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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lincoln, Emancipation, and the Constitution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars determine how President Lincoln promoted emancipation. In this slavery instructional activity, students examine primary documents, including the U.S. Constitution, to reconstruct Lincoln's attempts to end slavery and...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Ratifying the Constitution

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Ratifying the Constitution was no simple task. Using primary sources, such as classic writings from the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, young scholars examine the arguments for and against the Constitution. They then decide: Would they...
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Lesson Plan
Heritage Foundation

Voting and the Constitution

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How difficult was it for everyone to get voting rights? Understanding voting rights and the fight to get them for everyone in the United States can be tricky for some learners. However, they are clarified after engaging in the...
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Lesson Plan
Heritage Foundation

Slavery and the Constitution

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
It's hard to believe the abolition movement was once seen as scandalous. Help learners understand how the US Constitution changed everything. A variety of activities such as corresponding reading activities, group work ideas, and...
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Lesson Plan
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Bill of Rights Institute

Celebrate Constitution Day

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
September 17 is a great day to focus on the US Constitution for on this day in 1787, the Constitution was signed. Through a series of activities, high schoolers get a chance to look closely at this famous document and the rights and...
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Lesson Plan
American Constitution Society

Constitution in the Classroom: The Right to Vote

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
The system of checks and balances is integral to the functionality of the United States government. Learn more about the ways the three branches of the government work together—and about the limitations of their power—with an informative...
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Lesson Plan
iCivics

Limiting Government

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
While this lesson plan includes several nice worksheets to identify and discuss the various limits on government (i.e. a constitution, the rule of law, separation of powers, consent of the governed, etc.), its main value lies in a case...
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Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

Principles of the US Constitution

For Teachers 8th Standards
After breaking into groups according to major principles of government (i.e., popular sovereignty, separation of powers, checks and balances, etc.) in the United States, your class members will produce public service announcements...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Freedom for All? The Contradictions of Slavery and Freedom in the Maryland Constitution

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Freedom for the few! An interesting lesson focuses on the Maryland Constitution and its lack of freedom for African Americans. Scholars examine the premise of freedom for all—which only extended to a limited few.  Academics complete...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Democratic Ideas of the 1776 Maryland Constitution

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
1776 was a year of political upheaval in the American colonies. Academics examine the Maryland Constitution to understand the desire to break with Great Britain. Young historians learn about Maryland's efforts to extend rights to its...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Constitution.

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders study the Constitution. They examine the meaning and fundamentals of the Preamble of The Constitution of USA. They assess the importance of having a Supreme Law that states the rights and obligations of the citizens. They...
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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

The First Amendment: What's Fair in a Free Country

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars describe the contents of the First Amendment while telling about an example of speech that is protected by the Constitution and that which is not. They attempt to apply the First Amendment to situations that could occur in...
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Lesson Plan
Heritage Foundation

Exercising Judicial Power

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
We should all do more exercising, but should the judicial branch as well? High schoolers develop their understanding of what powers the judicial branch carries because of the US Constitution, as well as where their limits lie in the...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

It's Your Right: A Civil Rights Brochure

For Teachers 12th
Learners examine the US Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Supreme Court cases in order to broaden their understanding of the US Judicial System. They research a variety of textual and Internet resources to create a tri-fold brochure,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Constitution Lives! How it Protects Your Rights Today

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students brainstorm their rights as Americans. In this The Constitution Lives! lesson plan, students discern the difference between rights and rules by completing a worksheet. Students consider the differences between types of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Constitution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify, discuss and analyze the principles of the Constitution of the Unites States of America. They identify the four main principles of the Constitution and explain in detail the meaning and purpose of each of the four...
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Lesson Plan
Heritage Foundation

The Office of the Executive

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
An executive is not just a leader of a company; you can also use the term to describe the president of the United States. The ninth part of a 20-part unit teaches high schoolers about the importance of the executive branch and the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Limited Government

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils write a letter to King George III from the point of view of Thomas Jefferson. They defend constitutional democracy and explain the differences between limited and unlimited government.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Celebrate Constitution Day

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the constitutions structure, content, and underlying philosophy by skimming through as a class then breaking into groups to focus on separate articles. To reinforce learning they individually analyze constitutional...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The U.S. Constitution Power Grab Game

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students study the powers and limitations of the three branches of the American government. They explain how the system of "checks and balances" protects the individual citizens. They explain how the amendments to the Constitution...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Has the Constitution Shaped the Economic System in the United States?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the characteristics of market economies. For this United States economics lesson, students analyze the Constitution to understand how it contributes to the market economy established in the United States. Students also...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

US Government: The Constitution

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explore the branches of government. In this U. S. Constitution lesson, students examine the system of checks and balances in the U.S. plan of government as they read the document and define vocabulary words.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to the Constitution: The First Three Articles of the Constitution, Separation of Powers

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students review the first three articles of the United States Constitution. In groups, they examine the three branches of government and their function. They follow the path of a bill until it becomes law and discuss Congress' role.