No-Frills Money Skills is a video series that covers a variety of personal finance topics. The brief video uses clear, simple language and graphic elements so that students can better visualize the personal finance content being presented. This video episode explains compound interest. A set of discussion questions is provided.

In this lesson, students will explore original source materials illuminating the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus during the Civil War. At the end of the lesson, students will be able to assess the impact of governmental action during military crises on American concepts of civil liberties and on habeas corpus, in particular.

In this lesson, students review the history of turmoil in Haiti and the issue the U.S. faced in how to assist Haitian refugees during the 1990s. A set of discussion questions is provided. In an associated activity, students will write down their opinion on the issue and then work with a small group to brainstorm possible actions the UN and the U.S. could take regarding the Haitian refugees.

In this lesson, students participate in two rounds of a role play to help them understand the role of banks in facilitating economic growth through loans. Round 1 is conducted without a bank. After the first round, students read excerpts from Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton’s 1790 report to Congress in which he proposes a national bank because the United States had few banks at the time. Students then conduct Round 2 of the role play with a bank. After the round, students read excerpts from and summaries of the statute creating a national bank, Thomas Jefferson’s opposition, and Hamilton’s rebuttal.

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.

This study of Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau is designed to give students an understanding of the ideas of these four philosophers and is also an opportunity for them to reflect on humanity's need for order and efforts to create stability within the social community. In the first part of the unit, activities focus student awareness on the nature of government itself and then progress to close reading and writing centered on the specifics of each philosopher's views. Large-group and small-group discussion as well as textual evidence are emphasized throughout. In the second part of the unit, students are asked to engage in creative writing that has research as its foundation. Collaboration, role-playing, and a panel discussion
are fundamental parts of the culminating activity. Options for further writing activities and assessments close the unit.

Students learn basic auto and homeowner insurance concepts by engaging in an animated interactive resource. Students gain an understanding of the financial impact of common events and how having insurance coverage can reduce that impact.

This website explains how the Department of Homeland Security secures the nation form the many threats it faces.

This resource informs students of Abraham Lincoln's speech before the Republican State Convention regarding division amongst the parties.

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of recent studies that try to quantify a country's happiness through various economic measures. By investigating the compelling question about whether Americans could be happier, students consider the ways in which economic values impact our perspectives on happiness and the extent to which we could be happier as a country. Students will investigate three studies of global happiness and the platforms of three American political parties to develop an understanding of the relationship between values, economic policy, and how we view economic happiness and could improve upon it.

In this lesson, students will learn about registering and voting in North Carolina, particularly focusing on North Carolina's preregistration law, which allows 16 and 17 year-olds to pre-register to vote. The law was originally effective January 1, 2010 but was repealed in 2013 by NC's Voter Information Verification Act. In July 2016, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a number of VIVA's provisions and reinstated pre-registration for 16 and 17 year-olds. Students will also explore the importance of registering and voting, as well as the reasons for voter apathy. This lesson will culminate with students creating a commercial to encourage North Carolina’s 16 and 17 year-olds to pre-register to vote.

In this lesson, students examine the role of the Internet as a political campaign tool using reason, facts and examples in class discussion activities. Students will work in small groups to brainstorm reasons why they agree or disagree with a statement related to the role of technology as an election tool and then draw conclusions from the content of a news article and use this information and the conclusions they have drawn as part of a class discussion activity.

In this lesson, students demonstrate how investments in savings accounts and stocks function.

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 identify various rules of thumb and strategies to save money, determine whether a direct deposit or manually saving is the best strategy for them, understand how compound interest works to increase savings, explain how to use the Rule of 72, and recommend different mobile apps that can help them manage and increas their savings.

Students will utilize the interactive tool "Balancing Act" to create an outline of federal spending, participate in a simulation activity attempting to balance the federal budget and complete a written reflection and justification of their proposed changes. Once finalized, students capture their thinking in a political speech (which may be written or orated), persuading their audience (citizens, voters, etc.) to agree with their ideas.

This article discusses and explains how consumers can protect themselves from becoming victims of identity theft.

Students will understand the threat of identity theft and how to avoid it, including how to keep Social Security numbers secure and how to dispose of outdated documents.

This lesson explores the Federalist Papers. First, students engage in a discussion about how they get information about current issues. Next, they read a short history of the Federalist Papers
and work in small groups to closely examine the text. Then, each small group presents its ideas to the class as a catalyst for further, large-group discussion. Finally, students work in small groups to research a Federalist or Anti-Federalist and role-play this person in a classroom debate on the adoption of the Constitution. Writing activities follow that allow students to use their understanding of the history and significance of the Federalist Papers.