A Message of Ancient Days

Using informational text to make cross cultural comparisons is a great way to build a global understanding and comparative analysis skills. With several handy worksheets and a Venn diagram the class will read to make cross textual...

Have pupils explore the Code of Hammurabi, one of the oldest sets of laws. They get into groups to read, analyze, and answers 5 critical-thinking questions about 2 of the provided laws. Then they report what they have learned. Great...

To understand the laws regarding marijuana use in the United States, you can go all the way back to the 1800's to learn about farming hemp, or you can go back to 2018 when California became the sixth state to legalize recreational...

Discuss the differences in dialogue and debate when considering a controversial topic. Your class can work in small groups to complete a guided discussion of this controversial topic and then participate in a simulation of the Scopes...

In order to understand the complicated nature of slave laws during the Civil War, learners compare and contrast an abolitionist poster and a runaway slave ad. They use an attached worksheet to consider each primary source document, then...

A Venn Diagram is used to compare artistic and historical representations of a single event. Young analysts view the provided images, read textbook descriptions, and discuss the validity of each representation in terms of bias and...

While this lesson includes several nice worksheets to identify and discuss the various limits on government (i.e. a constitution, the rule of law, separation of powers, consent of the governed, etc.), its main value lies in a case study...

What is the balance between democracy and security? Using articles and videos that examine state voting procedures, learners explore the difficult question. After looking at voting regulations in their state and nationally, they consider...

Pupils 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.

Here is a narrow view of Hammurabi's code. Without cultural, social, or political context, this presentation asks students what they think of the concept of an eye for an eye. Images of Babylonian artifacts and Hammurabi's laws are...