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...

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...

Pupils 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.

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...

In this current events worksheet, students analyze a political cartoon about special interests groups and respond to 4 short answer questions.

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...

In this Congressional responsibilities worksheet, learners respond to 10 true or false and 17 short answer questions about Congressional duties and lobbyists.

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

Students explore the concept of the rise of big business in the United States. In this economics instructional activity, students investigate the impact of tariffs on businesses. Students also investigate the impact that incentives have...

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...

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...

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...

Of particular interest to a group of business and finance pupils, this instructional activity explores depreciation of automobile values by comparing the double declining balance to the straight line method. Mostly this is done through a...

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....

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...

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.

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...

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.

With all the hubbub surrounding national elections, it's easy to forget the importance of local government. After learning about county governance and voter turnout for local elections, young citizens demonstrate how local...

Learners fill in a graphic organizer and discuss the struggles in groups about the history of voting in Louisiana. Students also explore a voting timeline to see who could and could not vote before and after 1850.

Voters determine the outcome of elections, but campaign donors can influence the attitudes of those voters. Explore nine examples of donors and the amounts of money they want to contribute, and the legal ways the groups can or cannot...

How many animals can live in a climate as cold as Mount Everest's? Find out with a science instructional activity all about biodiversity. Activities include research, presentations, group work, coloring maps, and a simulation of a food web.

Build an interest and appreciation for architecture in your young learners with this fun 10-lesson art unit. Engaging children in using their five senses, the class first observes the environment around them, paying...

Here is another in the interesting series of lessons that use the special State Quarters as a learning tool. This one uses the Indiana State Quarter. During this lesson, utilize a brilliantly-designed board game that is embedded in the...