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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Environmental Law-Making

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students go through the process of creating and passing a federal law. They select an environmental issue, research related policies for the issue, draft the bill, discuss it among committee members, bring it before the class and bring...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Supreme Court Shake-Up

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students examine the role of the Supreme Court through an interactive program. They analyze the history of the Court and its members. They finally explore how the Supreme Court works.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Your Safety and Security or Your Civil Liberties - Which is More Important?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine provisions of USA PATRIOT Act and controversies that led the ACLU to take legal action against the legislation. They create, conduct, and document results of a survey related to the PATRIOT Act and controversies...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Founding Myths, Stories that Hide Our Patriotic Past

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students participate in a scavenger hunt using their textbooks to find information about historical events, people and places in US history during the Revolutionary Era. After creating their list of important people, students create...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Origin of the Purple Heart

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students research the origin of the Purple Heart. For this writing lesson students research personal stories of friends or family who have received the Purple Heart. Students then design their own armed forces award complete with an...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Examine Your State Government's Demographics

For Teachers 8th - 11th
How is your state government organized? How many elected officials are women? What is the mean age of your state representatives? Young scholars answer these questions in a research project before creating a chart to reflect their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

In Remembrance of George Washington

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explore the contributions of George Washington. In this early American history lesson, students analyze the provided eulogy for George Washington written by Henry Lee and then write their eulogies for the first president.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Colonists Protest Song

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the role of protest songs. In this early American history lesson, students research the acts passed by the British that angered colonists. Students then listen to protest songs from contemporary American history prior to...
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Alabama's Secession in 1861: Embraced with Joy and Great Confidence. Why?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
From December 20, 1860 to June 8, 1861, eleven states seceded from the Union. Alabama seceded on January 11, 1861. Why did so many white Alabamians want to secede? Why did they believe the South could win the war? These are the essential...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Afghanistan: Country Report with Questions

For Students 6th - 8th
Building fluency in reading informational text is part of the common core. Get learners reading information about past and current issues related to the country of Afghanistan. They read the seven paragraph passage, then answer four...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

How Effective were the Efforts of the Freedmen’s Bureau?

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Effective or ineffective? As part of a study of post Civil War America, young historians analyze a series of primary sources to evaluate the effectiveness of the Freedmen's Bureau in addressing the challenges faced by the slaves freed by...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Case Study of a Campaign

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers read a case study of one campaign to discover how political campaigns addresses the needs of the voters. In groups, they answer questions related to the case and discuss how the commercials affect society as a whole. They...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

World War II Home Front

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Eleventh graders examine the political demands put on one of four groups living in America during WWII. Each class member is asked to research and write a paper describing the homefront experience for women, Hispanics, African-Americans,...
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Handout
PBS

The Elements

For Teachers 5th - 12th
An attractive handout displays the periodic table of elements in full color. Each group has its own color, and each element is represented by its name, chemical symbol, atomic number, and atomic weight. What makes this periodic table...
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Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Ellis Island—The “Golden Door” to America

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Are you one of the 100 million Americans whose ancestors passed through the doors of Ellis Island? Learn about the historic entry point for immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with an informative reading passage. After...
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Interactive
US National Archives

Benjamin Franklin: Politician and Diplomat

For Students 7th - 12th Standards
A scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, politician, and the founder of a nation—and that's just one person! Learners investigate the many lives of Benjamin Franklin. Using a hands-on interactive online resource, they analyze primary...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Benjamin Franklin: Politician and Diplomat

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Benjamin Franklin was many things: a scientist, businessman, diplomat, politician. Learners explore facets of the legendary figure with a matching activity. By matching primary source documents to their descriptions, they analyze the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Branches of Government

For Teachers 5th - 6th
After reviewing and reading about the three branches of US Government, complete this activity with your class. In groups, they will place their "cards" on the board under the correct branch. This lesson is weak and unclear. I'd make a...
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Lesson Plan
NYC Department of Records

Citizenship and Elections: The Importance of a Ballot

For Students 7th - 12th Standards
Approximately 58 prcent of those eligible voted in the 2016 US Presidential election. In an attempt to impress upon learners the importance of voting and voting rights, class members examine primary source documents related to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Size It Up: Map Skills

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Compare information from a US population cartogram and a standard US map. Learners draw conclusions about population density by analyzing census data a population distribution. They discover that census data is used to apportion seats in...
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Lesson Plan
Foreign Policy Research Institute

Understanding China: The Prospects for Democracy in China

For Teachers 9th - 12th
This document provides useful information for a unit on democracy in China. While it does not include detailed activities, it does have a list of democratic principles, and important facts about China that facilitate understanding of its...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning from the Past: A New Approach

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars research nonprofit organizations. As they research, they learn how those living in the colonial period formed community organizations to provide for the common good of their society. Each pupil chooses one organization to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Race and Voting in the Segregated South

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the history of African American voting rights. In this voting rights lesson, students listen to a lecture on African American voting rights between the years 1890 and 1965. Students respond to discussion questions...
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Activity
Administrative Office of the US Courts

Engel v. Vitale

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
"Is school-sponsored prayer in public schools unconstitutional?" That is the question teams debate as they consider the arguments presented to the Supreme Court in Engel v. Vitale. The attorneys study the provided talking points and...

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