Curated OER
POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT: THE CASE OF LATVIA
Students compare the powers of a U.S. president to those of leaders of other countries. They pretend they are presidential advisors and make decisions as a group as to what the president has the right do in different situations.
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The Constitution and The Bill of Rights
Studnets explore the events and issues surrounding the Constitutional Convenetion and the Bill of Rights through web-sites interacting with such topics as the framers, court cases, games and more.
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A Dream and an Idea: Searching for a Roadmap to Create a Country
Students compare and contrast opposing visions of government held by the founding fathers. They evaluate the roles of historical leaders in shaping the U.S. as an emerging nation.
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Wisconsin History and Information
Fourth graders complete a multi-faceted project about the people, places, and government of Wisconsin. Working with traditional and technological resources, they research various topics related to the history of Wisconsin and create a...
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Constitutional Convention
Pupils develop a constitution for a hypothetical country called Permistan by reviewing the constitutions from the other countries they have already studied.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Read All About It! Supreme Court Case Makes Headlines!
Students are assigned a landmark Supreme Court case to research. They construct a one-page newsletter on the case which include a summary of the case, two pictures and a short biography on one of the justices on the Court at that time.
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Celebrate Constitution Day
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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FDR and the Lend-Lease Act
Young scholars analyze primary source documents and photographs to analyze the implications of the Lend-Lease Program. In this research lesson plan, students read and discuss letters and speeches related to the Lend-Lease Act, evaluate...
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Checks on Presidential Power
Students examine presidential powers. In this checks and balances lesson, students identify the constitutional and informal restraints of the president and consider the reasons for the limitations.
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Constitution
Ninth graders simulate a U.S. Supreme Court hearing concerning a First Amendment case about school prayer by participating in a hearing.
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History in the Making
Students create and perform a skit that demonstrates the historical period and foriegn policy of a particular president. They first complete a diagram of George Washington's presidency as a class and then form small groups to research...
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The "Big Four"
Students identify the four individuals who are identified as the "Big Four", examine the years they were on the bench together, and look and the impact they made in key cases.
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The Many Powers of the President
Young scholars become familiar with the many roles of the president. They are given various scenarios. They must decide which of his "hats" he must wear given the specifics of each situation.
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The Supreme Court
Students examine the Fourteenth Amendment. In this Supreme Court lesson, students define due process and equal protection as they analyze the impact of the amendment and the Supreme Court on workers' rights in the early 20th century....
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The Illustrated Bill of Rights
Pupils shoot Bill of Rights videos. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students film digital segment that illustrate the meaning of the first 10 amendments. Pupils integrate the video clips into PowerPoint presentations.
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Houghton Mifflin Social Studies/Chapter 13, Lesson 2 California Fights Smog (pp. 296-300)
Third graders look into certain environmental problems. The governmental branches are investigated and how government takes care to solve problems of the environment.
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Heroes, Elders, Historic Figures, Contemporary Tribal Leaders
Fifth graders research famous Elders. They receive a list of Elders, Historic Figures and Contemporary Tribal Leaders (included with the lesson). They discuss the Essential Question to guide their research. Students take notes based on...
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Asking and Answering Questions Using the Balance of Powers
Students complete a diagram showing the relationship between the executive, legislative and judical brances of the government. They form sentences using the question words. They restate who and what questions as well.
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Checks and Balances: Japanese-American Incarceration
Middle schoolers examine the three branches of the Federal Government and their decision to place Japanese-Americans in camps during World War II. They analyze debates made by leaders during this time period.
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Constitution Word Search Puzzle
In this social studies learning exercise, students find the words that are related to the concept that is the theme of the word search puzzle.
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The Formation and Function of the Supreme Court
Students analyze the role of the U.S. Supreme Court. They read a handout and Article III, section 1 of the Constitution, analyze and rate by relevance noteworthy Supreme Court cases, and write how they decided each rating.
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Michigan Court System (Part 1) (Middle School)
Students identify the courts that make up the Michigan judicial system. They explore the responsibility of each court and diagram how cases move to the Supreme Court. They compare and contrast the different types of courts.
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Procedures of the Court
Students examine the role of the Michigan Supreme Court. They diagram the procedure one must follow to bring a case before the Court. They discuss the order of business for oral arguments as well.