Curated OER
The Coming of Independence
Provide your learners with an opportunity to show what they know. Have them answer 10 questions on colonial America, 13 Colonies, colonial legislature, and popular sovereignty. There are 5 true/false and 5 multiple choice questions.
Curated OER
Aerial Photography
Eleventh graders compare the artistic values of Terry Evans' photography with LandSAT images and other images made for purely scientific, government and commercial purposes. They consider the artistic choices made in aerial photography.
Curated OER
So where CAN I dump the snow?
Students research the ordinances about dumping snow in your community. Check with city officials and even a city Web site. They find out what other cities like yours have. Is yours typical?
Curated OER
Formally Amending the Constitution
How easy is it to amend the U.S. Constitution? As your students will learn in this government instructional activity, not very. Five true/false questions and five multiple choice questions quiz students on the process of amending the...
Curated OER
Respect for Authority
High schoolers develop cross-cultural understanding. In this democracy lesson, students discuss core democratic values as they examine the governance in their school and their local community. High schoolers also discuss the...
Ohio State University
Where in the World Can I Find a Healthy Diet?
What constitutes a healthy diet? In what way is a healthy diet defined and influenced by culture? Groups investigate the community and national resources available in a country, and then design a healthy diet for its citizens.
Curated OER
Creating a Bill of Rights
Creating a Bill of Rights isn't easy! Help your scholars experience what the Founding Fathers did by challenging them to write a Bill of Rights. Groups pretend they are a new democratic country and proceed to create that country's Bill...
Curated OER
Representation: Majority Rule
Students explore government. In this decision making lesson, students discover the importance of majority rule in the passing of bills. They all participate in a class debate and practice the different forms of decision making. This...
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
Good Citizens
Students consider what qualities and values make a good citizen. Students compare the requirements to become a U.S. citizen in 1896 to current requirements. Students create a country and write out the qualities a good citizen would possess.
Curated OER
Fort Owen: Cultural Crossroad of the Bitterroot Valley
Fourth graders investigate the history of Bitterroot Valley. They conduct research using primary and secondary resources. The analysis of the information is used to discover the true relationship the settlers and native peoples. Then...
Curated OER
The First American Party System: Events, Issues, and Positions
Learners identify factors which lead to the development of the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. They examine the writings of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton as well. They discuss what elements are needed for an orgainized...
Curated OER
Espionage and Sedition Acts: Mock Trial
Bring to life the severity of the Espionage and Sedition Acts through a mock trial. Learners have prior knowledge of WWI and the context of these acts. An anticipatory set gets the class discussing the ethics of wartime dissension, and...
Curated OER
Teaching Basic Banking Principles
Students listen to the story, "Recollections of Pine Gulch, 1840-1860" to determine how banks "create" money, what reserves are, and what a "run" on a bank is.
Curated OER
American Focus on World Constitutions
Upper graders read several passages to gain an understanding of the nations that have adopted a constitution similar to the United States Constitution. This is a scripted lesson that is intended to build content-specific vocabulary and...
Curated OER
The Manhattan Project
Students discover the technological and scientific requirements for making the atomic bomb, the immediate effects of an atomic bomb, and the social and political changes that have resulted from the Manhattan Project.
Foreign Policy Research Institute
The People's Republic of China
This resource provides a nice framework for students to explore the perceived shift in China's policymaking from the idealogical to the practical. While this lesson includes some dated materials (2006 is the most recent news headline)...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Understanding China: The Prospects for Democracy in China
This document provides useful information for a unit on democracy in China. While it does not include detailed activities, it does have a list of democratic principles, and important facts about China that facilitate understanding of its...
Curated OER
Ratifying the Constitution
After a lecture on ratifying the Constitution, this learning exercise would be perfect to reinforce your government (or U.S. History) students' new knowledge. The activity contains ten knowledge-level and comprehension-level questions....
Curated OER
Teaching Basic Banking Principles
Students explore basic banking principles and the value of money as they probe into the lesson. The case of Gus Mahler is examined as students discover the money making dealings of the banking industry.
Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association
A Research Project: A Discussion of the Recreating and Populating of a Colonial Village
Primary source research, secondary source readings, and discussion provide the understanding necessary for students to create a colonial persona, and simulate a situation appropriate for this person, time, and place. While the lesson...
Curated OER
Equal Rights
Students experience what it would be like for any one group to make the laws that all people are to follow.
Curated OER
Greek Geography
A riddle and a class lecture kick off this lesson on Greek Geography and city features. Learners use a worksheet to answer questions related to what they learned in lecture and complete a homework assignment. Note: This is a lesson...
Curated OER
The Mass Media and Politics
What effect do the prevalence of televisions in homes have on the American political stage? Challenge your students to consider this idea with these ten questions, both true/false and multiple choice. You could use this activity as a...