Stanford University
Great Society
Students explore the Great Society. In this U.S. history and government instructional activity, students view the video "The Great Society," identify the major points of the speech, and compare and contrast the content with The New Deal.
Curated OER
U.S. Constitution
Students examine the U.S. Constitution. In this American government lesson, students explore the purpose and significance of the Constitution as they read the provided handouts and complete the provided worksheet.
Curated OER
Charting the Three Branches of Government
Learners review CongressLink on the internet and study the branches of government. They work in groups to create charts showing the structure and functions of the three branches of government as outlined in the first three articles to...
Curated OER
The World of Constitutions: Better Understanding the U.S. Constitution
Learners examine the purpose of constitutions. In this government systems lesson, students analyze the sections of the U.S. Constitution. Learners then compare the U.S. Constitution to the constitutions of other countries. Students write...
Curated OER
The Constitution
Eighth graders watch as their teacher presents information on the Constitution, government and laws through a PowerPoint presentation. In groups, they discuss the importance of government and laws and identify the main ideas in the...
Curated OER
Legislative Branch (Congress) Questions
In this U. S. government activity, students respond to 10 short answer questions about the responsibilities of congressional members.
Curated OER
The Articles of Confederation (1781-1789)
In this online interactive government worksheet, students respond to 30 multiple choice questions about the Articles of Confederation. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
Curated OER
Government and Politics
Challenge your students' knowledge of the American government with this activity, which prompts them to fill in missing key terms (no word bank is provided, allowing students to come up with answers on their own) and complete short...
Curated OER
Outsourcing City Hall
Learners examine how some city halls around the country are using private companies to run them. After watching a video, they write a reaction paper to some part of it. They write an article for their school newspaper discussing whether...
Curated OER
Representing Our Nation
Students use pennies to illustrate how our states are represented in Congress. This instructional activity is to be implemented during a unit covering the branches of United States government.
Curated OER
Group Newspaper-American System of Government
Eighth graders, in groups, design, research, and create a newspaper that explains four historical events that have influenced the American system of government.
Curated OER
Two Constitutions
Fourth graders participate in a teacher-lead discussion about the United States Constitution and the California State Constitution. They compare the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution with Califonia's Declaration of...
Bill of Rights Institute
The Declaration of Independence
Take classes on an in-depth tour of the Declaration of Independence. An informative resource effectively scaffolds learning by providing warm-up and wrap-up activities. It also includes a variety of handouts for individuals to complete,...
Judicial Learning Center
Levels of the Federal Courts
The Supreme Court gets all the glory, but very few federal cases make it to the highest court. An interesting lesson explores the structure of the lower levels of the federal court system. In addition to outlining the organization of...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Investigating the Declaration of Independence
Teach your class about the Declaration of Independence while giving them practice working as a team. The resource breaks participants into groups and has them answer questions about specific grievances from the Declaration of...
PBS
Latino Americans: Timeline of Important Dates
From 1500-2000, an interactive timeline details important events related to Latino Americans. Next, to each date are small, yet informative blurbs—some of which include videos.
School Rack
Westward Expansion Project Choices
What a great list of brief research projects for reviewing the era of westward expansion in the United States! Learners are directed to choose and complete three of the projects on the given list, which includes opportunities to design...
College Board
Balance of Power Between Congress and the President
Three branches of government help create a system of checks and balances. A helpful resource provides a series of articles regarding the balance of power between the legislative and executive branches of government. Historians answer...
Curated OER
Constitution Jeopardy
Although just a quick review of general information learned about the Constitution and U.S. government, this presentation could be used as a fun activity before the beginning of a class lesson, or as an independent experience. The...
North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies
Federalists v. Anti‐Federalists
Here is a solid lesson plan to support your instruction on the Continental Congress and the Articles of Confederation. It includes close analysis of primary source images, a guided notes template and answer key, and many key points to...
Center for History Education
The Founding Fathers and the Constitutional Struggle Over Centralized Power
Believe it or not, the Constitution was America's second attempt at a democratic government. Academics travel back to the past to explore the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation that would eventually lead to the Constitutional...
Smithsonian Institution
Racism and Removal: Japanese Incarceration During World War II
During World War II people saw how far the government's control would go, but it was at the expense of its citizens. The resource brings the conditions of Japanese American internment camps to light using primary documents. Scholars...
Historical Thinking Matters
Social Security: 1 Day Lesson
Should the United States provide relief for those who are unemployed? Trace this question back to the Great Depression with your young historians, who will engage in careful reading of historical documents and classroom discussion to...
DocsTeach
Analyzing a Letter About American Indian Voting Rights
An informative activity focuses on the law preventing Native Americans from voting until 1947. Scholars read documents from the Office of Indian Affairs, complete an online worksheet, and participate in group discussion. Academics learn...