Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Sunshine Week
Do the people have the right to know? Is there a real dialogue between U.S. political powers and the American people? Upper graders evaluate these concepts and more when they critically examine two political cartoons depicting Sunshine...
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Cartoons for the Classroom: Human Rights
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a political cartoon is like reading an essay. Have your critical thinkers examine three cartoons to read between the lines, gaining insight and information. They analyze how these cartoons...
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The Presidential Campaign Game
Upper graders play a game as a way to facilitate understanding of US Presidential Campaign issues and strategies. After being divided into small groups, a candidate will be chosen to run for office. Each group creates propaganda to get...
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Cartoons for the Classroom: The Bush and Clinton Years
Examine how the Bush and Clinton years are an example of political dynasties. This cartoon provides a way to explore the concept and activate critical thinking skills in order to better grasp U.S. Politics. A fun and educational way to...
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Cartoons in the Classroom: Economic Blame Game
Two political cartoons grace this critical analysis activity. Several very good discussion questions and points to consider, could make this an interesting start to any US Government class. Prepare upper graders for identifying...
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George Washington: The Precedent President
Students investigate precedents set during George Washington's term in office. They conduct Internet research, develop a list of the responsibilities of the President, match Washington's accomplishments with the list, and play a game.
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Alexander Hamilton and the Roots of Federalism
Explore the origin of political parties in the United States. Learners work in groups to read and analyze copies of the "Report on Manufactures" written by Alexander Hamilton. Then, they complete a worksheet comparing the Federalists to...
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Powers of Congress: The Scope of Congressional Powers
Use this as a quiz or to guide reading. There are five true/false and five multiple choice questions for the class to answer. Topics covered relate to the type of power Congress has and the constructionists movement.
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Powers of Congress
Have your class fill out this comprehension sheet while reading about the powers of Congress. There are ten multiple choice questions focused on the rights, powers, and limitations of Congressional law.
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The Nominating Process
Ten questions engage students in thinking about what they have read. They are quizzed on basic concepts related to the nomination process and primary elections.
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The Two-Party System: Chapter 5
Guide your students' reading with this worksheet. Included are five matching and five multiple choice questions focused on aspects of the two-party system employed in the United States. Use as a quiz, guided reading questions, or homework.
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Four Famous Faces
Each one of our quarters is embellished with a famous face or image representing the state it came from. This lesson plan uses South Dakota's state quarter to get kids thinking about monetary value, what the president of the United...
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American Government
Challenge your students with this lesson plan on American government! Learners discuss the three branches of government and its responsilbities, and then go on to more complex critical-thinking activities. Students interview members of...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Bill of Rights: The First 10 Amendments to the Constitution
Introduce youngsters to the first 10 amendments of the US Constitution. Each slide contains one of the 10 amendments, an image, and a brief description of what the amendment entails. Because the images and language used are very...
Curated OER
If I Were President
Children discuss voting and the presidency. They make a picture of what they would do as president and dictate a caption. The class then votes on the snack they would like to eat that day. This presents many wonderful learning...
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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.
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Do We Still Need the Electoral College?
One of the most confusing aspects of any presidential election year is the role of the Electoral College. Learners read a bit about how the Electoral College works and then they hold a mock election in their classroom. They'll redraw a...
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The Executive Branch
Students study the federal government, which is divided into 3 branches. They have a minimal understanding of the responsibilities of each branch.
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Voters, Ballots, and Elections: Matching
After studying voting and elections in the United States, have your class show what they know. They match 15 terms related to voting, ballots, and elections to the proper definition. This is a great way to practice vocabulary or content...
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Why Vote? A Public Awareness Campaign
Students examine the structure of local government and determine why citizens vote. In this civics lesson, students listen to a lecture about the structure of local government and then encourage others to exercise their right to vote.
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3 Branches of Our Government
This straightforward fill-in-the-blank activity could be used for a variety of purposes. Young historians are given 10 sentences about the branches of government; they fill in the blanks with terminology that is related to the United...
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Branches of Government
After reading a short text on the branches of government in the United States, future voters answer 8 fill-in-the-blank questions, as well as 11 true or false questions. This instructional activity would be a great homework assignment or...
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Egyptian Fairy Tale
Young scholars explore ancient Egyptian culture and government. In this social studies lesson plan, students compare the legal system from ancient Egypt to our current American legal system. Links are included for web searching Egypt and...
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Homemade Political Parties
Use this 5-day lesson to clarify the platforms of the two major parties, comparing and contrasting against students' beliefs. Begin by looking at unlabeled summaries of both party platforms, having learners identify most with one. Groups...