Out of the mouth of babes ... often times comes gems. The activity uses a letter written by a third-grader in 1974 regarding President Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon. Scholars analyze the letter, complete a worksheet, and participate in...

An interactive introduces English learners to William Shakespeare's comedy Much Ado About Nothing.  Pupils watch a short animated version of the play, match character names with images from the video, and put sentence strips in order.

Most people are surprised to learn that American democracy is not as direct as they thought. Using a package of guiding questions, charts and curated videos, learners unpack the unique American institution of the Electoral College. The...

The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's life and message is just as important today as it was in his lifetime. Introduce elementary learners to the movement for civil rights with a timeline of Dr. King's life, as well as...

Learners investigate peer pressure by discussing women's suffrage. In this Women's rights lesson, students explore the history of voting in the United States and when women were finally allowed to do so. Learners create a poster in order...

Students analyze the attitudes and hostility given to African-American women within the National Women's Party. They finish the lesson by examining another moment in the party's history and writing about it.

In this everyday editing worksheet, students correct grammatical mistakes in a short paragraph about suffrage. The errors range from punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and spelling.

Guide your students' reading with this worksheet. Included are five matching and five multiple choice questions focused on aspects of the two-party system employed in the United States. Use as a quiz, guided reading questions, or homework.

The history of women's suffrage and Susan B. Anthony are examined in this social studies lesson. Third and fourth graders participate in a simulation of a vote, develop slogans for women's suffrage, complete a KWL chart, write a tribute...

Students examine the significance of the 8/30/99 vote in East Timor, which determined the territory's independence from Indonesian rule, by analyzing an NYT article to explain actions/reactions.

Students define democracy and distinguish representative from direct or pure democracy. Then, with the focus on representative government, students will discuss and trace voting patterns in the United States.

Granting women the right to vote was a long time coming and took many efforts. Young historians select one woman involved in the suffrage movement to research. They compare and contrast the depictions of their subject in mainstream...

The US Constitution is the beginning of Americans' rights. Use a five-paragraph passage to give a brief history of the US Constitution. A great last minute addition to a lesson on Constitution Day.

Students explore the ruling of the US Supreme Court on the ballot recounting ordered by the Florida State Supreme Court. They work in small groups to research and compare the judicial and electoral processes.

Learners take a closer look at representative government. In this House of Representatives lesson, students discuss their local representative in Congress and research his or her responsibilities. Learners respond to the provided...

Young scholars share opinions about measures recently passed in their school, vote on and argue for and against hypothetical school policies, and respond to a "president's" decision to pass or veto the measures.

Students reflect on their knowledge of democracy. After reading an article, they examine current plans for the placement of a democracy in Iraq. In groups, they research past regime changes and democratization attempts and discuss the...

Learners examine the balance between civil liberties and protection. In this national security lesson, students explore the Korematsu case which references the Japanese internment camps of World War II. Learners draw comparisons between...

Very briefly detailing the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt, this slideshow consists of two maps, the first of which shows the election results in 1940, and the second of which indicates the main flow of Lend-Lease Aid. An instructor...

Using the presidential election of 1960 as background information, learners consider the push of electoral reform. They read about the events and issues surrounding President Kennedy's win in 1960 and compare them to the same issues...

With all the hubbub surrounding national elections, it's easy to forget the importance of local government. After learning about county governance and voter turnout for local elections, young citizens demonstrate how local...

An informative resource provides a textbook on American government that covers topics such as the definition of government and how democracy works. Each section provides brief questions at the end to assess scholars' understanding. 

Make connections with past history and current events with this critical thinking exercise. Kids read background information relating to Alaska's statehood as well as information on oil drilling and Alaska's economy. They put it all...

Investigate the future of the presidency in the wake of the House of Representatives' vote to impeach President Clinton. The class brainstorms both sides of the argument, reads and discusses an article, then analyzes and writes a journal...