University of Wisconsin
Analyzing Presidential Campaign Propaganda
Campaign propaganda has evolved from 1952 through the presidential election of 2008. A social studies activity prompts class members to analyze the devices used in ads and political cartoons, noting strategies they believe would work to...
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...
US Institute of Peace
Defining Conflict
Before there can be peace, we have to understand conflict. Introduce the concept of conflict through a two-part activity that combines discussion, collaboration, and writing. The first in a 15-part series examines the multiple meanings...
Curated OER
The Need for Government
Students, in groups, play a game of skill in which the outcome depends on decisions the other players make. After playing they discuss the game and how they liked playing a game that was controlled by the decisions othe rpeople made. ...
Curated OER
What Are We Going To Do About Baby Six Billion?
Students formulate and evaluate suggestions about government policy using demographic examples and projections. They examine websites and utilize worksheets imbedded in this plan.
University of Minnesota
The Ladder of Torture
The awful practice of torture is the focus of this sociology lesson. High schoolers examine their own personal values regarding torture. They participate in a class discussion that considers the moral issues surrounding the use of...
Curated OER
On the Home Front
Students list specific actions taken on the home front by non-combatants during World War II, discuss ways students have been and can be involved in a home front war effort, and analyze war posters.
Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association
A Research Project: A Discussion of the Recreating and Populating of a Colonial Village
Primary source research, secondary source readings, and discussion provide the understanding necessary for learners to create a colonial persona, and simulate a situation appropriate for this person, time, and place. While the lesson...
Curated OER
The Front Page: Asking Geographic Questions
Students examine how to ask geographic questions. They read an article with details omitted, list possible geographic questions, and write a summary of the article.
Curated OER
Scarcity of Water Throughout the World
Pupils identify the various forms of fresh water on the earth. They observe a demonstration aand read articles that show them the importance of water conservation. They write a journal about their opinion regarding paying for water.
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
Lesson: Michael Blum: National Identity at a Distance
Immigration, refugees, and cultural change due to the movement of people around the globe is discussed. Learners examine the work of Michael Blum to gain an understanding of how national and cultural identities shift due to immigration....
Penguin Books
Gulliver's Travels Teacher's Notes
Who are "the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth”? Readers of Gulliver’s Travels will learn the answer, as the journey with Lemuel Gulliver to Lilliput,...
Curated OER
Public Trust and Confidence
Learners analyze the judiciary system. In this government lesson, students participate in a class discussion on methods to prevent unfairness in the Judicial courts.
Curated OER
Types of Branches
Fourth graders study the three branches of government. In this politics lesson, 4th graders list the three branches of government, understanding what each branch does, and compare and contrast how government is run with how the...
Curated OER
Documents and Symbols and American Freedom
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...
Curated OER
Clear and Present Danger
Students assume identities of lawmakers, judges, writers, and protestors during times in American history when freedoms of speech and press were limited because country was on the brink of war or fighting one. Students use primary source...
Council for Economic Education
One is Silver and the Other's Gold
Learners investigate the money supply and how it can affect the value of money. They examine how the changing money supply can affect prices.
Curated OER
Dual place names in Australia
Students discuss landmarks commonly found on maps. They are divided into two groups, and asked to draw a map for a friend who hasn't been to the area. Group A may use street and place names, group B may not. Students discuss the role of...
Curated OER
The Right Ideas
Students investigate the Bill of Rights and explain how non-profit organizations take care of those rights. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students work in groups to look at the rights that are included in the Bill of Rights. They...
Curated OER
Economics: The Scarcity Principle
Students discover how scarcity leads to economic choices. They examine its effect on individuals, business, and governments. Students simulate various scenarios to determine the role scarcity plays in each.
Curated OER
Documents of Natural Rights: The Declaration of Independence and The Plan of Delano
Eighth graders analyze the philosophy of government in the Declaration of Independence. As a class, they discuss how this philosophy has caused other revolutions in history and how well it supports our natural rights. In groups, they...
Curated OER
Third Parties and the American Party System
Twelfth graders examine the role of third parties in American politics. Individually, they use primary source documents to write an essay on how third parties emergered and why. They also discuss the influence third parties have on...
Curated OER
Exploring the Declaration of Independence
Eighth graders describe the basic ideas of government and arguments supporting the separation of the colonies from Britain in the Declaration of Independence. They actively participate in class discussion and then review, answering all...