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Handout
Curated OER

Born Gay

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Is a person's sexual orientation determined at birth? With the informative website, scholars prepare for a debate about the topic. They learn the top pro and con arguments and read through a historical timeline of homosexuality. They...
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Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Egalitarian America

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What does a true American represent? Scholars investigate the equal rights era of the 1960s and 1970s in the 20th installment of a 22-part series on American history. Using photographic, magazine, written, and video evidence, groups...
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Lesson Plan
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Advocates for Human Rights

Civic Engagement and U.S. Immigration Policy

For Students 8th - Higher Ed Standards
To conclude their study of immigration and human rights, class members create a civic engagement project centered on an issue of immigration and designed to influence US immigration policy. They examine examples of attempts to influence...
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Handout
Curated OER

Churches and Taxes

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Churches have been tax-exempt since the founding of America, but should they be? Pupils ponder the question as they browse the website in preparation for a class debate or discussion. They research the history of tax-exemption for...
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Lesson Plan
Facing History and Ourselves

The Audacity of a Vote: Susan B. Anthony’s Arrest

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Susan B. Anthony's speech "Is It a Crime for Women to Vote?" takes center stage in a lesson that asks class members to consider how they might respond to what they consider an unjust law. Groups work through the speech paragraph by...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

English and Literacy: Children's Rights - Expanded Paragraphs

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students write expanded paragraphs about children's rights. In this writing and children's rights lesson, students listen to Caroline Castle's, For Every Child, noting the points about children's rights on each page. They discuss each of...
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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 Law: Your Rights and Responsibilities

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore First Amendment rights and responsibilities.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Bills of Rights: Cutting It down to Size

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore democratic values. For this U. S. Constitution lesson, 8th graders read the Bill of Rights and consider the significance of the amendments. Students design a governmental time capsule that includes their own plan...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Owns Water

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students role play how water is allocated to different holders of water rights. In this ecology lesson plan, students identify the different water rights available. They explore problems associated with water use including drought,...
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Lesson Plan
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Caucus 101

Caucus History and Iowa’s “First in the Nation” Status

For Teachers 7th - 12th
What is a caucus? Why is Iowa's first? Why did Iowa shift to the caucus format? After researching these basic questions, class members debate the question of whether or not Iowa should maintain its "first in the nation" status for caucuses.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Defending the Homeland--The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1789

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore that there have been times during the history of the US when ,in response to real and perceived threats, both domestic and foreign, our country has responded by passing legislation. Students trace the fundamental rights...
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Activity
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Suppressing the Vote

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Voting rights have expanded over time, but some voters are still being suppressed. A thought-provoking resource explores the history of voter suppression in the US and efforts to remove roadblocks to voting. Young historians learn about...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Your Safety and Security or Your Civil Liberties - Which is More Important?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine provisions of USA PATRIOT Act and controversies that led the ACLU to take legal action against the legislation. They create, conduct, and document results of a survey related to the PATRIOT Act and controversies...
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Where to begin? With the vocational education that provides the skills necessary to gain economic security or with a Liberal Arts education? As part of a study of leaders of the civil rights movement, class members compare and contrast...
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Lesson Plan
NYC Department of Records

Citizenship and Elections: The Importance of a Ballot

For Students 7th - 12th Standards
Approximately 58 prcent of those eligible voted in the 2016 US Presidential election. In an attempt to impress upon learners the importance of voting and voting rights, class members examine primary source documents related to the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Racial Profiling

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students debate both positions on the controversial topic of racial profiling with support for each and then develop a consensus position on how racial profiling as a law enforcement tool should be used.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

All Rights Reserved?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners explore, through discussion, research, dramatic skits, and writing, the debate over genetic ownership of biological products and evaluate the economic viewpoints of the countries and companies involved.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Foreign War and Domestic Freedom: A Delicate Balancing Act

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate civil liberties in the U.S. They watch and discuss a PowerPoint presentation, conduct research on an event from a timeline, complete a worksheet, take an ideology quiz, and conduct a debate.
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Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Issues of Asylum in the U.S.

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Who gets to come to the United States? Examine cases of individuals seeking asylum with an informative reading passage that includes examples, statistics, and representations of public opinion regarding asylum. Groups then go on to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Do Ask? Do Tell?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore debates regarding gay rights following the Supreme Court's Lawrence v. Texas decision. They participate in a fishbowl discussion, exploring questions on marriage, adoption, custody, employment, and military service.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding the Twenty-Seven Amendments

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students use the Internet to learn about the Constitution.  In this Constitutional Amendments lesson, students read and discuss the twenty seven amendments and work in groups to rewrite the amendments in their own words.  Students read...
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Lesson Plan
Canadian Civil Liberties Education Trust

That’s Not Fair!

For Teachers 1st - 6th
As part of a series of critical thinking exercises, kids consider issues of social justice, especially the factors that must be considered when trying to balance conflicting rights and freedoms.
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Lesson Plan
Deliberating in a Democracy

Youth Curfews

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Don't stay out too late! Scholars analyze the need for youth curfews in a democratic society. They examine primary documents, case studies, and short video clips to form their opinions and take a position on the issue. Holding a class...