This resource provides terms to know related to the concepts found in the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the Constitution.

This lesson traces Lincoln’s political life during a time of constitutional crisis. It examines Lincoln’s ideas and decisions regarding slavery and the use of presidential power to preserve the Federal Union during the Civil War. When students have completed this lesson, they should be able to analyze and evaluate President Lincoln’s decisions in response to the critical constitutional issues of his time.

By the end of the lesson the students should be able to understand how it feels to be a minority, to be different, and to be discriminated against in any way.

Students will gain an understanding of the role money plays in the US economy. The lesson begins with a simulation of a barter economy and discussion of the need for money. The students will then learn about the characteristics, functions, and types of money through discussion and reading an informative comic book about money.

In this lesson students examine the concept of “citizen” from a definitional perspective of what a citizen is and from the perspective of how citizenship is conferred in the United States. Students discuss the rights and responsibilities of citizens and non-citizens and review the changing history of citizenship from colonial times to the present.

Student creates a letter to a community leader about how he can impact the community around them.

In this lesson, students will be able to identify the purpose of a constitution and compare and contrast the US Constitution to constitutions in other democracies around the world.

This lesson provides a comparative review of the United States Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the constitutions of Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal; historical context; connections with current events; and the opportunity to take and defend a position on which right or rights are most important.

For this activity, students learn several important facts about the Constitution and its history.

In this lesson students will familiarize themselves with the delegates that were present at the Constitutional Convention by listening to a series of 60-Second Civics podcast episodes devoted to the Framers of the Constitution.

In this lesson, students will develop an awareness of the Constitution and why we celebrate Constitution Day be exploring what it is and why it is important.

In this lesson, students analyze the preamble to the Constitution to learn some of the basic ideas about government.

In this lesson, students analyze the preamble to the Constitution to learn some of the basic ideas about government.

In this lesson, students learn how the Constitution established a new way to organize government called the federal system. Students will describe how federalism differs from other forms of government and identify strengths and weaknesses of a federal system.

In this lesson, students will work in groups to compare and contrast the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the Constitutions of the United States, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Republic of Colombia, and Republic of Ireland in order to emphasize how constitutions support democratic principles and human rights.

In this lesson, students will analyze the Grimm fairy tale Hansel and Gretel and evaluate the major characters in terms of their rights and responsibilities in terms of power and authority.

Students will learn about one of the most important rights of citizenship. This is the right to participate in governing our nation. Students will discuss different ways they can participate. The lesson will also suggest things students should think about in deciding whether or not they should participate.

This lesson explains the steps taken by the First Congress to name a president and vice president, to provide funding for the new government, to draft a bill of rights, and to organize the executive and judicial branches.

In this lesson, students will become familiar with some of the brave women who helped drive and sustain the civil rights movement. Their work and courageous efforts have gone unsung for many years. Students will explore the role played by gender during an era of expanding political rights and personal liberties.

In this lesson, students will be able to show where American democracy can be found within Article III of the Constitution. Students will take a position and defend it based on Article III and American principles of democracy and justice.

In this lesson, students acquire deeper understanding of the Constitution and its history and provide a reason for the study of the Constitution.

This lesson describes some conflicting points of view of leading Framers about the Constitution. Most of the delegates argued for the adoption of the Constitution, although many had reservations about all or parts of it. The reservations of three were so serious that they refused to sign the document. The position of one of these Framers, George Mason, is explored in detail. Students will also examine Benjamin Franklin's statement in defense of the Constitution. When they have completed this lesson, they should be able to explain the positions of Franklin and Mason, and give arguments in support of and in opposition to these positions.

This lesson introduces students to some basic ideas the Framers used in creating the kind of government they thought would best protect the natural rights of each individual and promote the good of all.

In this lesson, students gain an understanding of why the Founders thought a republican form of government was best, as well as learn about civic virtue and the common welfare.

In this lesson, students will create a five part letter exploring the following themes: What is responsibility? What is the importance of responsibility? How can we be responsible? How does personal responsibility affect our world?

In this lesson, students will be able to develop a poem that describes justice in their own words and expressively read aloud poems using modulated intonation and pacing.

In this lesson, students will analyze major figures in the history of nonviolence and the framework of philosophic nonviolence vs. tactical nonviolence. Students will participate in hypothetical situations based on historical events.

In this 2 day lesson, students will explore how music can influence social and political change in society. Students will look at modern day protest music as well as investigate music from the civil rights movement, as well as work in groups to research songs.

In this lesson, students will explore the concept of nonviolence through primary sources and narratives from the civil rights movement. Handouts and links provided.

In this lesson, students are asked to look not just at the events of 9/11 but at the following days and years. The lessons involve students in exploring the parts of a newspaper, the functions of a news article, and the importance of a free press in a democratic society. Classroom activities prompt students to discuss the need for and role of heroes. Students learn how to identify unifying factors in a diverse society, distinguish between fact and opinion, examine different points of view, analyze legal issues that have arisen as a result of the terrorist attacks, and much more. Lesson four, Today’s Hero, also includes activities for grades K–4.

In this lesson, students learn about responsibility and apply the concept to segments of the U.S. Constitution.

In this lesson, students will analyze the Grimm fairy tale, Rumpelstiltskin, and determine if a breach of contract occurred. Students will be able to clearly define justice, contract, and responsibility. Students will be able to identify specific abuses of power and authority. Students will evaluate behaviors of individuals’ authority, power and responsibility.

In this lesson, students read Kellogg's The Island of Skog, discuss key components of a democratic government and will write three rules they believe the residents of the island should follow.

In this lesson, students examine the recent proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution, analyze them for public policy triggering mechanisms, and compare and contrast them to amendments that have been ratified.

In this lesson, students will complete poem using the pattern sheet. Students will explore the questions: What is the responsibility? What is the importance of responsibility? How can we be responsible?

Many of the ideas that influenced the Founders originated in the government of the Roman Republic. This lesson provides an opportunity for students to explore and discuss the meaning of republicanism, common welfare, and civic virtue as they were said to have been practiced in ancient Rome, and to consider how these ideas influenced the thinking and behavior of the Founders.

In this lesson, students will analyze one of six amendments to the U.S. Constitution through the framework of its economic, political, social or cultural, and international contexts. Using the information that they gather, students are instructed to create timelines that encompass both the amendment and pertinent events before, during, and after adoption of the amendment. These timelines will then be combined so that students can more fully evaluate and interpret how the U.S. Constitution has evolved in the historical context of our democracy.

This lesson involves students in a number of critical thinking exercises. Each exercise presents a series of quandaries representing many great ideas and principles that have shaped our constitutional heritage, some
contradictory but of equal merit to the others. In each exercise, students apply principles and ideas to a contemporary issue and then take a position and defend their judgments.