Bill of Rights Institute
Bill of Rights Institute: Founding Principles
Below, you will find suggested definitions of each principle. Click here to read the words of James Madison, a primary contributor to the Constitution, and other Founders on these principles.
US Government Publishing Office
Ben's Guide to u.s. Government: Learning Adventures: Branches of Government
Introduction to a learning adventure on the Constitution and branches of government. Students click on their age group icon to find information on which part of the Constitution spells out the powers of legislative, executive and...
iCivics
I Civics: Montesquieu Mini Lesson
Meet the Baron de Montesquieu, one of the great thinkers of the 18th century. He spent a lot of time thinking about how governments should be created and maintained. These ideas guided the Founding Fathers when they wrote the...
iCivics
I Civics: Limiting Government
Explore the five basic limits on government through the true story of Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, and other fictional cases of government power gone wild.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: The Powers of Government
Students learn how the three branches of the United States government work together and the powers that the Constitution assigns to each branch-legislative, executive, and judicial.
iCivics
I Civics: Constitution Day Lesson Plan
This interactive lesson gives students a quick snapshot of the Constitution, including the purpose of each article, the powers of the three branches, how a bill becomes a law, and the concepts of separation of powers and checks and...
Schools of California Online Resources for Education
Score: The u.s. Constitution Power Grab Game
Politicians like power, but who actually gets to use their powers in different situations? Take this quiz to sort out the checks and balances that are used on the various power plays.
American Bar Association
American Bar Assoc.: Separation of Powers, Connecting the Separate Powers [Pdf]
This lesson involves role-playing to help the students understand the separation of powers. [PDF]
PBS
Pbs: The President's Cabinet: Choosing the Right Members (Lesson Plan)
A lesson that involves students in explaining the confirmation process of presidential appointees by testing the system of checks and balances and the separation of powers. The lesson also requires students to simulate the confirmation...
Illinois Institute of Technology
Oyez: Schechter Poultry Corp. V. United States (1935)
This U.S. Supreme Court case declared the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) of the New Deal illegal because of the issue of separation of powers. The 'Case Basics' links have documents and more information from the court case.
Siteseen
Siteseen: Government and Constitution: Branches of Government
This article contains a useful guide to the functions of the three US Branches of Government that make, enforce, or interprets laws.