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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Age of Enlightenment

For Teachers 7th
Studnets compare example of primary documents that have shaped U.S. government and our Constitution.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Before and Beyond the Constitution: What Should a President Do?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers discuss the powers and responsibilities of the President, list some precedents established during Washington's presidency, and match presidential actions with the type of Executive power it is.
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Lesson Plan
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Chicago Historical Society

Are We the People?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Taking on the roles of a fiery Boston patriot, a Philadelphia merchant's wife, and a prominent abolitionist, your young historians will consider the reactions of these early Americans to the creation of the Declaration of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Last Abortion Clinic: Key Constitutional Issues of the Abortion Debate

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Young scholars discuss the Constitution of the United States and its amendments, then apply this discussion by creating a "Who should Decide What?" list, based upon their ideas about whether controversial issues such as abortion and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A More Perfect Union: Women's Suffrage and the Constitution

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students reflect on the pros and cons of Women's Suffrage and it was viewed during the late 1800's.  For this history lesson, students will analyze documents on women's suffrage so that they can compare and contrast the rights of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Arguments Against Ratifying the Constitution

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Learners define federalism, Federalist, and Anti-Federalist, debate issue of ratification in classroom convention, and take vote on whether to add bill of rights. Three lessons on one page.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Core Democratic Values of American Constitutional Democracy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers 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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Two Constitutions

For Teachers 4th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We the People... What Conflicting Opinions Did the Framers Have about the Completed Constitution?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study some of the disagreements about the Constitution which set the stage for the debates over its ratification. These are significant because many have to do with issues that are still discussed and debated today.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Paving the Road to the Constitution

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders assess the strengths and weaknessess of the Articles of Confederation as related to the United States and North Carolina. They demonstrate an argument for or against ratification of the United States Constitution.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Writing a Class Constitution

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers view a short play and explore the United States constitution relating it to the importance of rules in the classroom and in the community.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ratification of the Constitution

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders view two resources from the ratification debates and infer the motives and concerns of people in the two states involved. They write a newspaper editorial in favor or opposed to ratifying the Constitution.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing Constitutions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers compare and contrast the Virginia Constitution to the Constitution of the United States. Using the documents, they examine the similarities and differences along with the basic principles in a constitution. They complete...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Race and the United States Constitution

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the topic of race within the United States Constitution. Using case texts, they analyze how the documents deal with the issue of race. In groups, they explore the Court's definitions of citizen. They create a poster...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Constitution of the United States of America

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students study about the Constitution by becoming the teacher themselves. They discuss the important documents leading up to the Constitution, the convention, articles, and amendments as part of their presentation.
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Chief Executives Compared: The Federalist Papers

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Delve into the responsibilities of the president by looking at President Hamilton's opinion of the presidential office in his own words. The second in a three-part series, the resource also offers an interesting compare-and-contrast...
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Lesson Plan
North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies

Federalists v. Anti‐Federalists

For Teachers 8th Standards
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...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Powers of Congress

For Students 11th - 12th
Have your class fill out this comprehension sheet while reading about the powers of Congress. There are ten multiple choice questions focused on the rights, powers, and limitations of Congressional law.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Called Themselves the K.K.K.; The Birth of an American Terrorist Group

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
How did Ku Klux Klan develop and flourish in the US? How did the government respond to acts of terrorism conducted by the KKK following the Civil War? How does the government respond to acts of terrorism today? This resource...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson 1: The Importance of Rules in Our Country and in Our Classroom

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Explore the importance of rules in a community with the engaging first lesson of this series on the US government. To begin, children play a paper clip game that requires them to make up their own rules as they go, after which the...
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Lesson Plan
C-SPAN

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
The United States is built on the presumption of equality—yet we have not passed the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution. Using video clips featuring historians, a museum tour, and an interview with Ruth Bader Ginsberg, learners...
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Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

Marsh v. Chambers and the Establishment Clause

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
1983 Supreme Court case Marsh v. Chambers, which centers on whether opening a legislative session with a prayer violates the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment to the US Constitution, is the focus of a series of discussions and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Government: Balance of Power

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders conduct Internet research about the governmental balance of power. They create Kidspiration projects demonstrating the workings of the three branches of government. They compare U.S. democracy with other forms of government.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Bill of Rights: Debating the Amendments

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Provide your class with an opportunity to investigate an important historical document. Without identifying the document, distribute copies of the original Bill of Rights, as transcribed by John Beckley, Clerk of the House of...