This lesson examines the civil liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and how the conditions of war might affect those liberties. Students will: review the rights and responsibilities of a citizen in a democratic system; study historical precedents for altering civil liberties during time of war; discuss and debate the pros and cons of the wartime curtailment of civil liberties; examine the role of the press in keeping citizens informed in light of the government's need to limit information during times of crisis.

Students assume the roles of detectives as they investigate the occurrences during the Salem Witch Trials. They also assume the roles of lawyers and explore the principles of American democracy through the documents and laws that are meant to protect citizens from such unjust treatment in modern history.

This article details the decline of communism at the Cold War as a result of internal Soviet Union struggles. It examines the revoluions as a symptom of the problems facing the USSR. At the end of the article, there are reflection questions and a quiz for students to assess their knowledge.

In this resource, students can view a webinar about Christmas traditions in North Carolina during the colonial era.

In this activity, students will take a close look at a comic book from the 1950s and 60s about nonviolence in the civil rights movement and think about ways those tips could help you today. Included in an OurStory module from Smithsonian's National Museum of American History entitled Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Nonviolence, this activity is designed to help children and adults enjoy exploring history together through the use of children's literature, everyday objects, and hands-on activities.

This article explains the commercial exchange relationship between Venice and the Islamic World.

In this lesson, students will identify a variety of jobs that people perform and determine for each job whether it provides a service or good and explain the importance of having businesses that provide services and goods in their community.

In this lesson, students will understand that people need to make unlivable areas livable by diverting resources.

In this lesson, students will learn about services available in our community and what would happen if these services were not functioning.

Students will learn about the methods and tools needed to conduct a genealogical interview. It is included in an OurStory module entitled Great Women of Our Pasts.

Students will work on an independent project throughout their study of the Constitutional Period by researching a Constitutional topic and creating a float representing that topic. Students will then educate others on their topic by presenting their float in a class parade.

Students can learn about the changes which were made to the North Carolina Constitution in 1835.

Students can review the original Constitution of North Carolina which was created prior to the American Revolutionary War.

Students will assume the roles of County Commissioners and utilize advocacy, negociation, and compromise to create a county budget.

Students will examine the organization of local governments, charters, and elections by creating their own city.

While studying the Articles of Confederation government and the Constitutional Convention in this problem-based learning module, the students will determine the benefits of peacefully changing an inept government. They will deduce the crucial steps needed for peaceful change to happen within a society. An area of research will be chosen to help solve a problem critical to the students' middle school lives. Feedback will be gathered through a video interview or a Google Form survey of crucial stakeholders. Students will research the alternatives to improve upon their selected problem. Students will present their findings to a decision maker and wait to receive feedback.

Students will:

* Learn about The Highrise of Homes Project and James Wines (architect) and his design firm SITE (Sculpture in the Environment).
* Work in groups as "city planners" and "architects" to create a proposal for a home construction.
* Research examples of high-rise housing by other architects and compare them to the Highrise of Homes project and high-rise housing where you live.

From Creative Living: Residential Architecture in MoMA's Collection: The Curved House--Endless House
Project (unbuilt). 1950-60

Students will:

* Learn about The Endless House project and Frederick Kiesler (the architect).
* Compare the Endless House with other homes from this guide and in your neighborhood.
* Build the Endless House
* Research Kiesler's vision for the Endless Theater.

Students will:

* Learn about Farnsworth (the house) and Ludwig Mies van deer Rohe (the architect).
* Conduct research on the Bauhaus movement.
* Write a report about the artists and intellectuals, like Mies van deer Rohe, who sought asylum in other countries to escape censorship and the suppression of individual and political rights under Hitler in the 1930's.

From Creative Living: Residential Architecture in MoMA's Collection, A Guide for Educators

House Three: The House on Stilts--Villa Savoye, Poissy-sur-Seine, France, 1929-31

Students will:

* Discuss the particulars of the Villa Savoye.
* Discuss the Le Corbusier's "Chaise Longe" chair.
* Learn about the occupants, the Jeannerets, of the Villa Savoye.
* Analyze and evaluate "home" and "home atmosphere".
* Compare and contrast, through a series of writing exercises, the qualities of Villa Savoye with their own.
* Learn about Le Corbusier's "Five Points of Architecture" and the "International Style".