How do interest groups try to influence elections? As part of their study of the election process, groups view 30-second advertisements produced by advocacy groups and use the provided worksheet to evaluate these ads. They then craft...

Young scholars formulate their own opinions about the issues in an election campaign through a critical examination of political advertisements, candidate debates, and political cartoons.

It's all about the spin! In an introduction to propaganda techniques and soundbite politics, scholars first learn about common propaganda techniques before seeing them in action in the context of the 2016 election cycle. Activities...

The verbal techniques and emotional appeals contained in the language used in political ads plays a vital role in creating the impact of the ad. As class members continue their study of Presidential campaign commercials from 1952–2012,...

Students explore the role of special-interest groups in American campaigns. They create their own political advertisements.

Young scholars read about the history of negative political advertisements in U.S. elections. In this politics lesson, students view several ads for opposing candidates and analyze and discuss the content. Young scholars write scripts...

Learners are shown how to analyze the messages and the impact of the candidates' politicial adertisements in print, video, and audio formats. They are shown the techniques that candidates use to influence voter decisions and how to...

Students explore campaign politics. In this political campaign lesson, students investigate multimedia sources in order to examine the structure of political parties and platforms from previous presidential elections. Students then...

Students identify, analyze and explain examples of politcal satire. They discuss the role of political satire in the democratic process and create and present examples of political satire.

What does social security reveal about the political and social culture of the 1930s? After beginning with a brief introductory video on the impact of the Great Depression and how various Americans, such as Huey Long and Francis...

High schoolers examine how advertisements are produced for political campaigns. In groups, they view various examples of different advertisements and create their own ad by completing the steps listed in the lesson plan. They share...

Class members investigate the role media should play in a healthy democracy. As part of this study, groups analyze political advertising, use FactCheck to assess not only the veracity of but the persuasions techniques used in candidates'...

High schoolers identify various forms of media used in a political campaign and compare the different formats as vehicles for distributing political messages. They analyze the effectiveness of candidate's uses of different media.

Students examine how political advertisements can be used to deliver messages and stir emotions. Using a political ad from the 2006 Senate election, students generate questions based on the claims in the ads. They research information to...

Students examine how political advertisements can be misleading. Using a political ad against tax reform, students generate questions based on the claims in the ads. They research information to support or refute the claims in the ad and...

Political ads flood the airwaves each election cycle. An activity including more than a dozen political ads from iconic presidential campaigns helps learners unpack how the sausage gets made during election "silly season." Using the...

Young scholars explain how the use of certain emotive terms affects voter's perceptions. Students assess how word choice by political parties can changes our thinking on a subject. After viewing ads by the two political parties, young...

Students analyze the lyrics from a Pearl Jam song and examine the concept of truth in political advertising. They watch the video, "VH1 Storytellers: Pearl Jam," participate in a class discussion, conduct research, and prepare a report...

Learners explore peacemaking efforts. In this religion and ethics lesson, students examine the religious, social, and political values that accompany peacemaking efforts on a global scale. Learners create and implement their own...

High schoolers examine the process and effects of World War I on different segments of the population, beyond the political, diplomatic and military framework of the war. They analyze the memoirs of soldiers, read poetry of the time, and...

Students access the Library of Congress's collection of Broadsides (printed material with news, entertainment, advertisements, etc.) and explore their impact on events leading up to the Revolutionary War. They create a timeline with...

Students examine the topic of euthanasia. In this religion and ethics lesson, students investigate the cases of Terri Schiavo and Hugh Finn in order to gain an understanding of the euthanasia controversy.  

Fifth graders discover how reconstruction had an impact on racial issues in the United States. In this Reconstruction lesson, 5th graders are introduced to primary vs. secondary resources and then rotate through stations to view...

Students research the campaign and election issues of Andrew Jackson. In this presidential election lesson plan, students research the campaign of 1828. Students then list the important issues. Students discuss the political...