Curated OER
The Three Branches of Government
Sixth graders discover details about the 3 branches of government. In this primary source analysis lesson, 6th graders examine documents and images from the Library of Congress to investigate the structure of the U.S. government.
Curated OER
Regents Review Worksheet #1: Principles of the U.S. Constitution
Kids who take the Regents Exam really need to know a lot of information. This is a wonderful exam review tool that includes 26 pages of questions, charts, and suggested readings to help upper graders pass the test. It focuses on all...
K20 LEARN
Worcester v. Georgia: Cherokee Sovereignty and Actions of the U.S. Government
Young historians study the Supreme Court case "Worcester v. Georgia" and note instances where the Justices defended the sovereign rights of the Cherokee. They also examine the actions of President Andrew Jackson and the provisions of...
Curated OER
Benjamin Franklin and the U.S. Constitution
Students explore U.S. history by completing a quiz about civics. In this Benjamin Franklin lesson, students read assigned text about Franklin's role in the development of the Constitution and the creation of a new society. Students...
Curated OER
U.S. Constitution - Checks and Balances
Learners examine the separation of powers of the branches of the U.S. federal government. In this U.S. Constitution instructional activity, students listen to a SMART Board supported lecture on checks and balances of the Judicial,...
K20 LEARN
Tribal Sovereignty and the Indian Reorganization Act: Tribal Governments
Sovereign nations or wards? High schoolers investigate the history of the Indian Reorganization Act and other legislation that impacted Native Americans. They also research different tribes' constitutions, compare them to the U.S....
Curated OER
Seals: From the National To the Local
Third graders investigate official government symbols by completing a scavenger hunt. In this U.S. Government lesson, 3rd graders participate in a scavenger hunt in which they locate seals or logos in their community. Students...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Why Don’t More People in the U.S. Vote?
To vote or not to vote, that is the question. Secondary scholars explore voter turnout in the United States. The resource uses informational text, group discussion, and a worksheet to help academics understand hindrances to voting and...
NPR
Civil Rights of Japanese-American Internees
Prompted by a viewing of Emiko and Chizu Omori’s Rabbit in the Moon, a documentary about the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, high schoolers examine a series of documents, including the Bill of Rights and the UN’s...
Curated OER
U S Constitution--Checks and Balances
Students get an in-depth look at how our checks and balances system helps maintain the separating of powers between the three branches of government. They use current event head lines and insert them into he appropriate space on the...
Curated OER
Taxes in U.S. History: The Social Security Act of 1935
Students explain the history of the Social Security Act and the FICA tax. They describe what Social Security is and whom it is intended to help. They explain the purpose of the FICA tax.
Curated OER
Agriculture and the Government
Students study the government's involvement in the U.S. A's food production and make connections relating to farm programs. In this historical agriculture lesson, students read content and research significant information. Students then...
Curated OER
Bill of Rights
Students analyze the U.S. Bill of Rights. They conduct research on an amendment of the Bill of Rights, complete a worksheet that matches scenarios to amendments of the Bill of Rights, and write a letter to their Congressperson.
Curated OER
Branches of Government
Students explore the three branches of government. In this government and U.S. history lesson, students listen to a story about a boy who attempts to sponsor a bill to ban cartoons. Students interview three teachers who each represent...
Curated OER
Send Lincoln a Letter
Learners discover the postal service through a letter writing activity. In this U.S. Government lesson, students read the book Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers, and discover the life history of President Abraham Lincoln. Learners write a letter...
National Endowment for the Humanities
James Madison: Raising an Army—Balancing the States and the Federal Government
To war! To war! Every nation in the history of the world has had to deal with warfare on some level. Scholars go through a series of activities and discussions surrounding the development of the Constitution to help them better...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
History of Immigration From the 1850s to the Present
The Statue of Liberty may embrace the huddled masses of the world, but has American society always joined in? After young historians read a passage about the history of American immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries, focusing on...
Curated OER
American Studies
Entitled American Studies, this small unit covers various topics related to the study of the United States. Learners warm up by creating a dictionary of democracy, then dive into three different lessons focused on government, famous...
Curated OER
The Presidential Nominating System
Students examine the process by which candidates for U.S. president are nominated by the Democratic and Republican parties. They identify the differences between primaries and caucuses and key terms and issues related to the primary...
Curated OER
Understanding History By How America Felt
Students explore public opinion of presidential decisions. In this history activity, students examine various graphs that depict overall American approval of U.S. Presidents and government decisions then answer questions about the...
Curated OER
Taxes in U.S. History: Tax Reform in the 1960s and 1980s
Students explain the content, purpose, and impact of the Tax Reform Acts of 1969 and 1986.
Curated OER
The Impact of the IWW on the Nation or Who were the Wobblies?
Students evaluate the role labor groups had on the U.S. Government in the early 1900's. For this teaching American history lesson, students complete several activities, including response writing and listening to music, that reinforce...
Advocates for Human Rights
The Right of Indigneous Peoples in the United States
The sovereignty of U.S. Native American nations is the focus of a resource that asks class members to compare the Right to Self-Determination in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples with a fact sheet that details the...
Curated OER
What is Government?
Young scholars explore values that unite Americans. In this government instructional activity, students recall the symbols of America and discuss how to create a "Classroom Constitution." Young scholars form rules and write their own...