High schoolers examine the Reconstruction programs instituted following the American Civil War, the potential for change these efforts offered, and the realities that occurred. Guided by a PowerPoint presentation, class members read a...

A social justice lesson plan focuses on the Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia which struck down laws that prohibited marriages between African Americans and white Americans. The lesson plan begins with class members examining a...

Take a look at important images that depict the women's suffrage movement, the support for the Equal Rights Amendment, and wage equity for women over the last two centuries. As class members work through a lesson on...

Do young people care about elections? Host a discussion about the role of young citizens in the electoral process with an engaging social studies lesson. As high schoolers read and respond to four statements about youth interest in...

How did Elizabeth Cady Stanton advocate for women's rights? Pupils consider this question as they continue reading "An Address by Elizabeth Cady Stanton." They complete a Quick Write, analyzing how satire and sarcasm advance the author's...

Using the resource, pupils consider how the author structures her argument in "An Address by Elizabeth Cady Stanton." Scholars complete a written response to identify one of Cady Stanton's claims and analyze how she uses reasoning and...

Help young people become excited to participate in politics. High school historians participate in an engaging lesson focused on ways for youth to become involved in government. Scholars review articles, videos, and essential vocabulary...

Students discuss the U.S. electoral process and brainstorm solutions to increase voter turnout in their community. For this democratic citizenship lesson, students identify keywords in speech and video related to freedom of speech and...

Students study how the electoral college works to select a U.S. President.  In this history lesson, students examine the U.S. Elector College methods then answer questions and write an essay that relate to the state where they live.

Students develop an understanding of the legislative process. They role play as legislators and witnesses commenting on the proposed bill.

The debate over genetically modified organisms is on! Young biologists imagine that they have been asked to choose which corn chips will be sold for a fundraiser, one made with GMOs or one without. This four-day lesson plan requires...

Vermont produces less than 35 percent of the electricity it consumes. Young scientists research alternative energy sources to find the best options for a Vermont town. They present and critique each option before voting on the best idea.

A cross-curricular resource that takes the electoral votes and allows your learners to organize and analyze the data. Young voters can determine which states are more influential and interpret the dotplot provided for more data....

What are the factors that influence voting patterns? How do these factors influence government funding? Is participation the squeaky wheel gets the grease? Class members interpret graphs and analyze trends to determine what...

Why does the United States have a bicameral voting system? Through role playing as either advocates for or against a cell phone policy in school, your learners will organize, vote, compromise, and experience first-hand the benefits of a...

Has life changed for American women in the last century, or are there common themes between the lives of 21st century women and the struggle of suffragettes from the 1910s? Explore the ways media reflects the position of women...

Lesson 10 in a series of human rights lessons focuses on the skills of finding evidence and summarizing. Your young readers work to compare the two texts they have read in this unit: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights...

Who determines the Seven Wonders of the World, and what criteria is used to evaluate these locations? Discover the efforts to promote cultural diversity and preserve man-made monuments during the world's first-ever global vote in 2007 to...

Young historians investigate how voting patterns have changed by comparing the outcome of the 1960 election to the outcome of the recent election. A creative final assessment has participants making a news show wherein they provide...

Take a step back in time with this political cartoon analysis worksheet, which features editorial cartoons from the 2008 presidential campaign. Background information allows pupils to "read between the lines" in their analysis, and three...

Who should be able to vote? As part of a study of the 1901 Alabama Constitution, class members examine primary source document that reveal the reasons the authors gave to support their positions on this question and their assumptions in...

Although this is part of a series, lesson plan nine has your class take a break from their close study of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) text to read the firsthand account “Teaching Nepalis to Read, Plant, and...

Should the president of the United States be voted by the Electoral College or the popular vote? Your young historians will consider the pros and cons of the Electoral College, and make an argument using reasons and evidence...

Each presidential election year, the debate about the electoral college rages. Michael C. Maibach's "A Defense of the Electoral College" offers young political scientists an opportunity to examine a reasoned argument for why the...