Curated OER
Lesson 1: The Importance of Rules in Our Country and in Our Classroom
Explore the importance of rules in a community with the engaging first lesson of this series on the US government. To begin, children play a paper clip game that requires them to make up their own rules as they go, after which the...
Curated OER
Creating a Classroom Constitution
Youngsters identify and interpret the importance of having rules in order to maintain order at home, at school, in their community, and in the United States. They create a working Classroom Constitution that governs the classroom and...
Center for Civic Education
Orb and Effy Learn About Authority
Simplify the teaching of the US Constitution with this primary grade social studies lesson. While reading a fun story about an imaginary place called Bubble Land, children learn about the concept of authority and the importance of rules...
Curated OER
Classroom Rules
Students participate in selection of language needed to form rules for the classroom. They explore the categories of: things you have to do, things you can't do and things you can do if you like. Then they break into groups and create...
PBS
Constitution Day
Travel back to 1787 as young scholars investigate the creation of the US Constitution. After first working in small groups to create sets of classroom rules, students go on to read a summary of the Constitution and watch a short video...
Curated OER
Reviewing the Rules
Learners participate in a group discussion to evaluate rules that the class created together. In this early childhood social studies lesson plan, students condense rules into categories and reword rules to be stated in the positive.
Center for Civic Education
The Power of Nonviolence: Rosa Parks: A Quest for Equal Protection Under the Law
Teach young historians about the historical legacy of Rosa Parks with a multi-faceted lesson plan. Pupils follow stations and use journals to explore prominent events, analyze primary resource documents, and engage in interesting...
Facing History and Ourselves
Decision-Making: Introduction to the Unit
Make your classroom a supportive and communicative place to be before beginning a unit on the Holocaust. Working together as a class, learners reflect on their previous experiences of classroom discussions before establishing a...
Curated OER
Rules and Laws
Students investigate the difference between rules and laws. In this justice system lesson, students discuss the presence of rules of their lives and compare them the "Code of the West."
National Endowment for the Humanities
Factory vs. Plantation in the North and South
North is to factory as South is to plantation—the perfect analogy for the economy that set up the Civil War! The first lesson in a series of five helps teach beginners why the economy creates a driving force for conflict. Analysis of...
Curated OER
Representation: Majority rule
Students explore various forms of decision making including majority rule, executive, consensus and autocracy (as well as exploring the power of veto), when they debate a bill in a class parliament.
Curated OER
Polite Listeners and Traffic Rules
Students consider the necessity of rules. In this citizenship lesson, students consider the reasons for rules and they complete traffic light activities.
Curated OER
Governance
First graders make connections between the purposes of rules. For this governing lesson students listen to a story about rules being broken. Students identify rules that they have at school or home.
Facing History and Ourselves
Do You Take the Oath?
Why did so many go along with Nazi policies during World War II? An investigatory unit includes four handouts, reading analyses, classroom discussion topics, and intriguing philosophical questions, helping learners understand the...
State Bar of Texas
Worcester v. Georgia
Can the president of the United States defy the rulings of the Supreme Court? Students investigate the case of Worcester v. Georgia and the impact it had on society and, most importantly, Native Americans. Using a short video clip as...
Curated OER
Joshua Disobeys!
Second graders watch as the teacher and one student play a game of Checkers. They see the teacher "win" by not following the rules of the game. Students listen as the teacher reads the book "Joshua Disobeys." They review the rule that...
Curated OER
Love Your Neighbors Like Yourself
Learners discover the concept of the golden rule. In this service learning instructional activity, students identify skills that they possess which may be used to help those in need.
Curated OER
Why were Americans upset with the British Government?
Fourth graders examine the Revolutionary War in New York State. In this experiential hook instructional activity, 4th graders adhere to new rules imposed by the teacher. Students document their feelings and frustrations with being taxed...
Curated OER
Teaching a Current Event
Young scholars discuss current events. In this decision making activity, students work to solve how an issue in their classroom should be solved by using a six-step discussion procedure. They work as a class to come up with a fair way to...
Curated OER
Teaching Elementary Social Studies: Lesson Presentations
Students demonstrate the cumulative knowledge while practicing the skills of lesson delivery for Elementary Social Studies. They set up for the lesson and then teach it to professional peers. They are assessed by the professor for the...
Peace Corps
Community
What is a community? Find out with a lesson that sheds light onto the different types of communities—school, local, and global. Scholars read informational text detailing the life of a young girl from Cape Verde and take part in a...
iCivics
Argument Wars
From start to finish, here is a fantastic resource that uses engaging activities and an interactive virtual game to teach about major US Supreme Court cases. Your class members will distinguish the primary arguments made in such cases as...
Curated OER
Dictating the Future
Read the article "Bush Lays Out Goals for Iraq: Self-Rule and Stability" and examine the keys points from President Bush's speech. Whether presented in written text or as an audio bite students will work in groups to research world...
Curated OER
Shame on You!
Should public humiliation be an acceptable consequence for a crime? Have your middle schoolers engage in a round table discussion about the recent resurgence of the use of public humiliation as a punishment for crimes in the United...