Curated OER
Urban Renewal
Eleventh graders write down their best guess at the meaning of "urban renewal." students stage a Mayor's press conference announcing a new urban development plan for the Fillmore.
Curated OER
Read My Lips
Learners research and examine Florida's government and the three branches of government. They write and present campaign speeches that explain the reasons why they would be the best candidates for governor.
Curated OER
Free Market Labor vs. Slave Labor Debating the "Mud-Sill" Theory
Students read the speeches of Abraham Lincoln and James Hammond. They discuss the speeches and answer questions about free labor vs. slave labor.
Curated OER
Solving a Community Problem Through Education
Fourth graders examine and compare Indian and American culture in order to develop a better understanding of both.
Curated OER
Simulating the Legislative Process
Students research and simulate a debate of an issue. They simulate proposing a bill to the legislature.
Curated OER
Mythical Animals
Students create imaginary animals by assembling pictures of body parts from pictures of real animals. This is one of three linked tasks. The others are "Who's Parts Do I Have?" and "Animals Piece by Piece."
Curated OER
Political Traditions
Middle schoolers compare and contrast the political institutions in Greece, Rome, and the United States. In groups, they take this information to determine the influences on James Madison when organizing the republic. They develop a...
Curated OER
Making More Places at the Table: The American Civil Rights Movement of the 50's and 60's
Eleventh graders examine the biography of Henry B. Gonzalez. They examine primary source documents from Congressman Gonzalez's personal papers related to his contributions to the Civil Rights Movement.
Curated OER
Before and After the Summit
Students review their role in the Youth Summit. As a class, they practice completing an application for the student-delegate portion. They take a survey before and after going to the summit and report their experiences at the class.
Curated OER
3 Branches of Governement
Sixth graders use the "Making the Grade" books, citizenship packets, and the "Ben's Guide" website to create a poster and a report on their assigned government branch. They then present their poster and report to their classmates.
Curated OER
Government & Politics
In this United States history worksheet, students reference their textbook to answer 16 fill in the blank questions and 8 short answer questions regarding the early government of the nation.
Curated OER
Emily Dickinson: Luminous Letters
Learners analyze the dimensions of Emily Dickinson's poetry and persona. In this Emily Dickinson lesson, students read the example letters and analyze a chart of the poems. Learners present their findings from the poems in a presentation.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: How Do Executive Orders Work?
The framers of the American Constitution made the executive power available to the executive branch. But what exactly is this tool, how does it work, and what's the extent of its power? Christina Greer explains.
Library of Congress
Loc: Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention
This site provides a collection of material regarding the work of the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention. Content includes a focus on how the Revolutionary War was organized, fanning the flames of patriotism,...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: How Political Parties Began
Activity in which students examine the history of political parties in America and evaluate the role they play and reasons they emerged. Questions for discussion and small group work to compare the late 1700s visions of Republicans and...
iCivics
I Civics: For the President, All in a Day's Work
Students learn the primary responsibilities of the president and how those duties connect to the powers the Constitution grants to the Executive Branch.
The Dirksen Congressional Center
Congress for Kids: Constitution: The Work Begins
Discover how the Constitution was initiated and read about the Constitutional Congress. After learning about the beginning stages of the Constitution, take a quiz to show your learning.
C3 Teachers
C3 Teachers: u.s. History Module: Did Founders Want Government to Work? [Pdf]
A comprehensive learning module on the system of government established by the founders that includes three supporting questions accompanied by formative tasks and primary source materials, followed by a summative performance task....
US National Archives
National Archives: Congress at Work: Presidential Veto
The veto process is an integral part of our checks and balances. Introduce the power of the presidential veto and override to a class using an example from President Nixon's administration. Materials include the Constitution, worksheets,...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement:the Preamble to the Constitution
These step-by-step lesson plans help students understand the historical background to the U.S. Constitution. Students simulate a hypothetical situation where they must create their own rules and figure out how to work together. Links to...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Bill of Rights in Action: Welfare
Lesson in which students read the history of welfare in the United States, answer questions for discussion and writing, and debate who should be responsible for the welfare of others. Small group, individual and whole class work.
Vocabulary University
My vocabulary.com: History How America Works
This page offers a variety of vocabulary puzzles and activities using 15 words pertaining to How America Works. It also provides an extensive list of 230 words and lesson plan information.
US National Archives
Docsteach: The Legislative Process: Congress at Work
Learners will analyze historical records of the House and Senate to understand the sequence of steps in the legislative process. The students will work collaboratively to study documents and identify the step in the process that each...
Library of Congress
Loc: The Constitution: Drafting a More Perfect Union
This lesson provides discussion, culminating, and extension activities to enhance student understanding of the Constitution, and the Committees of Detail and Style. Students have the opportunity to compare the work of those two...