found under the First Amendment to the Constitution through researching evidence. Freedom of expression becomes the focal point of the...
Curated OER
Regulating Freedom of Speech
Students examine the nature and limits of the Constitutional right to freedom of speech. They read and analyze the First Amendment, discuss various case studies, and research and record their own opinion on discussion questions.
Curated OER
Barnyard Protest: Cows, Chickens & Fundamental Freedoms
Here is an ambitious and engaging instructional activity that should help elementary schoolers begin to develop a basic understanding of human rights. Pupils are asked to think about their own rights, the rights of others, and how an...
Curated OER
Civil liberties: Fundamental freedoms
Students explore civil liberties. They list and describe the fundamental freedoms guaranteed to Canadians. Students illustrate how Charter rights are applies. They examine current issues and suggest how the courts might apply Charter...
Curated OER
How far have we come in the "Freedom Struggle"?
Eleventh graders assess an appreciation for the sacrifices made to achieve fundamental rights in our society. They analyze how far we've come to explore what more needs to be done in the "Freedom Struggle." Each student completes a...
Curated OER
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Dou
Ninth graders explore the concept that education is related to freedom. In this human rights activity, 9th graders read The Narrative of Frederick Douglass. Students dialogue about their readings and education as it relates to human...
University of Southern California
Persecution of the German-Jews: The Early Years - 1933-1939
Young historians learn about the dehumanization process of stripping German Jews of basic, fundamental rights prior to the genocide of European Jews in the 1940s. Learners watch video clips of survivors who recount such events...
Curated OER
Pornography Debate
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...
Minnesota Center for Community Legal Education
Minnesota v. Hershberger
Freedom of religion has been a controversial, yet fundamental, tenet of the United States since even before the nation's birth. In a well-constructed lesson, the class compares the Minnesota Constitution to the US Constitution as a means...
Curated OER
The Bill of Rights and You
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...
University of North Carolina
Political Science
The right to vote and freedom of expression are democratic principles that fall under the study of political science. A handout describes writing assignments that are common in political science college classes and gives tips and...
Curated OER
Launching Your Ship with Citizenship Lesson 4: Hoisting the Flag
Students discuss the U.S. electoral process and brainstorm solutions to increase voter turnout in their community. In this democratic citizenship lesson, students identify keywords in speech and video related to freedom of speech and...
Curated OER
Documents and Symbols and American Freedom
Students complete a unit of lessons on the documents, symbols, and famous people involved in the founding of the U.S. government. They create a personal bill of rights, write a found poem, design a flag, conduct research, and role-play...
Judicial Learning Center
The Constitution and Rights
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...
University of Chicago
Exercise in Conflict Resolution
How do major religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, differ in how they view the role of individual freedoms within society, the definition of morality, and the importance of politically satisfying the greater...
Curated OER
The American's Creed
Students explore the meaning of the American's Creed. In this civics lesson, students examine the creed, define related vocabulary words, and write their own creeds.
Curated OER
Writing Newspaper Articles
Students write newspaper articles regarding their service learning experiences. In this writing skills lesson, students review the writing process skills to develop high-quality articles. Students write articles regarding the their acts...
Curated OER
The Mayflower Compact-Freedom Contract
Students examine the main goal of the Pilgrims and the first amendment of the Constitution. They read and discuss "The Mayflower Compact," role-play excerpts of the reading, and write a journal entry.
Open Oregon Educational Resources
Principles of Microeconomics: Scarcity and Social Provisioning
There’s no such thing as a free economics course, but here's a resource that is as close as you can get. Drawing on the expertise of a textbook, augmented by input from higher education economics instructors, a helpful eBook presents a...
Curated OER
Building a Human Rights Document
Students identify the issue of basic human rights, examine the importance of the UDHR, and compare it to United States Bill of Rights. They create a definition of human rights as a class. Students are divided into groups of four and...
Curated OER
The Election
Students participate in an election. They are asked to vote for one of four candidates without knowing who they are or what they stand for. Students gain an important lesson when voting to make sure that security of freedom and...
Curated OER
The Quality of Equality
Students are introduced to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They relate it to their own rights, freedoms, and responsibilities as Canadian citizens. They create pictures illustrating equality.
Curated OER
The Preamble to the U. S. Constitution
Fifth graders explain the purpose of the government by examining the Preamble to the Constitution. They identify ways in which the government is preserving those rights today. They discover one of the fundamental principles of...
Curated OER
Valley Forge
Students describe how location, weather, and physical environment affect the way people live, including the effects on their food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and recreation. They also describe the lives of American heroes who...