Students examine the War on Terror. In this national security lesson, students read articles about the War on Terror and President Obama's foreign policy. Students respond to discussion questions and debate the presence of U.S....

Students discuss and fill out a worksheet after viewing the State of the Union Address that the president makes every year.

Learners use a news article about the celebration of the Lincoln Bicentennial to answer questions about Abraham Lincoln and the celebration. For this current events and US history lesson based on a news article, students participate in a...

For this problem solving worksheet, 4th graders are given an answer to a question and must solve the mathematical problems to discover the secret question. Students solve for 18 problems using addition, subtraction, multiplication and...

Students examine the American presidential election process. In this presidential election lesson, students discover details regarding the campaigns of McCain and Obama in the 2008 election. Students create timelines that feature the...

Students examine the context of a speech delivered by Barack Obama. For this African-American history lesson, students discuss the 15th Amendment and the American Civil Rights Movement prior to analyzing Barack Obama's speech "A More...

Eleventh graders explore the the major phases of the electoral process for president.  In this US Government lesson plan, 11th graders compare and contrast the delegate system of nomination and the electoral college. 

Looking for some tools to help you incorporate social and emotional learning into your curriculum? Then check out this 79-page kit packed with ideas for developing social-emotional learning competencies. The first section provides...

Enjoy the view. Scholars continue viewing a video of an opinion speech, this time identifying the supporting evidence the speaker employs. After watching, they work in small groups on their shared writing projects, crafting a body...

What exactly is the fiscal cliff? What are the effects of changing income tax rates and payroll tax rates? Your learners will begin by reading news articles and examining graphs illustrating the "Bush tax cuts" of 2001 and 2003. They...

The battle over same-sex marriage is a prevalent issue in the United States, and a valuable topic to be discussed in your social studies classroom. Here is a basic outline of introductory questions, focus questions, vocabulary, and media...

In this current events worksheet, students analyze caricatures of Barak Obama through the years and respond to 3 talking point questions.

Investigate symbolism within a political cartoon in this critical analysis handout, which outlines issues of the 2010 election process. Background information (on the risk of gridlock in legislation and the challenges of either party...

Warm up the class with this political cartoon analysis. They use the provided guiding questions to analyze a cartoon depicting issues of debate regarding Federal debt. Critical thinking is a must with this worksheet.

Satire, sarcasm, or irony? Editorial cartoons have long been the tool artists use to express their opinions about politics and politicians. Kevin "Kai" Kallaugher's four-panel cartoon offers readers an opportunity to examine how he uses...

Open up an intriguing dialogue about Wall Street controversy using political cartoons! Background information gives context, including quotes from various newspapers about compensation caps, bonuses, and the growing disenchantment with...

While this New York Times resource posted several months ago it could still be a useful learning experience. Learners practice using the Times's Campaign 2012 Politics section to help them answer 16 questions about the Republican...

It's a classic conundrum of economics: voters want jobs, but don't want to spend the money required for businesses to hire. This political cartoon analysis worksheet has students analyzing this enigma and responding to 3 talking points...

Political comics can be a great way to get kids thinking critically about current political topics. They assess this cartoon and analyze how the cartoonist feels about US spending policy. There are three solid critical analysis...

Two political cartoons grace this critical analysis instructional activity. Several very good discussion questions and points to consider, could make this an interesting start to any US Government class. Prepare upper graders for...

Investigate the Tea Party Movement through this political cartoon analysis handout! Background information gives scholars the necessary context to access the cartoon, and includes the historical derivation of the Tea Party name. Three...

There is no doubt many changes or lack of changes are due to bipartisanism in the capital. Learners analyze a political cartoon that describes the issues surrounding changes to the current health care system, and consider whether...

It's the classic paradox in this political cartoon analysis; any jobs plan requires extra government spending. However, the unemployed aren't willing to concede to more federal spending for what they want most, jobs. Background...