National Constitution Center
Fourth of July (Grades 9-12)
Class members work to translate the Declaration of Independence into their own words, as well as design a Facebook page within the context of 1776 to raise public awareness about the document and its meaning for citizens.
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Rights Under the Fourth Amendment
Twelfth graders examine the Fourth Amendment and discuss an actual Supreme court case. They determine whether or not the person's rights were violated. they search newspapers for articles where the Fourth Amendment may have been violated
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Citizen Me
Fifth graders examine what it means to be a citizen. Using the Constitution, they discover the functions and purpose of government. They compare and contrast the difference between a democracy and a monarchy. As a class, they discuss...
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Classroom Comparison of Fat Intake
Learners bring in their fat diaries and work in pairs to calculate their average fat intake per day during the week of data collection. The whole class gathers to calculate their total fat intake and average fat intake per student per...
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Creating a Classroom Belief Statement
Fourth graders cooperatively develop a classroom belief statement that serves as their classroom constitution. Each student is involved in the creation of the statement. Each group presents their belief statement to the class.
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Political Cartoons as Part of the Election Process
Students explore the impact of political cartoons on American elections. In this presidential elections lesson, students discuss the election process and then analyze political cartoons that were published during presidential elections....
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Colorado Water, Water Rights and Ditches
Students do various activities and research on the history of Colorado water rights and local ditches and evaluate current situations in terms of water rights, water sources, ditches,as well as how different groups have been affected by...
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Pre-reading for Julius Caesar
Students examine friendship and leadership by creating "friendship committees" to develop a class friendship constitution. Committees list qualities/traits of a friend, as well as friendship infractions. These committees join together...
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Moot Court Preparation
Twelfth graders prepare themselves for a mock moot court. In groups, they are presented with an overview of each activity and research appellate cases related to the topic given to them. They identify regions of the country that have...
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A Tour in Sustainability
Learners explore two LEED certified green buildings. They examine what is the LEED certification process and what constitutes a green building. They tour via the internet two LEED certified green buildings, while comparing and...
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Overview of Japanese War Crimes of the Sino-japanese War And World War Ii
Ninth graders discuss the definition of a war crime and what the Germans did to the Jews during WWII that constituted a war crime. The analyze the results of political, economic, and social oppression and the violation of human rights.
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State of Mind: Inventing the American Identity
Pupils define national identity, explain importance of having national identity, describe America's national identity, work together and formulate class vision of what America's national identity is, identify United States symbols and...
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Interdisciplinary Task: Weather
Students design a chart to use to record the weather for five days. They then build an anemometer to record wind speed and discover why they are used for this purpose.
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How Does Sound Travel As Waves?
Seventh graders participate in a number of activities designed to increase their understanding of how sound is generated and how it travels.
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Australia
First graders are introduced to the country of Australia through books, Internet research, maps and music. They listen to stories, watch videos, decorate cookies and participate in an Australian-themed day of activities.
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Texas v. Johnson
Students examine the freedom of speech. In this Supreme Court lesson, students analyze primary documents from Texas v. Johnson and discuss the implications of the decision regarding flag burning.
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Respecting Freedom of Speech
Learners analyze the First Amendment. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding the facets of the First Amendment. Learners examine cases which pertain to the freedoms that the...
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Do You Have a Prayer?
Students review the 1st Amendment and the clauses which deal with prayer/religion in schools. They discuss, in groups, the Equal Access Act, which gives students the right to practice/express their religion at school and take a quiz on...
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Just Say It
Students explore the initial Supreme Court decision to regulate commercial speech, and then analyze the legal precedents and principles underlying a recent case contesting this regulation.
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Memorandum of a Conference with President Eisenhower after Sputnik
Students document and list excerpts from a document that shows how calmly officials reacted to the launching of Sputnik. They research contemporary magazines and newspaper articles of the day as well.
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Rainforests: What Are They?
Second graders investigate rain forests by reading a habitat checklist. In this environment lesson, 2nd graders read the book The Great Kapok Tree, and discuss what characteristics make up a rain forest. Students explore a habitat...
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The Pledge of Allegiance
Learners study the history of the Pledge of Allegiance. They investigate the First Amendment concept of separation of Church and state using Internet resources.
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Exploring the First Amendment as it has been applied to Teen Journalists
Pupils explore the First Amendment as it has been applied to teens and teen journalists. In this First Amendment lesson, students memorize the First Amendment, complete online research of the topic, and quiz. Pupils read about another...
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Everyday Heroes
Students research heroes and create their own criteria of what constitutes a hero. They choose a personal hero and create a web page that portrays the individual and their accomplishments. Students create a presentation for the class.