The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in American History. The basic ideas of the Declaration of Independence are still important today. This activity uses ideas that are important to learners/students and asks them to declare independence from something that limits their freedom in life. This product lays out the task (create a document of declaring independence) and also includes a rubric, brainstorming activity, list of grievances, and response questions to assess student understanding and learning. Do you want your students to understand the basic ideas of the Declaration of Independence?
This activity is great for learners in high school but could also be adjusted to lower grades. The activity asks students to connect a document from hundreds of years ago to an idea present in their own lives. Real world connections are made from this activity.
This product includes a Microsoft Word and PDF version of the resource.
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In this activity, students will use the U.S. Constitution to find specific information about how the U.S. government works and operates. Students will complete response questions in which they must look top specific parts of the Constitution and explain the meaning. Students will also answer questions that require them to search the Constitution and find answers. A copy of the Constitution is required for this activity and is not included.
An answer key is included.
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In this activity, students will complete the Federal Budget Challenge. This challenge is an internet activity that can be found at Federal Budget Challenge.
Students will be learning how complex and difficult the process of governmental budgeting is and the scope of the United States spending. This activity includes the necessary link to access the challenge and also five response questions to challenge students thinking and reasoning.
This activity is designed to be used with computers and/or tablets. Students can complete individually, in small groups, or as a class depending on available computer resources.
This resource includes a Microsoft Word and PDF version.
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This printable worksheet is a one page document created using Microsoft Word. It is designed to be used with the internet or printed for students to complete. This is a good product to use for homework or sub plans as everything the students need is present on the worksheet.
This activity includes important information about the Electoral College election process in the United States:
The United States uses the Electoral College to elect a President and Vice President. Each state is given a certain number of “electors.” The number of electors from each state is dependent on the number of members that state has in Congress (EXAMPLE: Ohio has 2 Senators and 16 House of Representatives members; therefore Ohio has 18 electoral votes.)
The electors in each state are “supposed” to vote for the candidate that wins the popular vote in that state. If a candidate wins the state, they typically get all of the electoral votes for that state. In order for a candidate to win, they must win at least 270 electoral votes.
In the case of a tie or if no candidate gets a majority (270 votes,) the House of Representatives decides the outcome. Within the House of Representatives, each state delegation receives one vote to cast. A majority is required to win (26 votes)
The above information is included on the worksheet for students to refer to as they complete the three extended response questions that make up the rest of the worksheet.
The extended response questions assess students on their knowledge of the process, opinion on the process, and potential problems/issues with the system.
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This resource tasks students with exploring the United States Census and analyzing the results and implications from that activity. The product is a two page worksheet that includes three separate tasks/activities. They are:
Students will read an article about the winners and losers of the 2010 census. The article includes information on winners and losers of the census. Students must analyze this information to make informed inferences and analyze how the information presented will affect the United States and also where they live. A small chart the students will complete is also included in this section.
Next, the document includes a graphic organizer that students will complete that has them analyze the effect of the census on their home state.
Finally, students must answer extended response questions about the 2010 census and also the upcoming 2020 census. Questions include analyzing the effect of the census on the government, citizens, and other organization. Students must also use their knowledge of the previous (2010) census to understand the ramifications of the 2020 census.
This product includes a Microsoft Word and a PDF version of the resource.
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This Forms of Government Notebook is a complete resource to use for teaching a unit/chapter on the many forms of government. In this resource, students will complete a variety of activities and tasks that challenge and assess learning. This resource was designed to be taught to learners of many different intelligences and learning styles. Included in this Notebook is writing, artistic, research, and creative activities. The sections of the Notebook include:
Notes/Vocabulary - In this section students will complete notes that include vocabulary terms of the different forms of governments. Students must first define what government is (visually), and then research how the different types of government function and operate.
What If There Is No Government? - This section asks students “What happens if there is no government?” Students will list reasons why government is important and then find an example of a country/nation that has experienced anarchy/no government.
Examples - In this section, students are tasked with finding actual examples of countries/nations that have the forms of government discussed throughout the packet. Students must also create and draw a symbol for each form of government.
