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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Don't Just Dream-Act

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students create campaign materials to encourage the passage of legislation supporting higher education for immigrant minors. They produce flyers, brochures, pins and a voter presentation for a school fair. To prepare the materials they...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hitler's Fatal Gamble

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students consider the differences between totalitarianism and democracy. In this comparative politics lesson, students will read a handout describing the major components that comprise totalitarianism and democracy, then they will...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"I Have a Dream" Shown in Pictures

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students demonstrate their understanding of Dr. King's dreams by drawing a picture representing one of them. In this Dr. King activity lesson, students read the speech "I Have a Dream" and discuss the vocabulary. Students select one of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Equality: Are Some More Equal than Others?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars research a person who has been active in supporting human rights around the world. They simulate an international conference and write a newsletter focused on human rights in a specific country.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Antisemitism in Early America

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore the rise of antisemitism in the United States in the early 20th century. After reading a passage concerning one man's ordeal, 11th graders discuss how the civil rights of minority groups has been viewed in...
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Lesson Plan
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School Improvement in Maryland

Supreme Court Case Overview I

For Teachers 9th - 12th
As part of a study of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, class members examine four Supreme Court decisions—Gitlow v. New York, Mapp v. Ohio, Gideon v. Wainwright, and Griswold v. Connecticut—that incorporated the due...
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Lesson Plan
Center for Civic Education

Orb and Effy Learn About Authority

For Teachers K - 2nd Standards
Simplify the teaching of the US Constitution with this primary grade social studies lesson. While reading a fun story about an imaginary place called Bubble Land, children learn about the concept of authority and the importance of rules...
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Lesson Plan
Center for Civic Education

What Is Authority?

For Teachers 1st - 5th Standards
Young scholars examine the concepts of power and authority as they begin learning about government in this elementary social studies lesson. Through a series of readings, discussions, and problem solving activities, children learn about...
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Lesson Plan
Center for Civic Education

What Basic Ideas About Government Are Included in the Preamble to the Constitution?

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Young historians explore the meaning of the Preamble to the US Constitution in this upper-elementary social studies lesson. Working with partners or in small groups, children discuss the purpose of government before reading and analyzing...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is the Federal System Created by the Constitution?

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Explore the unique structure of the federal system of government in the United States. Class members will learn about how most nations were organized before the establishment of the Constitution, how power is currently divided between...
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Lesson Plan
Center for Civic Education

What Does Returning to Fundamental Principles Mean?

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Looking for materials for your Constitution Day and Citizenship Day lessons? Then check out this packet of activities that not only gets your class members thinking critically about the fundamental principles at the heart of American...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

What is Meant by Returning to Fundamental Principles?

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
What did the Founding Fathers mean by the importance of continually returning to fundamental principles? Your young historians will analyze a series of quotations illustrating the fundamental ideals and principles of the United States...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Contextualizing a Historical Photograph: Busing and the Anti-busing Movement in Boston

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils explore the civil rights movement. They identify the causes and consequences of the anti-busing movement in Boston. Students construct a narrative to explain the context of an historical photograph related to the anti-busing...
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Lesson Plan
2
2
Curated OER

Class Rules Contract

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
First and second graders construct a contract for classroom rules. They define a contract and then choose rules for classroom behavior. Each learner writes these rules down on a class rules contract worksheet (included).
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning from the Past: A New Approach

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars research nonprofit organizations. As they research, they learn how those living in the colonial period formed community organizations to provide for the common good of their society. Each pupil chooses one organization to...
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Lesson Plan
Center for Civic Education

Matching Game with the US Constitution

For Teachers K - 3rd
In September we celebrate Constitution Day. Begin the celebration with a grand conversation about the US Constitution. Follow up the in-depth discussion with a learning game in which scholars match terms to images such as the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How was the Constitution Used to Organize the New Government?

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
How did the United States Congress determine how the new president and vice president would be named when the nation was first established? Who would provide money for the government, and how would the executive branch be organized? 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Have Minorities Gained Acceptance

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students cite evidence gathered from magazines about how much Blacks are accepted into the mainstream of American life. They support their conclusions by writing an answer to an essay question.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

When Property Rights and the Public Good Clash

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students analyze a case involving a government's use of eminent domain powers to construct a comprehension of property rights and how they might be viewed as essential protections for citizens in a constitutional democracy. They Use the...
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Lesson Plan
North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies

Missing Pieces of the Puzzle: African Americans in Revolutionary Times

For Students 5th - 11th
What's missing from most studies of the American Revolutionary War is information about the role African Americans played in the conflict. To correct this oversight, middle schoolers research groups like the Black Loyalists and  Black...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

The Founders’ Library: Thinking as a Founding Father

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students analyze the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. In this U.S. government lesson, students examine books, movies, and music that influence them today and then investigate writings that influenced the framers of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Roots of Religious Liberty

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the First Amendment and consider the contributions of James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. They review conflicts between the rights of Church and State and write a Madisonian argument on the issue.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Right to Bear Arms - One Patriot's View

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research Samuel Adams' role in the crafting of the Second Amendment. They consider how Adams' views evolved with time and write a one-page response linking their research to current events.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Church and State Separation: The Challenge and the Debate

For Teachers All
Students describe the basic elements of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment as it relates to the separation of church and state and freedom of religion.