State Bar of Texas
Roe v. Wade
At what point does the right of privacy end and the government begin? Scholars research rights under the Ninth Amendment to the Constitution. Using the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case as a starting point, along with small group work...
Curated OER
What is Government?
Students explore values that unite Americans. In this government instructional activity, students recall the symbols of America and discuss how to create a "Classroom Constitution." Students form rules and write their own Constitution.
Curated OER
Kindergarten Constitution
Learners create their own classroom constitution. In this leadership skills lesson, students work together to solve problems. Learners discuss why rules are important and brainstorm ways to solve classroom problems. Students vote on the...
Curated OER
Creative Writing
Students determine what grammar is and how they have learned it. In this creative writing lesson, students read "Style' Gets New Elements," and respond to the discussion questions. Students then present grammatical rules to one another...
SMART Project
Shop with Us at Whelan School
Third graders use their math and research skills to create and manage a classroom/school store. They use a computer to manage, organize and access information. They practice pricing products, computing sales, counting money and making...
Curated OER
What Lives in the Forest?
Students investigate nearby forests and record their interactions with trees as well as wild life. For this ecology lesson, students read the book, In the Woods: Who's Been Here?, and attend class observational field trips through their...
Curated OER
Name Game
Students practice writing names using a Scrabble type activity. In this letter writing lesson, students participate in a name writing game in which they must utilize other student names to spell their own on the same grid. Students...
Curated OER
I Can Manage Myself (ICMM) Club
Pupils who have disruptively talked or created a disturbance during a lesson then write an essay about respect. They read an explanation of what respect looks like in the classroom and copy an explanation about why talkative behavior is...
Curated OER
Making Good Decisions
Learners engage in some form of classroom decision making and look at possible options and consequences of each decision. In this investigative lesson students look at different options in solving social issues and can debate each.
Utah State Courts
Judges in the Classroom
Class members explore the process of a disposition hearing for juveniles, particularly looking at how the judge decides what sentence the juvenile offender should receive. Task your pupils with evaluating different sample cases provided...
iCivics
Mock Election
Here is an excellent resource in which class members host a mock election for a candidate and policy that will be implemented into your very own classroom. Progressing from primaries, through the campaign trail, and finally to the mock...
Curated OER
Stage a Debate: A Primer for Teachers (Lincoln-Douglas Debate Format)
For a comprehensive overview of debate styles and formats, look at this resource. It details the Lincoln-Douglas debate format (one-to-one debate with specific, timed rounds of points, cross-examination, and rebuttals). You can also find...
Curated OER
Dictating the Future
Read the article "Bush Lays Out Goals for Iraq: Self-Rule and Stability" and examine the keys points from President Bush's speech. Whether presented in written text or as an audio bite learners will work in groups to research world...
Curated OER
Bartering, an Early Form of Interdependence
Students explore the the benefits and problems associated with a barter system in the Colonies and trace its relationship to the development of interdependence that this system creates. An experience of bartering is created in this lesson.
Curated OER
Pens, Paper and ... Cellphones?
Students consider the benefits that so-called disruptive technology can have in the classroom, then design class activities that feature such technology prominently. They write essays responding (as students) to their classmates'...
Oakwood Publishing
Workshop 4: Constitutional Convention
How do new amendments become part of the US Constitution? AP government students explore, analyze, and use the US Constitution to develop a deep understanding of the interworkings of law and government while practicing synthesis and...
Curated OER
Snowflake Bentley
Learners explore crystals through the story Snowflake Bentley and then create crystal pictures of their own. In this interdisciplinary lesson, they create a crystal web chart on chart paper, design artificial snowflakes, and write poems...
Curated OER
Shame on You!
Should public humiliation be an acceptable consequence for a crime? Have your middle schoolers engage in a round table discussion about the recent resurgence of the use of public humiliation as a punishment for crimes in the United...
Curated OER
The Rules of the Game
Students debate whether college athletes should be held to a higher behavioral standard than non-athletes. Students determine whether behavior outside of school should be punishable by university administration, then write letters to the...
Curated OER
Sounding Off About Impeachment
Help your middle and high schoolers reflect on the responsibility of newspapers to act as a vehicle for 'everyday citizens' to voice their opinions. Then, using an article about the first day of the Senate impeachment trial of President...
Curated OER
College Accept-tion to the Rule
Students extend their ideas about the college application process. They write an informative, persuasive letter about themselves to a college admissions counselor that could be used as a 'cover letter' to college applications.
Curated OER
Introductory Class
Secondary special education students are introduced to the topics covered in health class. This is the first in a series of lessons focused teaching developmentally appropriate life and sexual health related topics. Intended for mild to...
Curated OER
Working Together As a Team
Young scholars examine the need for rules to keep order at home, in school, in communities, and in the country using trade books and teamwork activities. They work in cooperative groups to define a positive learning community by writing...
Curated OER
Laws - Who needs them?
Students examine the need for laws. For this government lesson, students participate in 2 classroom activities that require them to consider the impact of laws on their personal lives. Students discuss how laws solve societal problems...