Lesson Plan
Curated OER

All Work and No Pay Makes Workers Angry

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine and react to a current cost-cutting dilemma faced by store managers. They then study the rights of worker and employers, and draft their findings in chapters of a book examining labor laws in the United States.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tally of the 1824 Electoral College Vote

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders study the parts of the Constitution that address presidential election. They complete a variety of activities designed to spark debate about the flaws in the Electoral College system.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immigration in America

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students use primary sources to study immigration. In this immigration lesson, students analyze photographs, posters, letters, and documents from Ellis Island. Students complete analysis worksheets as they evaluate the primary sources.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We Are a Comm-un-it-y. I've Got All My Classmates with Me-Part I

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate the meaning of community. In this community lesson plan, students look at the concepts of civic engagement, civic responsibility, and common good. They determine how a classroom is a community and the need for having...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is Democracy?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the facets of democracy. In this civic responsibility instructional activity, students create a definition of democracy and discuss the difference between a spectator and a participatory citizen. Students discuss whose...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The American's Creed

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Young scholars explore the meaning of the American's Creed. In this civics lesson, students examine the creed, define related vocabulary words, and write their own creeds.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heroes With Heart

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners study women and minority figures who have contribute to the common good of civil society. In this women and minority figure lesson, students listen to a recording of "Hero" by Mariah Carey. They work in small groups to research...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Democratic Village Elections in China: Comparing Governments of China and the United States

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore democratic practices in China. In this global studies instructional activity, students compare and contrast democratic values of the Chinese government with the American government. High schoolers...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who’s Got Rights? An Introduction to Human Rights and Human Rights Defenders

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore human rights issues. In this social justice lesson, students examine human rights as they read segments of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights," discuss photographs with human rights implications, and play a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Pledge of Allegiance

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students explore the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance. In this civics lesson, students examine the document, define related vocabulary words, and rewrite it in their words.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our National Documents

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students consider the significance of selected American documents. In this civics lesson, students analyze excerpts of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Turning Historical Descriptions into Causal Claims

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders study different political processes. In this American Government lesson, 11th graders read narratives about different political processes. Students write a sentence in their own words describing the concepts. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Project Based Lesson - Civil Rights

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars explore the Civil Rights movement. They investigate the changes in legislative, social, and civil arenas concerning the matters of race, sex, and political pacifism. In groups, students gather information concerning the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil Rights

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study the social and political events in Virginia linked to desegregation and massive resistance and their relationship to national history. They examine the "Jim Crow" laws and how they affected the lives of African Americans...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Role of Citizens in Montgomery Bus Boycott

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students consider the role of average Americans in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In this Civil Rights lesson, students listen to a lecture that outlines the details of the boycott. Students conduct further research about the people who led...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Montgomery Bus Boycott & Rosa Parks Day 5

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students study the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In this American Civil Rights instructional activity, students listen to a lecture about segregation, Rosa Parks, and the bus boycott. Students discuss passive resistance and its effectiveness.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Journey to Paradigm Shifts Guided Through the Lives of Gandhi and King

For Teachers 6th
The students read "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. Through this study the students will learn what paradigms are, and how to distinguish whether the paradigms they have established in their lives are positive or...
Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

The Founders’ Library: Thinking as a Founding Father

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students analyze the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. In this U.S. government lesson plan, students examine books, movies, and music that influence them today and then investigate writings that influenced the framers of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Statehouse Time Capsule

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders create a time capsule that is representative of their community. They explain why the chosen objects are representative of themselves or their community.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Public Officials, DUI And Role Models

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research on Internet and in any available law books to find drunk driving laws in their state, including ramifications of refusing breathalyzer or other tests, identify rights of someone arrested and charged with DUI-related...
Lesson Plan
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Discovery Education

Making Your Voice Count

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
As learners watch a video on voting, they take notes on a worksheet that lists various voting topics, including electoral and popular votes, early voting, and exit polling. Then, young people research the Internet for their state's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's Legal with Music on the Web?

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Student research legalities of downloading music from Internet, gather information on citizens who have been charged with downloading/copyright crimes, find out who is working to create new laws dealing with this technology, explore what...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Debate over the Ratification of the Constitution

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders discuss the creation of the United States, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. Through a class debate, role-playing Federalists and Anti-federalists, they identify the reasons for and against ratification...
Lesson Plan
Speak Truth to Power

Harry Wu: Forced Labor

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Over the course of two class periods, young historians explore human rights issues; specifically, forced labor in China. This resource provides everything you need, including relevant vocabulary, an anticipatory activity, and a...