Definitions - This section includes a vocabulary section of terms related to the different forms of government for students to research and then define.
Create Your Own Government - This final section of the notebook comprises multiple pages and is a project designed for students to create their own government. In this project and the pages in the notebook, students must define territorial units, create an economy, legislature, list the powers of the head of state, design a judicial system, and find allies among classmates. Finally, students must create a piece of propaganda for their country.
This is a comprehensive resource that can be used to teach students in many grades/abilities the different forms of government.
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This document provides links to four websites about the Legislative Branch of Government in the United States. Below each of the links is a set of assessment questions to guide students and allow students to discover the true power and processes of the Legislative Branch. This document includes live links that have been tested and relevant questions applying to each of the websites. This activity can be printed or can be used in a classroom with student computers.
This is a Microsoft Word version of the webquest.
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This Graphic Organizer is to be used to examine recent (or past) Supreme Court decisions. The graphic organizer is designed to examine three Supreme Court cases based on the following criteria:
Circumstances of the case: Students will describe what events led to the court case.
The legal question being asked: Students will find the legal question or right being asked in this case.
Personal opinion on the case: This section is for students to voice their own opinions on the possible outcomes of the case.
Decision of the court: This portion of the document is for students to summarize the Supreme Court Decision and its repercussions.
This resource does not include any specific cases. It is designed to be used with cases of the student/teacher’s choosing. This is a perfect document to use in class for notes or to organize student thoughts on specific cases.
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This resource tasks students with researching various interest groups that influence the United States government with power and financial contributions. The purpose of the activity is to demonstrate how interest groups function and what role they play in government.
This activity is a great activity in a U.S. History or U.S. Government course and can be used at the beginning, middle, or end of a unit.
In this activity, students will research various interest groups and find information related to mission statements, news stories, and purpose.
Many interest groups are already listed but the document can be easily modified to include others that may have been discussed in class. The listed interest groups for the activity are:
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
National Organization for Women
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Common Cause
Eagle Forum
The activity also includes questions to guide students and also a task at the end for student’s to create a piece of advertisement for one of the interest groups.
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This short assessment is meant to be used to assess student knowledge on the Judicial Branch of the United States. This document includes two copies per page. The assessment is short (only three questions) and is designed as a quick quiz or can be used as an exit slip after a lesson.
This Powerpoint presentation examines the rights given to citizens of the United States as laid out in the United States Constitution. This presentation includes 8 slides with information and pictures/visuals on each page.
This document has students examine important Constitutional amendments and Supreme Court cases related Civil Rights, Prejudice, and Discrimination in the United States. This document is designed to be used with other resources (book, notes, internet).
This resource contains all of the materials necessary for a daily lesson on Segregation and Discrimination in the United States. The lesson focuses on the key terms and ideas of segregation and discrimination in the United States. The folder contains a lesson plan, powerpoint presentation, student guided notes, and key terms and definitions handout.
This folder contains a short presentation on discrimination and segregation in the United States. The presentation was created for an 11th grade Government classroom. It includes a guided student document accompany the powerpoint presentation so that students may fill out the notes in class. The material is meant to introduce content for the material and not an exhaustive resource to teach the concept. The powerpoint includes an opening slide utilizing a "wordle", 3 slides of content material, and 1 slide of response questions for students to answer in class. 5 slides total.
Within this document students must read two scenarios involving the United States government and write a positive newspaper headline and a negative newspaper headline for each. The purpose of the activity is to show students that the media plays a large part in how the government is perceived by the people. This activity would be a great introduction to a larger project and/or lesson/unit.
This document contains 8 extended response/short answer questions that students can answer or that a teacher can use to start discussion about the rights of individuals in the United States. Specifically, rights of the accused and freedoms of speech and expression.
This student led lesson plan can be completed in 2-3 days. The document includes instructions, objectives, and standards (Ohio based) for 2 days of instruction but the lesson can be stretched to last longer depending on teacher preference and student abilities. The lesson has students creating a product that shows the process and steps involved to becoming naturalized in the United States. Also included is handout with student directions and simple rubric to be used for discussion after completion of the activity.