Lesson Plan
Judicial Branch of California

Protecting our Freedoms: The Bill of Rights

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Take to the stage! Integrate both drama and civic skills by asking pupils to create and perform skills that demonstrate the importance of the amendments in the Bill of Rights. After reviewing the Preamble to the Constitution, learners...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Death Sentence Remains A Question

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Examine the results of recent opinion polls on where people stand on the issue of the death penalty. In groups, middle schoolers examine various cases dealing with this issue and discuss the judgments. They write their own argument for...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Government: Balance of Power

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders conduct Internet research about the governmental balance of power. They create Kidspiration projects demonstrating the workings of the three branches of government. They compare U.S. democracy with other forms of government.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Bill of Rights: Debating the Amendments

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Provide your class with an opportunity to investigate an important historical document. Without identifying the document, distribute copies of the original Bill of Rights, as transcribed by John Beckley, Clerk of the House of...
PPT
Curated OER

Pilgrims and Puritans

For Teachers 11th - 12th
With graphic organizers galore, learners will follow the changes of church and state in early colonial America. They look at the differences between the pilgrims and the puritans in terms of beliefs and life ways. Myths and...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Advocates for Human Rights

Human Rights Defined

For Students 8th - Higher Ed Standards
Class members continue their investigation of the factors that influence migration with a lesson on human rights. As they examine the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and selected US Constitutional Amendments, learners compare the...
Interactive
2
2
Judicial Learning Center

About Federal Judges

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Not just anybody can do the job of a federal judge, but according to the United States Constitution just about anybody can be appointed. The lesson outlines the process and requirements for becoming a federal judge, focusing on the...
Interactive
2
2
Judicial Learning Center

Law and the Rule of Law

For Students 6th - 12th
We hear a lot about the importance of the rule of law, but most people do not really know what those words mean. The lesson is a webpage that defines the rule of law, explains why it is important in a democratic society and provides...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Judicial Branch of California

Our Government Today…What A System!

For Teachers 5th Standards
A group of citizens in North Canada has decided to leave their country, and they are asking for help in setting up an American-style democracy. Using a carefully structured activity, pupils lay out the principles in the American...
Lesson Plan
1
1
C-SPAN

Judicial Review and Marbury v Madison

For Teachers 6th - 8th
The Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison may not be widely recognized but the landmark case is particularly significant because it established the precedent for judicial review and that the Supreme Court had power as an interpreter of...
Interactive
News Literacy Project

So, What’s the First Amendment?

For Students 7th - 12th
The First Amendment to the US Constitution protects people's rights to speech, the press, and religion. Using the resource, scholars discover how. They take a brief online quiz to determine how well they understand the First...
Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

Marsh v. Chambers and the Establishment Clause

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
1983 Supreme Court case Marsh v. Chambers, which centers on whether opening a legislative session with a prayer violates the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment to the US Constitution, is the focus of a series of discussions and...
Lesson Plan
National Constitution Center

The Development and Application of the First Amendment

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What are the limits on freedom of speech? While a cherished right in the Constitution, it is not unbridled. Budding historians consider what checks should exist on this liberty using news stories, court cases, and College Board prompts.
Lesson Plan
1
1
Judicial Learning Center

Judicial Independence: What’s Wrong with This Court?

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Why is it important for judges to operate independently of politics or other branches of government? Scholars ponder the question as they examine video clips, case studies, excerpts of the US Constitution, and an interactive computer...
Lesson Plan
Judicial Learning Center

Separation of Powers/Qualifications of Office

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Time to work together in class to understand the separation of powers as well as the qualifications for office! The resource includes terms to review for pre-knowledge before beginning instruction. Following the review, pupils work on a...
Activity
US Department of Commerce

The Census Questionnaire: Then and Now

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
As the United States has changed, so has the census! While required by the Constitution, the questions the government asks to allot representation and federal funding has developed over time. Using images of previous censuses, young...
Activity
Constitutional Rights Foundation

The Census in US History

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
The census has been a part of the American landscape since the Constitution was written; however, it does have a history of controversy. Class members use a guided reading and simulation activity on developing census questions to...
Lesson Plan
Teaching Tolerance

Free to Believe!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
The United States: One nation with countless religions. An interesting lesson focuses on the freedom of religion protected under the First Amendment. Academics learn why it is important to protect all religions, why there is a separation...
Learning
Law Focused Education

Federalist — Anti-Federalist

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
Deciding how to rule a nation is no easy task. Scholars use an online quiz to test their knowledge of Federalist and Anti-Federalist positions, ideas on the Articles of Confederation, and finish with questions on the United States...
Lesson Plan
1
1
C-SPAN

Middle School Checks and Balances

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Seven video clips reveal how the checks and balances built into the constitutional framework of the United states' government are designed to keep any one branch from becoming too powerful. After watching each clip, groups identify the...
Lesson Plan
C-SPAN

Electoral College

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Most people are surprised to learn that American democracy is not as direct as they thought. Using a package of guiding questions, charts and curated videos, learners unpack the unique American institution of the Electoral College. The...
Lesson Plan
Center for Civic Education

Lesson 2: Suffrage Amendments

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
Youngsters examine selected amendments to the Constitution to determine how voting requirements in the US have changed from the colonial days to the present.
Lesson Plan
Judicial Learning Center

Article III WebQuest

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Why is Article III of the constitution so significant? Pupils discover the importance of Article III and how it relates to past as well as current events by completing Internet research using a provided handout. They learn everything...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Explicit and Implicit Language – Interpreting the Meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
How do Supreme Court justices interpret amendments to the Constitution? The resource helps answer that question by discussing how people use explicit and implicit language to interpret the meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment. Learners...

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