Playing By Different Rules

What functions do laws serve in our society? Your learners will be guided through several interactive activities to address this question, and to consider the impact of rule of law in American society.

Students explore government. In this decision making activity, students discover the importance of majority rule in the passing of bills. They all participate in a class debate and practice the different forms of decision making. This...

Students discover fair trading in an economy. In this economics lesson, students participate in a role playing game in which they must trade their goods with the government in an unfair market. Students discuss the lack of fairness among...

Through role playing as one of the three branches of government regarding a congressional decision made in 2000, learners explore the concept of separation of powers and checks and balances.

Familiarize your class with the wide variety of events in the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games. After brainstorming different sports represented in the Winter Olympics, break the class into small groups and assign them specific events to...

Learners get together in small groups to create a set of rules, such as how to respectfully express one's opinion, and how to respect other people's opinions, even if they differ from you own. Everyone role-plays, and attempts to use the...

Students develop awareness of the necessity for rules and use logic to decide what rules make the classroom have a learning and caring atmosphere. They examine the choices they make have consequences.

Did you know elections only played a small role in Athenian democracy? Take a look at the fascinating origins of Athenian direct democracy in ancient Greece, and compare their political structures to our understanding of representative...

Create your own classroom court. After studying courtroom proceedings, with a focus on the concept of a trial by a jury of your peers, pupils create a set of classroom rules and develop a procedure for solving conflicts. They then are...

Students explore various forms of decision making including majority rule, executive, consensus and autocracy (as well as exploring the power of veto), when they debate a bill in a class parliament.