Social Studies: Campaign Finance Reform

Middle schoolers aren't too young to feel strongly about politics, social issues, consumer rights, or environmental problems. Demonstrate the first steps toward social change with a project about action-oriented writing. Eighth graders...

Augment a unit on the traditions and legacies of Native Americans with an informational packet. With pages that detail the tribal origins of commonly used words, a list of ways that Native American customs influenced American democracy,...

From the essential question about the cause of the American Revolution to a Town Hall meeting hosted by and for your social studies class, a set of American history lessons are a great addition to your Revolutionary War unit. After...

When young learners are inspired about a cause and wish to bring about meaningful change, they are often unsure about where to even begin. Give them the tools to fuel their activist spirits by exploring components of an action campaign...

What comes to mind when learners think about campaign financing? Secondary pupils watch a video about the fundraising climate during the 2012 presidential election and discuss Super PACs and Supreme Court legislation as a group. Focusing...

America was founded by dreamers, and the American dream still resonates in our country today. Track the American dream from its Puritan beginnings to its optimistic descendants with a lesson that focuses on speeches by John F. Kennedy...

Word splashes, read-draw-talk-write activities, exhibits. Middle schoolers use the Storypath approach to a unit study of America's concerns during the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Teams organize a 21st century world's fair,...

Review economic vocabulary, presidential election campaigns, and current campaign budgets (2004). Your class will determine how they feel about the amount of money spent on presidential campaigns, they will read an informational article,...

Social Studies and role-playing can go hand in hand. Learners use supporting evidence found in primary and secondary source material to develop a character from the Five Points neighborhood in the 1850s. Each student takes on the role of...

“Humanscape No.65” by Melesia Casas and Ester Hernandez’s “Sun Maid Raisins” launch a study of how works of art can advocate for social change. After examining these two works and discussing the human rights issues raised, class members...