Caucus 101
Linkage Institutions: Interest Groups: Option A
How are elections really run and won? Learn about special interest groups, super PACs, and lobbyists with an engaging lesson about the caucus process. Young voters research specific interest groups and analyze their part in previous and...
Carolina K-12
Battle Behind the Pumps
After considering the role that gasoline plays in our lives and our dependence on it as a society, learners participate in a reading activity discussing why oil prices are increasing. They will then simulate being members of a committee...
Curated OER
Special Interest Groups
Students define term interest group, identify interest groups that people in the local community belong to, and contact an interest group and evaluate the impact of that group on the political process.
Curated OER
Special Interests: How Would A Legislator Vote?
Pupils act as elected officials who must make decisions that will make someone unhappy. They consider five bills that are up for vote in light of the contributions that many special-interest groups made to their campaigns. Students...
Curated OER
Shasta Dam: How High is Too High?
Research water use in California, environmental protection laws, and the proposition to raise Shasta Dam by 200 feet. Researchers use their findings to build an argument which will be presented at a mock decision panel. Groups then...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Strangled by Special Interests
In this current events instructional activity, students analyze a political cartoon about special interests groups and respond to 4 short answer questions.
US Environmental Protection Agency
A Mock Town Meeting on a Proposed Tank Farm
Intended as a follow up to the Protecting Your Drinking Water activity, young environmentalists use their assessment of the a hypothetical town's water supply to debate the installation of underground chemical storage tanks. With the...
Curated OER
Worksheet on Congress and Interest Groups
In this Congressional responsibilities learning exercise, students respond to 10 true or false and 17 short answer questions about Congressional duties and lobbyists.
Curated OER
Ad Nauseam
Learners explore the role of special-interest groups in American campaigns. They create their own political advertisements.
National Wildlife Federation
Controversy Over Wild Cats
Everyone should take an interest in the fate of wild cats. A thorough instructional activity explores the habitat changes of native North American wild cats and asks learners to make connections to human development. They consider the...
Curated OER
How Can Big Business Make Money From Tariffs?
High schoolers explore the concept of the rise of big business in the United States. In this economics lesson, students investigate the impact of tariffs on businesses. High schoolers also investigate the impact that incentives have on...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Issues of Unauthorized Immigration
Unauthorized immigration is a complex and hotly debated topic. Class members read an article that examines the issues that motivate unauthorized immigration. Teams then assume the role of special interest groups and present their stand...
Carolina K-12
Joe McCarthy and the Red Scare
In the 1950s, how did the Red Scare and the actions of Senator Joseph McCarthy affect the American people? Your young historians will analyze primary source documents on the Red Scare, participate in a "find the Communist" simulation,...
Council for Economic Education
Great Civilizations Develop around Rivers
If you lived in prehistoric times, what kinds of choices could your family make to increase their chance of survival? By making similar decisions in a simulation game, participants discover how specialization creates both opportunity and...
Curated OER
The Waterfront Debate
Tenth graders debate a resolution about a planned waterfront community from the point of view of various interest groups. They have a "Town Meeting" in which members from each interest group debate their researched opinions for points....
National Research Center for Career and Technical Education
Finance: Depreciation (Double Declining)
Of particular interest to a group of business and finance pupils, this activity explores depreciation of automobile values by comparing the double declining balance to the straight line method. Mostly this is done through a slide...
Curated OER
Special Protections-Session Six
Parents and children work together in a community circle to discuss caring for people with special needs. In separate groups, the children sing and listen to a story. They discuss ways people are alike, and ways they are different....
Council for Economic Education
Entrepreneurs in Mesopotamia
While ancient Mesopotamia didn't have the TV show "Shark Tank," it was a time of entrepreneurship as workers began to specialize. Both individual workers and the societal structure encouraged individuals to consider how they could...
Curated OER
Higher (Priced) Education
Students explore the proposed Affordability in Higher Education Act. They synthesize their knowledge by acting as lobbyists representing different special interest groups with opposing perspectives on the proposed bill.
Newspaper in Education
Lesson 10: Studying Content-Specific Language
Stanchion, spar, spinnaker. Right wing, sweeper, hip check. Every subject has specialized vocabulary. Here’s a fun way to introduce your learners to this jargon. Provide class groups with newspapers and have them search pre-selected...
PBS
Robot Body Language
How can you tell what someone is feeling when they aren't saying a word? Explore non-verbal communication with an activity based on Cynthia Breazeal's work with expressive robots. One learner puts a bag over his or her face and uses body...
Intel
Help Wanted! Physicist
Groups discover physics as they take an assigned scenario, perform research about different aspects of the subject matter, and present their findings to the class. From the presentations, learners must develop and support a point of view...
iCivics
Campaign Cash: Money Talks!
Money talks! And it can reveal a lot about political candidates. An 11-slide presentation examines how candidates raise and spend money on an election. The slides, using data from the 2016 Presidential election, reveal how much it costs...
Curated OER
Economics: Actions of Government
Students examine the susceptibility of legislators to agricultural lobbyists to support subsidy programs. In small groups, they role-play as members of interest groups that might be affected by inflation.