Caucus 101
Linkage Institutions: Interest Groups: Option A
How are elections really run and won? Learn about special interest groups, super PACs, and lobbyists with an engaging lesson about the caucus process. Young voters research specific interest groups and analyze their part in previous and...
Curated OER
Citizenship Quiz
In this online interactive civics worksheet, students respond to 15 multiple choice questions about the history and civics of the United States. Students may check some of their answers on the interactive worksheet.
Curated OER
Advocates for Disabilities
Students research people who have contributed to making life better for the disabled. In this advocacy instructional activity students enter the names of advocates on cards and divide into groups. Students...
Curated OER
A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History
The Nashua River serves as the focal point of an investigation of the treatment of and care for natural resources. A reading of A River Rand Wild: An Environmental History by Lynne Cherry, launches the study and class members consider...
Curated OER
The League
Students explore the concept of civic virtue in a democratic state. In this democracy instructional activity, students listen to John F. Kennedy's inaugural speech, read selections on democracy, and discuss the importance of civic...
Curated OER
The Preamble to the Constitution: How Do You Make a More Perfect Union?
Students analyze the Preamble of the Constitution and identify the historical context that led to its wording. They, in groups, interpret phrases from the Preamble, examine relevant court cases and create illustrations for their portion...
Curated OER
Wages, Earning Power, Profit, and Responsibility: International Lessons
Students participate in an interactive activity to determine where their clothers were made. They examine the lives of children from Latin America who harvest crops in the fields or manufacture apparel in factories.
iCivics
Separation of Powers
In a fun and informative simulation, your learners will act in groups as lead chefs, menu writers, and nutrition inspectors in deciding a new school lunch menu. They will then compare and contrast their experience to the interaction...
Wild BC
Connecting Ecosystems & Climate
Collaborators sort a set of cards into biotic and abiotic categories. Then, as a class, they discuss their work and relate each of the abiotic components to climate change. Finally, they form a web of components by connecting those that...
Curated OER
Our Wonderful Stories: Lesson Plan 5
The fifth installment in a writing unit that culminates with a Hyperstudio illustrated group story project, this plan is ripe with ideas for ways to design group writing projects for elementary writers. Use the whole unit as a base from...
Speak Truth to Power
Harry Wu: Forced Labor
Over the course of two class periods, young historians explore human rights issues; specifically, forced labor in China. This resource provides everything you need, including relevant vocabulary, an anticipatory activity, and a...
Curated OER
Growing a Citizen
Students analyze messages and values associated with civic engagement present in the media. They analyze the local community's promotion of values associated with civic engagement by conducting investigative research. They hypothesize...
Curated OER
Earth: The Source of Resources
Students study responsible stewardship and natural resources. In this natural resources lesson, students share their motto's about the environment with the class. Students then discuss the regulations in 'Rules and Regulations for...
Curated OER
Civic/Social Awareness
Develop spoken fluency, persuasive speaking skills, and confidence by having your class practice their public speaking skills. They compose and deliver persuasive speeches as they participate in five different speech tasks. A...
Curated OER
Windows and Mirrors: Examining Pictures Through a Human Rights Lens
Students select a picture from a given set and participate in a discussion about the picture. Students discuss the rights from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that can be associated with their pictues. Students group the...
Curated OER
Understanding Bias
Students participate in an interactive writing and discussion activity, on the study of bias, as it is used in political debate and decision making. They evaluate the presentation of material and its importance in making informed decisions.
Curated OER
Eminent Domain: Whose Land is it Anyway?
Students research eminent domain and whether or not there has been a land dispute in their community. Students search local newspapers, local history books or talk with civic leaders and long-time citizens and create a chart showing the...
PBS
Making Change: Revolutionary Tactics of the Civil Rights Movement
The film American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs introduces viewers to the differing philosophies of and strategies employed by 1960s civil rights leaders such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. and the debate over...
Curated OER
Understanding Tibet
Students work in cooperative groups to read one current situation of Tibet. They respond to a set of discussion questions. Pupils write a newspaper article expressing the current information explored. Students write an editorial or...
Curated OER
In Memory
Students examine the issues that designers and civic planners face in designing memorials to historic tragedies, wars and other events. They design memorials dedicated to the events of September 11, 2001.
Curated OER
Role Playing in North America: Mid 1600s-Mid 1700s
Eighth graders apply their knowledge of North American history from the mid 1600's through the mid 1700's to a role-playing scenario. In small groups they plan, write, and perform a dramatic skit of a group that was affected by events in...
Curated OER
Public Policy & The Federal Budget
Students, in groups, represent a single deparment in the executive branch and research the work of their department and their current budget via a provided Internet site and then must decide how to cut their budget for an emergency.
Maryland Department of Education
Our Children Can Soar
Amazing efforts of African American leaders are celebrated in a instructional activity on civil participation. The engaging resource focuses on primary and secondary sources to analyze the impact of African American leaders such as Ella...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims
Teach kindergartners about the First Thanksgiving with a series of lessons about the Pilgrims' journey to the New World. As they practice handwriting, CVC words, reading comprehension, and fun Thanksgiving songs, they learn about what...