Curated OER
First Amendment: Bill of Rights
Twelfth graders explore the First Amendment and the rights that are protected by the First Amendment. They discuss how the First Amendment is important to their daily lives. Students research the amendment and complete a concept map.
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The Alien and Sedition Acts
Learners discover the conflicts that arose between the political parties over issues of foreign policy and economics. Using the Internet, they research the Alien and Sedition Acts and how they relate to the U.S. Constitution. They...
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The Right Ideas
Students investigate the Bill of Rights and explain how non-profit organizations take care of those rights. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students work in groups to look at the rights that are included in the Bill of Rights. They...
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People and Their Place in the Community
Third graders search TDC database for images of famous people, such as Rosa Parks, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., etc. They also retrieve information about their accomplishments, time frames, areas, and how they made a difference in...
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Discovering Aristotle's Three Forms
Students, working in small groups, role play different kinds of governments--oligarchy, monarchy, dictatorship, and democratic republic. They portray their form of government in a skit, while other groups guess which kind of government...
Curated OER
Organize Your Own Government
Students, in groups, design a government. They create a web page that describes the group's fictitious nation, details the citizen's culture, identifies the type of government and explores how the chosen government would respond to...
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Living to Avoid The Criminal Justice System
Students brainstorm a list of negative stereotypes in the African-American society. In groups, they develop ways to decrease the chance of them living in poverty and being in trouble with the law. They develop ways to solve problems...
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Kwanzaa
Pupils examine the holiday of Kwanzaa. In groups, they discuss "The Seven Principles" and the history of the holiday. They explore the objects that are used and what they represent. They end the instructional activity with a...
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Questions About Thanksgiving
This writing activity asks students to read and rewrite 5 statements associated with Thanksgiving into questions. This activity would be quite useful when teaching students the differences between declarative and interrogative sentences.
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Questions about Thanksgiving
In this writing questions worksheet, students examine 5 statements regarding Thanksgiving. They then change them into questions with the same essential meaning.
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What is Democracy?
Students examine civic duties. In this citizenship lesson, students play an online game that requires them to consider the needs of their community. Students campaign for the issue they choose in the game.
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The National Motto
Second graders examine the meaning of the national motto, "In God We Trust." In this national motto lesson, 2nd graders explain some of the reasons why people selected the motto for the nation after viewing and discussing a coins and a...
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Public Demonstrations - Lesson Plan
Students examine various handouts to determine the value, necessity and potential limitations of assembly and public demonstrations. They then select a side and debate pre-provided questions.
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"The Election"
Students participate in an election for the purpose of comprehending the political process and the responsibilities that come with citizenship in a free society. They elect officials with no identity and are surprised with the revealing...
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SAT Sentence Completion Practice Test 10
In this sentence completion practice test, students choose the word that best completes each sentence. Students have 10 minutes to answer 12 questions in this SAT practice instructional activity.
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CDV, CDV, What's a CDV?
Introduce your class to the Core Democratic Values. The lesson focuses on defining the Core Democratic Values and related terms. Small groups look up terms and present a song based on the information they've found. After the...
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United States Holidays and Customs
Students identify and describe the importance of U.S. holidays and social customs. In groups, Students write a detailed description of a U.S. holiday and how it is celebrated. Descriptions are presented to the class. This lesson plan...
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The Daoist Immortals
High schoolers discover the basic principles and beliefs of Daoism through investigation and in-class discussion in this High School lesson for a Social Studies, Humanities, or Asian Studies class.
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Hidden Messages
Students examine the concept of censorship in authoritarian government and how Japanese and Chinese artists used their work as political commentary. This lesson includes possible lesson enrichments.
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The Whole World
High schoolers discuss and evaluate the use of the Yin and Yang symbols in Chinese history, making connections to current trends in Chinese culture. Emphasis is placed on small group discussions.
Other
The Human Right to Freedom From Discrimination
This site discusses the "human right to freedom from any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on gender, race, color, national or ethnic origin, language, religion, political or other opinion, age, or any other status,...
British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: 'Reason Is but Choosing': Freedom of Thought and John Milton
From his politics and religious writings to "Paradise Lost", this article traces how the life and work of John Milton were guided by the principle of freedom of thought and how in doing so he challenged fundamental aspects of...
Smithsonian Institution
National Portrait Gallery: The Presidency and the Cold War: Gerald Ford
The National Portrait Gallery presents a look at presidential actions during the Cold War. Click on Gerald Ford to watch a video of a speech he made concerning the Helsinki Accords and the need to honor fundamental freedoms and human...
Reading Is Fundamental
Reading Is Fundamental: Meet the Authors and Illustrators: Pam Munoz Ryan
This site includes an interview with Pam Munoz Ryan, a famous author of many children's picture books and historical fiction books. Read reviews of some of Pam Munoz Ryan's books by chidren.