Curated OER
Declaration of Independence
Pupils explore the US Constitution. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students work in pairs to select and examine amendments to the Bill of Rights. Pupils will identify what the amendment means, why they chose it, what it protects, and why...
Judicial Learning Center
Civil Rights and Equal Protection
Almost every American is familiar with the Supreme Court case of Brown vs. Board of Education. Far fewer understand the constitutional reasoning or the wide-ranging consequences of the ruling in the field of criminology. The interesting...
School Improvement in Maryland
Dividing the Powers of Government
Who does what? To develop an understanding of the balance of power between the US federal and state governments, class members research responsibilities in terms of legal systems, security issues, economic activities, lawmaking, and...
Curated OER
Governance And Civics: Grade 4
This PowerPoint provides elementary students with a basic overview of the structure and workings of the US Government. Students will be introduced to the 3 branches of Federal and State Government, the Bill of Rights, and Amendments 1,...
University of Arkansas
Promises Denied
"Promises Denied," the second instructional activity in a unit that asks learners to consider the responsibilities individuals have to uphold human rights, looks at documents that illustrate the difficulty the US has had trying to live...
Anti-Defamation League
Women's Suffrage, Racism, and Intersectionality
The Nineteenth Amendment granted women the right to vote—as long as they were white. High schoolers read articles and essays about racism in the suffrage movement and consider how intersectionality played a role in the movement. Scholars...
Curated OER
Paving the Road to the Constitution
Eighth graders assess the strengths and weaknessess of the Articles of Confederation as related to the United States and North Carolina. They demonstrate an argument for or against ratification of the United States Constitution.
Curated OER
Government and Politics
After a class lesson the U.S. Constitution and its amendments, students can apply their knowledge to this activity. Several questions prompt students to add missing key terms, such as the year the Constitution was written and the number...
Curated OER
Constitutional Amendments Survey
Learners conduct Constitutional Amendments Survey to create an opinion poll forum.
Bill of Rights Institute
Freedom for All?
What did abolitionists have in common with those working for women's rights? How has the Native American struggle for voting rights differed from the struggles of other groups? Class members examine the 15th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, and 26th...
Teaching Tolerance
Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice System
Explore the impact of the war on drugs in a thought-provoking lesson for high school academics. Young historians delve into the world of the criminal justice system and the racial disparity that occurs in the US. The resource provides...
Teaching Tolerance
Understanding the Prison Label
Break the chain. An engaging lesson examines why it is so hard to break free of the prison system in the US. Academics participate in a reader's theater, read primary sources, and discuss their thoughts. The lesson explains the hardships...
Curated OER
The Bill of Rights and Your Life
Students review the contents of the Constitution by taking a trivia quiz and brainstorm the rights contained in the Bill of Rights. After discussing the Bill of Rights, students categorize and outline its content. Given a worksheet,...
Administrative Office of the US Courts
Engel v. Vitale
"Is school-sponsored prayer in public schools unconstitutional?" That is the question teams debate as they consider the arguments presented to the Supreme Court in Engel v. Vitale. The attorneys study the provided talking points and...
Curated OER
The Taliban Meets the Bill of Rights
Students contrast the Taliban and the Constitution. They read through "What the Taliban Banned" and identify "rights." They determine if rights in the United States are in danger and if the Taliban violate the first ten amendments to...
Curated OER
A Burning Desire: A Focus Group Turns Its Attention To Old Glory
Students explore the issue of a Constitutional amendment to ban flag burning. They simulate the role of a Senator's aide, conduct Internet research, write and prepare an oral and a written response based on research,
Curated OER
We Are the Government
Students read primary documents to find the motivations of the founding fathers of the United States. In this primary documents lesson, students discuss the meaning of the Preamble to the Constitution, read parts of the Constitution...
Curated OER
Bill of Rights
Students are introduced to the Bill of Rights. After their introduction, they interview adults about the rights and create a list of them in their own words. They graph the results and analyze them and share their conclusions in a...
DocsTeach
Comparing the Magna Carta and English Bill of Rights with the U.S. Bill of Rights
Just how alike are some historical documents? Discover the similarities between the Magna Carta and the United States Bill of Rights in a fast-paced activity. Historians learn the importance of both documents and the lasting impact they...
Curated OER
Citizenship and the Constitution
Students identify government officials and resources on a local, state and national level. They determine the structure of local, state, and national governments.
Carolina K-12
Writing Prompt: The Death Penalty
Is the death penalty unjust because it violates the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution, "cruel and unusual punishment"? Or is it just a form of permissible capital punishment? After weighing arguments for and against the...
Curated OER
Supreme Court June 2010 Decisions Wrap-Up
Students consider constitutional rights. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students complete an activity guide that requires students to examine Bill of Rights-related cases of 2010. Students respond to discussion questions pertaining to...
Curated OER
United States v. Thomas Cooper --
Students compare the Alien and Sedition Act to the First Amendment. They read and analyze a primary document and write a synopsis. They brainstorm challenges to the Government or President of the US.
Curated OER
Citizen Juries: Zacarias Moussaoui - May 1, 2006
Students consider deliberations by juries. For this citizen jury lesson, students complete readings regarding the constitutional right to a trial by jury as well as on the civic responsibility to serve on a jury.