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Worksheet
Curated OER

All Eyes on Iowa

For Students 9th - 12th
Guid your learners as they become informed members of our community. They'll consider each of the seven questions as they read the New York Times article "All Eye on Iowa." This article relates topics dealing with the 2012 presidential...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

The Politics of Student Loans

For Students 10th - 12th
Give your upper classmen something to think about. They'll read a New York Times article on the politics of student loans. The six comprehension questions will have them thinking about the impact legislation has on how much they'll pay...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: All Eyes on the Iowa Caucus

For Students 9th - 12th
Explore the primary elections through political cartoons. Three talking points guide deeper thinking as pupils analyze a cartoon, which depicts the 2008 campaigning in Iowa. Analysts identify caricatures, research why winning Iowa is...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: All Eyes on Iowa

For Students 8th - 12th
For this current events worksheet, learners analyze a political cartoon about the Iowa caucus and respond to 3 talking point questions.
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Lesson Plan
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Caucus 101

Caucus History and Iowa’s “First in the Nation” Status

For Teachers 7th - 12th
What is a caucus? Why is Iowa's first? Why did Iowa shift to the caucus format? After researching these basic questions, class members debate the question of whether or not Iowa should maintain its "first in the nation" status for caucuses.
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Organizer
Curated OER

Iowa Outline Map

For Students 3rd - 8th
In this Iowa outline map worksheet, students examine political boundaries of the state and the placement its capital city as well as its major cities. This map is not labeled.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Iowa Facts Research Worksheet

For Students 4th
In this Iowa fact research worksheet, 4th graders use reference materials to find the answers to 8 questions. They look up facts about the state's name, its industry, and its politics.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Prairie Voices: German Immigrants Move to Iowa

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students create historically accurate travel journals. In this Iowa history lesson, students research the German immigration experience as they write travel journals that feature a German family's move into an Iowa county.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Cartoons for the Classroom: Primary Targets

For Students 8th - 12th
In this current events worksheet, students analyze a political cartoon about primary elections and respond to 3 short answer questions.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Roles of Individuals and Groups in Politics

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students review the Federalist Paper by James Madison. They discuss the influence of interest groups in contemporary politics.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Ordinary People Can Have an Impact

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students identify three or more ways the Federal Government impacts their daily lives and then explore ways in which citizens can influence political leaders.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Does Money Talk?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils describe role that money plays in politics, and write an editorial that explains whether or not they think money gives some people too much influence in government.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Times, Are They A-Changing?

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students read and discuss article, "We Agreed to Agree, and Forgot to Notice," participate in anonymous mock presidential primary ballot, and share reactions to Iowa caucus results. Students then collect statements made by candidates on...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Working Together to Improve Our Community

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students from the fourth grade research a solution to a community problem and converse with eighth graders via email. Eighth graders study the political process and work with the fourth graders to present information to the public to...
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Lesson Plan
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Caucus 101

Linkage Institutions: Interest Groups: Option A

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Role of the Media

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students participate in class discussion to investigate how media affects the ideas of Americans (specifically in politics) and then research events in political history to analyze how the media may have influenced the government's...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Gay '80s, '90s and '00s

For Teachers 6th - 12th
After reading and discussing a news article from the New York Times regarding gay and lesbian issues of the last thirty years, students engage in several activities to explore current events. They create a timeline, either electronically...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Participating in the Political Process

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explain why it is important to participate in government, and name at least three ways citizens can participate.
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Lesson Plan
C-SPAN

Campaign Endorsement Project

For Students 7th - 12th Standards
So many politicians, so many endorsements! Learn to differentiate between facts as well as the process of endorsements with an informative resource. Class members watch current endorsement videos, research candidates from three different...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African-American Iowans: History, contributions & Accomplishments.

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners explore lives of African-Americans in Iowa. Students will examine biographies and discuss perspectives of African-Americans. They will then create posters illustrating elements of those lives finally, putting on a five act play...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

GMOs � Boon, Bane, or In Between?

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine the role of transgenic varieties in principal field crops.  In this agriculture lesson students are introduced to some of the politics of science and some of the arguments. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Special Interest Groups

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students define term interest group, identify interest groups that people in the local community belong to, and contact an interest group and evaluate the impact of that group on the political process.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

President Herbert Hoover

For Students 4th - 6th
In this President Herbert Hoover activity, students read a 4 page article on the history of Hoover's life and presidency and then answer 10 true and false questions.
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Unit Plan
Folger Shakespeare Library

Julius Caesar Curriculum Guide

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
Julius Caesar need not be Greek to kids. The background information and suggestions for teachers, as well as the activities for learners, make this curriculum guide a must-have for your Shakespeare curriculum library.