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Big Four Baseball
Middle schoolers identify the justices known as the "Big Four" in the Michigan Supreme Court. They explore their similarities and differences. They examine the cases that were decided by them that have had an impact on the laws in Michigan.
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Participating in the Political Process
Learners explain why it is important to participate in government, and name at least three ways citizens can participate.
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Right to vote...in the wrong place
Students create a presentation for other class members or for a local citizens' group explaining how they can guard ensure voter rights. Students research the Ohio Secretary of State's stand on provisional voting rules.
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Raising Money for Government Services
Students evaluate how money is raised to pay for government services. They describe why governments need revenue to provide goods and services. They create a list of government expenditures at the federal, state and local levels. They...
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Flag Day
Students describe the symbolism, tradition, honor and power that flags bear and explore the stories of Civil War battle flags.
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Lesson 5, What Kind of Research Should Our Government Support?
Students examine research ethics. In this scientific research ethics lesson, students examine hypothetical research scenarios and determine which proposals should be funded with tax dollars.
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The Final Countdown
Students examine the United States electoral college system as it applies to the 2004 presidential election. They investigate the impact of the twelve battleground states in the 2004 election and develop informative pamphlets on the...
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Life before Congress
Students name some interesting backgrounds of Members of Congress, identify their current representatives in the legislative branch of the national government, and describe the background of one local representative or senator.
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How Should Congress Allocate Money?
Students discover and examine how the government spends money and then determine what they this are priorities for national spending by illustrating their ideas on a pie chart. They research the national spending allocations on the...
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Personal Flag Assignment
Students use symbolism and creativity to create a flag that represents their life, dreams, and ambitions.
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Journey on the Underground Railroad
Students use Indiana and Michigan state road maps to trace a route to Canada from Madison, IN. with the many possible stops along the way. They make a picture book that depicts a runaway slave's journey on UCR.
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Alas, All Human
Students define a scientist. In this ethics and science lesson, students read Asimov's Alas, All Human and write responses and discuss the possibilities of imperfection within science by scientists. Students discuss what steps should be...
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The Human Geonome Project Structured Controversy
Young scholars debate government funding of the Human Genome Project. In this ethics lesson, students use the stuctured controversy framework to research the opposing viewpoints regarding project funding.
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Why Does Congress Work That Way?
Learners discover the powers of Congress. In this legislative branch lesson, students examine the legislative process as they analyze Article I of the U.S. Constitution. Learners consider the powers of Congress as they define the role of...
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Roles of Individuals and Groups in Politics
Students review the Federalist Paper by James Madison. They discuss the influence of interest groups in contemporary politics.
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The "Big Four"
Young scholars 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 Civil War in Historical Fiction and Historical Accounts
Eighth graders examine life during the Civil War through various readings. They compare and contrast a novel they read in class to one they chose on the subject. They work together as a class to produce a newspaper displaying the...
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Core Democratic Values of American Constitutional Democracy
Students describe the ideas found in the core democratic values. In groups, they design and create a brochure explaining how the values relate to other ideas that Americans accept as a nation. They share what they know with with...
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Age Structure Studies
Students collect data from Internet sources to compare age distributions in their city, county or state with that of other places in the US or other countries. They construct and interpret age-structure population pyramids and research...
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Toxic Waste in Grand Banks
Students investigate the issues of economic prosperity, environmental concerns, government intervention in the market economy and responsible civic participation in solving community problems.
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THE JUDICIAL BRANCH
Students create a series of drawings to show the process of how the Supreme Court does its work. The drawings may be in strip cartoon form or a series of separate illustrations.
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Presidential Power and Influence
Students analyze the powers and duties that Article II of the US Constitution grants the President. They determine the influence the President has on the nation and how philanthropy changes in a nation.
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Constitution Day
Students examine and discuss recent court cases involving young people and the Bill of Rights.They use a focus question to create the context for class discussion: How does the Bill of Rights apply to young people and students?
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Canadian Studies Exercise
In this Canadian history worksheet, 6th graders review many aspects of Canadian studies. Students complete 10 fill in the blank questions, 5 essay questions and 10 true/false questions.