Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The First Amendment: What's Fair in a Free Country

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students describe the contents of the First Amendment while telling about an example of speech that is protected by the Constitution and that which is not. They attempt to apply the First Amendment to situations that could occur in their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Symbolic Speech

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders consider the right of freedom of speech as it is outlined in the U.S. Constitution. They receive background information for the US Supreme Court, the Bill of Rights, and free speech. They discuss a series of actual cases...
Lesson Plan
Deliberating in a Democracy

Free and Independent Press

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students determine how free press principles can be compromised. For this global studies lesson, students read an article titled "Free and Independent Press." Students respond to discussion questions regarding the article.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Regulating Freedom of Speech

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

Respecting Freedom of Speech

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students analyze the First Amendment. For this Bill of Rights lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding the facets of the First Amendment. Students examine cases which pertain to the freedoms that...
Lesson Plan
Bully Free Systems

Bully Free Lesson Plans—Seventh Grade

For Teachers 7th Standards
Having a hard time defining bullying with your seventh graders? Discuss the different types of behavior one would see in a bullying situation with a series of lessons, worksheets, and group activities.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pendemonium: The Great African Surfari

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars discover the importance of matching verbs to their subjects through a discussion of a whimsical video on verb agreement and a read aloud of the book, "To Root, To Toot To Parachute". They practice verb agreement in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Clear and Present Danger

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students assume identities of lawmakers, judges, writers, and protestors during times in American history when freedoms of speech and press were limited because country was on the brink of war or fighting one. Students use primary source...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Individual Rights -- Freedom of Speech at School

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners examine their individual rights at a public school. In groups, they identify the most common ways of expressing themselves and why they should limit their speech in public. They compare and contrast two cases in which they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Checks on Presidential Power

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Pupils examine presidential powers. In this checks and balances lesson, students identify the constitutional and informal restraints of the president and consider the reasons for the limitations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Why Burn Books?

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students identify the role of free speech in the selection of library books. They choose one banned book to read and evaluate the reason for its censorship. They create an argument for or against the selection of the book.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Overcoming Censorship Through Art

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students create an art piece that expresses their opinions while circumventing hypothetical government restrictions in this lesson on art and government censorship. Emphasis is placed upon historical instances of censorship around the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The First Amendment

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders examine the First Amendment.  For this US Government lesson, 11th graders analyze the scope and meaning of the first amendment.  Students conduct a survey on First Amendment freedoms.  Student evaluate the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bill of Rights

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students research, list, define and discuss all the aspects to the United States Bill of Rights. They assess their foundations by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson and reflect on all the conditions happening at the time period of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching about the First Amendment

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students defend the Constitution against a group of Senators who decide that all media must be approved by the government, all Americans must take a loyalty oath, join an official U.S. religion and subscribe to approved clubs.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Bill of Rights

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders determine why the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution. In this U.S. government lesson, 7th graders discuss the first 10 amendments and any vocabulary they may be unfamiliar with. Students then read different...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animal Rights Vs. Animal Welfare - Understanding the Issue

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students explore the difference between animal rights and animal welfare. They take a field trip to a farm to explore the producing animals for human use. After researching and collecting information from animal welfare/rights...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making Choices about Tobacco Use

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students examine the dangers associated with smoking. In groups, they discuss what it means to be addicted to a drug and how the media influences our decisions. After watching excerpts of films, they identify the use of smoking and the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Government Works and the Rights of the People

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders identify how to be responsible citizens. In this civics lesson, 8th graders review websites of congressional members and then create questionnaires about the responsibilities of citizens.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bill of Rights -- Texas v. Johnson, 1989

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. During a visit to the George Bush Presidential Museum, they watch a video about the Texas v. Johnson flag burning case. In groups, they discover the role of the Supreme Court...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1988)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that established a school principal's right to censor student articles in the school newspaper. Students learn about the limits on student free speech in a school...