US House of Representatives
Black Americans in Congress
Seven lessons make up a unit about African Americans who served in the United States Congress from 1870 to 2007. Young historians read contextual essays, engage in activities, examine primary source images, and artifacts to gain an...
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Who Was Really Our First President? A Lost Hero
Three lessons in the series “Lost Heroes of America” unit module send young historians on a quest to determine who was the first president of the United States. To find clues, scholars watch a short video that provides background on how...
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American Presidents
A collection of reading and writing activities that help us to better understand the election and voting process of our American government.
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Ben Across the Curriculum: Middle School
Ben Across the Curriculum is a set of interdisciplinary lesson plans that highlight the five central themes in the international traveling exhibition Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World. These themes are Character Matters, B....
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Crash Course: U.S. Government and Politics
Help high schoolers become more informed citizens with a crash course in United States Government and Politics. Narrated by Craig Benzine, the 50-video course is based on the 2014 AP U.S. Government and Politics curriculum. Viewers learn...
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Judicial Learning Center: Landmark Cases
Five fact-filled lessons look at landmark Supreme Court Cases. Young scholars begin their study by examining the importance of these cases, key terms necessary for studying the court cases, and the relationship between court cases and...
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Judicial Learning Center: The Role of the Federal Courts
Informational, interesting, and easy-to-understand, the five resources in the Role of the Federal Courts collection provide an overview of the historical context, important principles, and content of the US Constitution regarding the...
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America from Scratch
What if the people of the United States started over and, knowing what we know now about how things are working, redesigned the government created by the founding fathers? That's the central premise of the 11 resources in the American...
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Judicial Learning Center: Student Center
A collection of 22 interactive resources provides learners with information about the United States federal courts. The pages are divided into five sections: The role of the federal courts; The organization of the federal courts; How the...
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C-SPAN Classroom: Middle School Civics
Introduce middle schoolers to the roles and powers of the three branches of the United States government, with the 21 resources in the C-SPAN Civics collection. Sorted into the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial...
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2020 Election Lesson Plans
With all the hyperbole of an election year, it can be difficult to find the facts, just the facts about candidates, issues, and ballot measures. Young political scientists, with the help of 21 resources from a nonpartisan, information...