Curated OER
Perfect Manners/Roles of Citizens
Students discuss manners and citizenship. In this roles of citizens lesson, students read D.W.'s Guide to Perfect Manners and create a Venn Diagram with examples from the story.  Students take a quiz.
Curated OER
FROM STUDENT TO GLOBAL CITIZEN
Learners develop an awareness of citizenship and how it's defined globally. They explore the cultural diversity of different types of communities around the world. In addition, they assess the rights and responsibilities that are...
Curated OER
Citizen Journalism
Students examine the role of citizen journalism, freedom of the press, and the First Amendment. They analyze the results of an Internet survey, discuss the ethics of downloading copyrighted material on the Internet, and write a news story.
Curated OER
3 Branches of Our Government
This straightforward fill-in-the-blank activity could be used for a variety of purposes. Young historians are given 10 sentences about the branches of government; they fill in the blanks with terminology that is related to the United...
iCivics
A Trip Around the World
How do the rights of citizens in other countries, such as India, Germany, Brazil, and Iran, compare to those of Americans? Take a closer look at the provisions of various foreign constitutions, and compare and contrast the protections...
Curated OER
What Do You Think of Obama's Oval Office Speech on the Oil Spill?
Kids age 13 and older are asked to read the provided Times article and background information in order to construct a thoughtful blog response to Obama's first Oval Office speech. They work to address each of the related critical...
Penguin Books
A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Walden and "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau
According to Henry David Thoreau, every citizen must object to unjust laws. The teacher's guide to Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" begins with a detailed essay synopsis to help readers understand Thoreau's rationale in the challenging...
Center for History and New Media
The Daily Experience of the Laurel Grove School, 1925
What was daily life like for those attending segregated schools in 1925? Modern learners fill out a KWHL chart as they explore historical background and primary source documents about the Laurel Grove School in Fairfax County, Virginia....
National Endowment for the Humanities
Lesson 2: The United States, France, and the Problem of Neutrality, 1796–1801
While the French Revolution could be considered inspired by the American Revolution, it created thorny problems for the new United States. Should the United States get involved and be drawn into a European drama? Was the US strong...
Curated OER
Responsibility
Second graders make posters.  In this good citizens lesson, 2nd graders read Arthur's Pet Business, discuss the examples of good citizenship, share their responsibilities, and make responsibility posters.
Curated OER
Citizenship
Young scholars discuss and define the term citizenship. In this character education activity, students explore the responsibilities of citizenship in small groups. Additionally, young scholars compare events in history and discuss their...
Curated OER
Responsibility
Second graders explore the concept of responsibility and the rights and responsibilities of citizens in their school and community.  They brainstorm about the word responsibility, develop a list of how people make friends, and make a...
Curated OER
Citizenship
Fifth graders read the preamble of the U.S. and Florida Constitutions. They discuss vocabulary definitions surrounding the concept of citizenship. They discuss and write about the rights and responsibilities of citizens and apply their...
Curated OER
How Government Works and the Rights of the People
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.
Curated OER
"Father" of Our Country vs. "Father" of the Bill of Rights
Learners examine the relevance of the Bill of Rights. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students study the parts of the Constitution and the ten amendments. They investigate the rights and responsibilities that accompany being an American....
Curated OER
Regulating Freedom of Speech
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.
Advocates for Human Rights
The Rights of the Child
Don't be fooled by the size of the resource: these few pages provide the blueprint for a substantial, thoughtful unit on children's rights and the different philosophies and approaches that the United States and other countries have...
Australian National Schools Network
Civics and Citizenship
What is a good citizen? Here is a fantastic unit of ten lessons that will thoroughly cover the concept of civics and citizenship in your class. Examples of activities include learning stations, primary and secondary source analysis of...
Curated OER
Citizens of the Future
Young sociologists explore how local, state, and federal governments work. This very impressive and ambitious lesson requires pupils to contact government officials who represent them and their families. They research elections, and hold...
Curated OER
Defining Citizenship in Recent Events
Students research the rights and responsibilities of citizens and non-citizens living in the U.S. They present a dialogue that showcases their research and take a quiz on the material.
Curated OER
United States Pride
Third graders learn the responsibility of citizenship and learn facts about a state they choose to research.
Curated OER
American History Through the Len of the Supreme Court Decisions
Students examine the historical background of Supreme Court decisions and the basic principles behind legislation. As part of the activity, students discover legal concepts and terms and write sentences using the vocabulary they have...
BBC
Global Community
How are we global citizens? This is the question learners answer as they consider all the ways they are part of a global community. They diagram their thoughts, share them with the class, and think of ways they can become more active in...
Curated OER
Rights and Responsibilities
Discuss the differences between rights and responsibilities with your class. Various topics are covered in relation to how each is a right or a responsibility, then several thinking questions are posed. Use to start a class discussion or...