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Church and State Questions
In this U. S. government worksheet, learners respond to 17 short answer questions about the first amendment and the separation of church and state.
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Presidential Birth Requirement
Every president of the United States must be a natural-born citizen, but the definition of natural-born is not as straightforward as it seems. Secondary scholars examine two points of view surrounding the constitutional requirement and...
Judicial Learning Center
Article III and the Courts
What's the best way to make sense of the Constitution? A helpful lesson contains both the text of Article III and annotation of each of its sections, breaking it down into easy-to-understand parts. It also includes links to a glossary...
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The Declaration Versus The Communist Manifesto
Upper graders put their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution to the test when they are asked to mark which of several statements are from either the Constitution or the Communist Manifesto. A class discussion follows. Use this resource as...
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Creating a Bill of Rights
Creating a Bill of Rights isn't easy! Help your scholars experience what the Founding Fathers did by challenging them to write a Bill of Rights. Groups pretend they are a new democratic country and proceed to create that country's Bill...
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The Beginnings of Constitutional Government
Students examine excerpts of Thomas Paine's Common Sense. In this early American history lesson plan, students read Paine's pamphlet and analyze the information according the rubric provided.
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Constitutional Struggle Over Centralized Power
Students participate in a classroom simulation to discover the issues facing those who formed the new U.S. government. They compare and contrast the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. Using resource sheets and working in...
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Constitution Word Search
In this government instructional activity, students find the words that are related to the Constitution. The answers are found at the bottom of the page.
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Writing a Classroom Constitution
Young scholars work together to write a Constitution for their classroom. As a class, they discuss the need for laws and how the concept of compromise is important. In groups, they compare the process they used for writing the...
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American Revolution and Constitution Take-Home Assessment
In this early American history worksheet, students draw diagrams of that feature the responsibilities of each of the 3 branches of the federal government and then create their own original visuals that highlight the formation of American...
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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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We the People. . .
Students explore the United States Constitution. In this government lesson, students write newspaper editorials that reflect their opinions about Amendments.
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Constitutional Convention
Eighth graders gain a greater understanding of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, and the issues surrounding the development of our Constitution. They participate in an activity and listen to lecture on the Convention, then search...
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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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Government & Politics: Chapter 11.1
In this government worksheet, learners reference their textbook to answer 27 fill in the blank questions and 3 short answer questions regarding the Constitution and the powers of Congress.
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Taxes in U.S. History: Evolution of Taxation in the Constitution
Students receive an overview of the role and purpose of taxes in American history. They identify different types of taxes implemented by the US government and explain the origin of the federal income tax.
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Individual Rights
Students study the individual rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. They determine where these rights come from, and why we value them as we do. They consider that our individual rights are not absolute, and may be limited by other...
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When Property Rights and the Public Good Clash
Students analyze a case involving a government's use of eminent
domain powers to construct a comprehension of property rights and how they might be viewed as essential protections for citizens in a constitutional democracy. They Use the...
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Church and State Separation: The Challenge and the Debate
Students describe the basic elements of the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment as it relates to the separation of church and state and freedom of religion.
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First Things First: Using the Newspaper to Teach the Freedoms of the First Amendment
Students use the newspaper as a tool to make connections about what the five freedoms guarantee in the First Amendment. For this first amendment lesson plan, students analyze events in the newspaper to form conclusions about the freedoms...
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Lesson III: Crisis, Pearl Harbor, Internment
The third in a series of lessons introduced by “A Fence Away From Freedom,” uses the Smithsonian website, “A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution” and focuses on the section of the presentation devoted to the...
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Popular Sovereignty and the Lecompton Constitution
Students explore the purpose of the Lecompton Constitution. In this United States History lesson, students read several articles then complete several activities to reinforce their reading, such as a cause and effect worksheet,...
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Amending the Constitution
Students research the history of the process of amending the US Constitution to explain the latest amendment that failed on June 28, 2006. They complete the research and view images online.
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It is Our Right-Don't Waste It!
Learners explore the basic rights granted to all American citizens by the U.S. Constitution in the light of women's issues. The women's suffrage movement, the role of Susan B. Anthony, and the timeline of events on voting rights are...