Deliberating in a Democracy
Youth Curfews
Don't stay out too late! Scholars analyze the need for youth curfews in a democratic society. They examine primary documents, case studies, and short video clips to form their opinions and take a position on the issue. Holding a class...
ProCon
Vaccines for Kids
All 50 US states require vaccinations for children entering public schools. Pupils set out to determine whether these requirements are fair with a thought-provoking resource. They read an interesting history of vaccines, watch pro and...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Founding Documents
Teach the class about the predecessor to Declaration of Independence—the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Using the foundational documents, scholars examine the two writings to consider how they are similar and how they are different. A...
Curated OER
Simplified United States Constitution and Bill of Rights
A good handout is a great find. Print this resource and hand out a simplified version of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights to your US government or US history class. The powers of the president, Congress, and the Senate are...
New Jersey Historical Commission and New Jersey Council for the Humanities
Thomas Edison: The Wizard of Menlo Park
What would change in your daily life due to a power outage? Here, learners explore the inventions brought to us by the one and only, Thomas Edison, and imagine a day without them. Scholars take part in a grand conversation and write a...
Curated OER
Election Trivia
In this election worksheet, students complete short answer questions having to do with the elections in the United States. Students answer 24 trivia questions.
Curated OER
Power Poetry
Students use poetic devices to discuss political issues. For this cultural diversity lesson, students listen to the president's State of the Union address and write poetic pieces that express their opinions about issues the president...
Curated OER
Debating in the House of Commons
Middle schoolers order the stages of a debate in the House of Commons. They review the rules of debates using a printable worksheet. They form groups of proposers and opposers to host a debate.
Curated OER
Constitution Basics and Political Spectrum
Have learners try their hands at an online quiz. There are 32 multiple choice questions all related to the three branches of the US government. Questions regarding US economics are also included.
Curated OER
Election Vocabulary Quiz
For this elections worksheet, learners complete a ten question multiple choice quiz pertaining to elections in the United States.
Curated OER
History of Political Parties in the U. S.
Twelfth graders name some of the parties in the political system of the United States. They identify the two main parties along with key information, issues, events, elections and/or people for each system. They then break into groups...
Curated OER
The Glory That Was Greece: A Test
Did your class just finish a unit on Greek life, culture, and conquest? If you think they know everything there is to know about Ancient Greece, then put them to the test with this exam, which contains thirty multiple choice questions.
Curated OER
Publishing Book Reviews
After reading "How to write a good book review" and browsing some book reviews, class members generate a list of things they would like to see in a book review. Then young reporters read a book, write a review and post their polished...
Curated OER
The First Day of Congress
Students examine experiences had by representatives on the first day of Congress. They role-play the role of one of the members of Congress and they participate in opening day events. They complete worksheets to finish the lesson.
Curated OER
Technology and the Media
Students are introduced to the roles and influence of technology and the media on American representative democracy. They examine the effects of the Internet on citizens' role in government and the role and effects of media on the...
Curated OER
How A Bill Becomes Law
Young scholars gain an understanding of how a bill becomes law. They access websites imbedded in this plan. They create a bill of their own, and share it with the class. They compare their simulated bills with real legislation.
Curated OER
Chinese New Year
Students complete a variety of activities as they study Chinese New Year and the Chinese Zodiac. They act out a story of the Chinese Zodiac. They make several crafts including Chinese lanterns and paper fortune cookies.
Curated OER
Motivating the Students
Teachers explore various ways to motivate students. They consider star charts and effort charts to create a point system for motivation. They explore setting goals, progress markers, questionnaires, feedback sheets, and personalizing...
Curated OER
Informal Amendment
Informal Constitutional amendments are the focus of this review instructional activity, which covers the circumstances and methods by which Congress may informally amend the Constitution. The format of this instructional activity would...
Curated OER
Newspaper Fact Treasure Hunt
Students explore the newspaper. In this research lesson, students search for answers within the newspaper. Students collaborate with classmates to find the answers.
Curated OER
Electoral Politics
Students formulate their own opinions about the issues in an election campaign through a critical examination of political advertisements, candidate debates, and political cartoons.
Curated OER
The Right to Vote
In this suffrage activity, students investigate the right to vote in the U.K. as they read an article, then respond to 3 short answer questions regarding the topic. Students also read a descriptive selection about prime ministers of the...
Curated OER
Who Represents You?
Students investigate Congress and how individuals are represented in this Country. In this government lesson, students complete worksheets research government web sites to determine which senators and congressmen represent them....
Curated OER
Mathematical Explorations of the People’s Design Award
Students conduct surveys using nominees from the People’s Design Award, analyze data, and present the results using a pictorial representation. For this lesson, students will then design their own contest and mathematically determine a...