Curated OER
Women in Texas Politics: Winning the Vote, Three Pioneers, and Serving the People
Fourth graders study women's involvement in Texas politics. In this US history instructional activity, 4th graders discuss woman suffrage, examine three Texas female pioneer legislators by reading biographies, and explore women's issues...
Curated OER
Land and Liberty: The Saga of Sam McCulloch
The struggles of Sam McCulloch, a free black man, to be recognized as a citizen entitled to own land in Texas are the focus of research project that ask groups to examine a series of primary source documents and piece together...
The Alamo
Lorenzo de Zavala and José Antonio Navarro: Their Contributions to the Independence of Texas
Lorenzo de Zavala and José Antonio Navarro were both native Mexicans and leaders of the Texas Revolution, but with different backgrounds and careers. Compare and contrast the two influential men with a research assignment in which...
Administrative Office of the US Courts
Texas v. Johnson
Which right does the Constitution weigh more heavily: the sanctity of the American flag as a symbol of national unity, or the right to burn the flag in protest? The 1989 Supreme Court case of Texas v. Johnson explores a state's right to...
Curated OER
Texas v. Johnson
Students examine the freedom of speech. For this Supreme Court lesson, students analyze primary documents from Texas v. Johnson and discuss the implications of the decision regarding flag burning.
State Bar of Texas
Texas v. Johnson
If you saw a person burning an American flag, how would you feel? Scholars analyze the concept of freedom of expression and speech with the Supreme Court case Texas v. Johnson. A short video clip creates open discussion in pairs on the...
Curated OER
What Constitutes a State?
Students examine the differences between various state constitutions in the United States. Then, using their own
Curated OER
Lincoln's Spot Resolutions
Students take a closer look at historical relations between the United States and Mexico. In this Texas annexation lesson, students examine primary documents authored by Zachary Taylor, James Polk, and Abraham Lincoln to consider why the...
The Alamo
A Teacher’s Guide to Lorenzo De Zavala
Who was Lorenzo de Zavala to the Texas Revolution, and how did he change the Alamo? Find out using an educational resource that asks learners to fill out graphic organizers and respond to short-answer questions to further solidify their...
Curated OER
Latinos and the Fourteenth Amendment: A Primary Document Activity
Students explore Latinos and the Fourteenth Amendment. In this government and law lesson, students analyze the ruling in Hernandez v. Texas. Students predict how the United States would be different if the court had made an alternated...
Curated OER
Bill of Rights -- Texas v. Johnson, 1989
Students examine the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. During a visit to the George Bush Presidential Museum, they watch a video about the Texas v. Johnson flag burning case. In groups, they discover the role of the Supreme Court...
Curated OER
Quest for Freedom
Fourth graders examine and discuss the Texas Revolution and the founding of Texas as a Republic. They read about the major events of the Revolution, research the events online, and complete a chart to present to the class.
Curated OER
Expansion and Reform: Applying the Declaration of Independence
Students conduct inquiries and research-acquiring, organizing, analyzing, interpreting, evaluating, and communicating facts, themes, and general principles operating in American history. They use the Declaration of Independence to...
Curated OER
Bill Of Rights
High schoolers examine Supreme Court cases. In this U.S. government lesson, students watch a video about the Bill of Rights and then research 4 Supreme Court cases using the noted web site. High schoolers analyze the presented...
Curated OER
First Things First: Using the Newspaper to Teach the Freedoms of the First Amendment
Students use the newspaper as a tool to make connections about what the five freedoms guarantee in the First Amendment. In this first amendment lesson plan, students analyze events in the newspaper to form conclusions about the freedoms...
James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
This exercise on the Constitution requires small groups to design a visual metaphor that expresses the concept behind one of seven principles: popular sovereignty, federalism, republicanism, separation of powers, checks and balances,...
Curated OER
The Juvenile Death Penalty
Sensitive material is discussed in this lesson. Please review to ensure that the content is suitable for your class. The topic is the Eighth Amendment and how the U.S. Supreme Court makes determinations about what constitutes cruel and...
Sharp School
The Bill of Rights and Supreme Court Cases Project
Social media and United States history combine as your young historians design a Facebook page for two major defendants of landmark Supreme Court cases. The resource includes a detailed rubric for research and page design, as well as a...
Curated OER
Legislative Branch
Young scholars analyze Article 1 of the Constitution. They respond to the Public Criticism E-Learning module.
Curated OER
The Bill of Rights
Students examine the intent Bill of Rights. In this American government lesson, students watch segments of the Discovery video "The Bill of Rights." Students discuss and debate the 4 Supreme Court cases featured in the video.
Curated OER
Presidents and the Constitution: George W. Bush and the Case of Bush v. Gore (2000)
Young scholars examine the impact of court decisions. In this Supreme Court lesson plan, students read the Bush v. Gore case study regarding the presidential election of 2000. Young scholars take notes on the case and respond to...
Curated OER
What is Public Use?
Explore the Fifth Amendment by examining the meaning of "public use" as learners read a scenario and role play their assigned parts to determine "public use." They also read Supreme Court Cases regarding the amendment and present their...
Curated OER
Do Ask? Do Tell?
Students explore debates regarding gay rights following the Supreme Court's Lawrence v. Texas decision. They participate in a fishbowl discussion, exploring questions on marriage, adoption, custody, employment, and military service.
Curated OER
Lesson III: Crisis, Pearl Harbor, Internment
The third in a series of lessons introduced by “A Fence Away From Freedom,” uses the Smithsonian website, “A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution” and focuses on the section of the presentation devoted to the...