Stanford University
Explosion of the Maine
An intriguing lesson features newspaper articles to help academics understand the political impact of the sinking the Maine and how the American media depicted the event. Scholars also view a presentation, participate in group...
Curated OER
From The Unknown To The Informed: A Debate on Abstinence
High schoolers examine the topic of abstinence. They discover aspects of the topic from a global to local level. They participate in a debate to share their opinions.
Curated OER
The Haitian Political Crisis: What Role Should the U.S. Play in Foreign Governments?
Students examine the political situation in Haiti. They share their opinions on the role the United States should play in foreign governments. They identify the causes of the turmoil in the country as well.
Carolina K-12
Causes of the American Revolution
Beginning with the experience of hearing that lockers in school will be taxed, through analysis of political cartoons and informational text, and culminating in a debate between loyalists and patriots, your class members will engage in a...
Curated OER
Which Sides Are You on? A critical Issue Debate
Students study public issues and become more aware of local issues. For this economics lesson students are given some local controversial issues and several viewpoints to analyze. They then research and review the topic with the class.
Curated OER
Suspect Sources at the Republican Debate
Learners review statements made during a 2007 Republican presidential for factual references. They research the statements for accuracy using internet resources. Students also examine the stated purpose of the websites used to fact check...
Curated OER
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858: Interactive Map Activity
Learners utilize an interactive map to explore the 1858 Senate campaign in Illinois. They examine how factors such as population, transportation, and party strongholds can affect campaign strategies. Students write an essay discussing...
Curated OER
Race and Political Representation
Students explore different perspectives dealing with race and politics.
Curated OER
Understanding the Debt Ceiling Debate and the Budget Control Act of 2011
Upper graders listen to a podcast on the EconTalk website featuring economist Keith Hennessey. The podcast focuses on the Budget Control Act of 2011, the national debt, and government spending. They read specifics about the BCA, then...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Unauthorized Immigration and the US Economy
As part of a study of immigration and the U.S. economy, class members assume the role of newspaper editors to determine which submitted letters to print on their paper's editorial page to present a balanced view of the debate.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
The Election of 1912
The Election of 1912: an election with four competitive opponents. Pupils get to know the candidates with informative reading passages that provide context to the election. Then, the class engages in a debate and answers questions as one...
Curated OER
Environmental Justice in Chester, PA
Over several days, learners communicate and defend an argument regarding environmental justice issues in Chester, PA. After discussing the issue and viewing a video about the location of several toxic waste facilities in Chester, they...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Suppressing the Vote
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...
Newseum
Persuasion Portfolios
After class members brainstorm a list of current social and political issues, groups each select a different topic from the list to research. Teams create a portfolio of at least 10 examples of stories about their issue, stories that...
Schoolwires
12th Grade Expository Reading and Writing Research Project
The beauty in this resource is the lengthy list of highly charged, controversial-issue research topics. Categories include issues of race, politics, law, environment, education, athletics, gender, and technology. After selecting a topic,...
C-SPAN
The Impact of Citizens United v. FEC
What began as an effort to show a movie by an interest group has impacted financing of federal elections. Did the Citizens United case lead to more "dark money" in politics, or did it shine a light with more speech? Using video clips...
DocsTeach
Road to Revolution: Patriotism or Treason?
Patriot or traitor? Scholars debate the line between patriotism and treason in a short activity. Academics analyze a political cartoon and discuss varying viewpoints between different groups living in the American colonies. The activity...
C-SPAN
Campaign Endorsement Project
So many politicians, so many endorsements! Learn to differentiate between facts as well as the process of endorsements with an informative resource. Class members watch current endorsement videos, research candidates from three different...
Curated OER
Images of Secession
Analyze political cartoons and historical events. Middle schoolers utilize primary resources to increase their comprehension of the topic of secession. They utilize graphic organizers to take notes, compare, and analyze political...
Curated OER
Puerto Rico: The 51st State?
Young scholars explore Puerto Rico. In this Puerto Rico current events lesson plan, students conduct a Webquest to answer questions about Puerto Rico's culture. Young scholars discuss whether Puerto Rico is a country or a state, and...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: The Future of Newspapers
Are newspapers dying, or fighting to survive? Give your scholars access to this controversial debate using political cartoons. In this analsyis handout, 2 cartoons display the changing role of newspapers in a world of online media....
Curated OER
Editorial Cartoons: A Historical Example of Immigration Debates
Eleventh graders analyze political cartoons. For this American History lesson, 11th graders research the Chinese Exclusion Act and the current arguments about immigration to the United States. Students create a graphic organizer...
Curated OER
Understanding Bias
Students participate in an interactive writing and discussion activity, on the study of bias, as it is used in political debate and decision making. They evaluate the presentation of material and its importance in making informed decisions.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Elections, Money, and the First Amendment
Those who spend the most, win. Academics read informational text, participate in group discussion, and defend campaign reforms to understand the correlation between money, the First Amendment, and election results. The resource explains...