Students determine how President Lincoln promoted emancipation. In this slavery lesson, students examine primary documents, including the U.S. Constitution, to reconstruct Lincoln's attempts to end slavery and deliver the Emancipation...

Students study the events in American history that affected the US Capitol Building. They name activities that happen in and around the Capitol by looking at primary source documents that are available online.

Anti-democratic violence is not new in the United States. Learners watch videos and then compare and contrast the 1873 Colfax and the 1898 Wilmington massacres. They then watch a video about the Capitol Hill insurrection of 2021 and...

Students complete a unit of lessons on the documents, symbols, and famous people involved in the founding of the U.S. government. They create a personal bill of rights, write a found poem, design a flag, conduct research, and role-play...

Students visit Capital Hill to create photographic story boards that tell the story of the House of Representatives, Senate, and the history of Capital Hill. In the process, students must explain the legislative process, define roles of...

What does your class think about big business bailouts by the U.S. Government? Find out with this activity, where learners analyze a political cartoon comparing the "Big Three" automakers with the Greek Myth of Sisyphus. Background...

Students examine the roles of national leaders and the three branches of government and their duties. They view and discuss the images on the South Dakota Quarter Reverse transparency, complete a worksheet, and create a mobile of the...

Clear up "lame duck" congressional confusion with this political cartoon analysis worksheet. Background information on the concept's history and current use is provided, and 2 cartoons give a past and present context. Three talking...

Second graders research the Kansas state capitol building. In this historical landmark lesson, 2nd graders explore the Kansas state capitol. Over three days students explore the Governor's office, Senate and House of Representatives, and...

In this state capitol worksheet, students fill in the state capitol of given states. A reference web site is given for additional activities.

Students go to the computer lab to engage in this thoughtful lesson on our national symbols. Students access the internet, and solve an on-line puzzle of a national symbol of freedom. The symbols are the Eagle, The Statue of Liberty, The...

Warm up the class with this political cartoon analysis. They use the provided guiding questions to analyze a cartoon depicting issues of debate regarding Federal debt. Critical thinking is a must with this worksheet.

Even though a teacher using this resource might want to change some of the information in this presentation about U.S. symbols, it has elements that may not sit well with some people. Parts of it would be useful in a lower grade...

Each state is entitled to two statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection in Washington, D.C. After reading about Utah's debate over whether or not Martha Hughes Cannon should be represented by one of their statues, individuals...

Here is a phenomenal lesson on the three branches of government for your second and third-graders. It presents this often-confusing information in an easy-to-understand format. Many excellent activities and worksheets are embedded in the...

Students explore U.S. geography by completing a coloring activity in class. In this Texas history lesson, students utilize the web to locate Texas on a map of the U.S. Students view a PowerPoint presentation which showcases the state...

The octopus is a commonly used symbol in political cartoons. Help your scholars examine why it has been used in this way throughout history. Three cartoons depict different uses of the octopus. Background information helps gives context...

The world is a big place, so it only stands to reason that different forms of government exist. Democracy, autocracy, oligarch, monarch, and dictatorship are all defined. An extensive explanation of US government system is also included....

Young scholars analyze Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise and the competition for their design in which Brunelleschi's design was refused. The lesson concludes with students creating new doors for the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C.

Students are introduced to the lives and contributions of the first seven presidents of the United States. They, in groups, conduct further research on one of these president and his political platform and design a presentation for the...

Students research American symbols. In this American History lesson, students listen to the story The Wall and discuss the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. They also listen to One Nation and research an American Symbol to create a...

Students explore the beginning of the United Colonies that were formed in 1774.  For this history lesson, students discuss the Articles of Confederation and then answer questions about the events surrounding the development of the...

In this U.S. state capitols worksheet, students put a set of state capitol words back together, writing the completed name on lines beneath. A reference web site is given for additional activities.

In this U.S. state capitols worksheet, students choose the correct capital of given states, 15 total. A reference web site is given for additional activities.