This lesson examines the Amendment process in the US constitution and the pros and cons of it for a debate. Updated with modern examples e.g. a detailed case study showing the evolution of abortion rights issue in USA which can be used to address and discuss the flaws with the blend of vague and specific language. Also includes a colour code of key debates and a detailed case study on the issue of abortion rights and how it has changed since Roe v Wade to illustrate some of the challenges of having a “living” constitution vs Originalism and the blend of specificity and vagueness.

This case study is a 2 page word document which includes infographics and maps as well as detail of several key Supreme Court decisions regarding abortion since 1973 landmark Roe v Wade decision. EG Casey v Planned Parenthood and of course Dobbs v Jackson. It is a standalone but fully editable word doc resource. PNG images are for visual purposes only. I use this as part of my unit on the US constitution and evaluating how effectively it protects rights and also by unit on the Supreme Court as part of evaluation of Court as policy makers, Judicial Activism and ideological balance of the court.

Edexcel; ALevel Politics This is a detailed planning grid for answering 12 mark COMPARATIVE THEORY questions. The questions are all either past paper questions or constructed from the spec. Some are filled in fully, some partly and some blank for students to plan. Includes many potential/ past questions to prepare students for a range of elements from the spec. There are 7 pages of questions here and it took a long time to make so hopefully it is useful! Note: The images are for illustration only- the file includes a fully editable word document also which can be adapted/ further edited and enlarged/ adapted etc.

Edexcel Politics ALevel (Can also be used for AQA) This is a batch of revision end of topic checklists AND glossary/ key word sheets for all topics: Constitution Congress Presidency/ Executive Supreme Court and Civil Rights Democracy and Elections including Political Parties I have created some topic checklists for each topic from the spec with key bullet points for students to traffic light their confidence including key words at the bottom. For US Presidency and Supreme Court/ Civil Rights I have also included key case studies as I know students struggle with these. Included all key legislative achievements for Presidents from Clinton up to Biden (correct as of June 2023) Also includes useful tables e.g. how many exec orders each POTUS has, vetoes used, signing statements used etc. Included all key Court Cases which created policy for SCOTUS and key cases relating to the bill of rights. For Democracy, I have included case studies of interest groups needed for the exam and also a debate on whether interest groups provide evidence of pluralism or elitism. Note: also includes images for illustration only- if you download ALL files there are word documents which are fully editable.

Edexcel Politics ALevel Specification from 2017 but can be used for AQA also if slightly adapted - Comparative USA/ UK Politics Mega planning grid with many different 12 markers for US Comparative Government (not the theory questions) which has a mixture of fully planned answers, partially planned answers and blank for students to plan as a revision tool. Includes all the past paper questions (12 markers) and recent and relevant examples (updated for 2023) for the ones which are planned. My students have found these grids really useful. Please note images are for illustration only file does include a word document which is fully editable. Please download all files and disregard the images.

Edexcel Politics ALevel Lesson on USA Interest Groups Examines role and nature of US Interest Groups Aims? Methods? Types? How far do they evidence USA is Elitist/ Pluralist? Examples of Interest Groups and their aims/ influence Case studies

Edexcel ALevel Politics (Can be used for AQA too) This two hour lesson examines the Electoral College system in the USA. It includes- how it works, explanation of strengths and weaknesses and colour code/ evaluation of argument exercise Case study of the 2020 Presidential election including the controversy links here to the Supreme Court topic- Ginni Thomas/ Clarence Thomas scandal. Includes data/ case study on participation and voting behaviour in this election. Also examines why Biden won.

Updated as of May 2024 Topic 1 Democracy Case Studies for key debates: Representative vs Direct Democracy, How far is there a participation crisis? Should there be further attempts to expand franchise? How far is UK Elitist/ Pluralist? Prisoner Voting Rights Debate, How well have rights been protected? Topic 2 Political Parties Case Studies for key debates: How far do political parties support democracy in UK? Should political parties be state funded? How far has the Conservative Party identified with One Nation Principles? How far has Labour remained true to traditional principles? How significant are minor/ small parties in UK? Hope they are useful! There is also a template to set students hwk examples. Ignore the PNG files they are for illustration only- files included are powerpoints and word documents- fully editable.

Lesson looking at minor political parties in the UK and their role Includes simple essay plan to “Evaluate the view that minor parties play no significant role in UK politics” Also includes snapshots of minor parties such as SNP, Greens and Reform UK. Includes all recent election performances and a model essay for Edexcel Politics Alevel spec.

Lesson for Edexcel Politics ALevel Introduction and Overview to Feminism lessons- this is a double lesson plus note making for homework on Feminism and its development over time. Begins with looking at issues facing women in the 21st century e.g. female genital mutilation, rape and sexual assault, gender pay gap, violence against women and girls etc- students discuss and swap articles and then the lesson develops from there. Introduces some of the key thinkers e.g. Perkins-Gillman, Wollstonecraft and Friedan as well as Bell Hooks.

Edexcel Politics ALevel : USA Politics Can also be used for AQA or for US civics lessons. Complete lesson; fully resourced on Oversight of the Executive Branch and how effectively Congress performs this function. Lesson 4 in my Congress topic and Lesson 3 of the functions of Congress run of lessons (previously covered Legislation and Representation). All resources included- no need for textbooks or anything else, all examples included up to and including President Biden within the slides/ documents.

Full lesson on USA Politics for Edexcel Spec but can be used with other specifications for ALevel Politics. Examines USA Congress and role of Legislation- includes steps in Legislative process and how Congress can both help and hinder the Legislative process. Includes debate sheet and detailed examples of legislation passed.

Edexcel Politics Alevel USA Lesson from Presidency unit of work on Powers of Persuasion Full double lesson (2 hours) on Presidential Powers of Persuasion Examples looking in depth at Trump and how he uses powers of Persuasion Includes all details in the slides- no need to use textbooks or any additional sources. Includes reasonably up to date examples

Edexcel Politics ALevel but can be used for other boards: Lesson 1 in Presidency topic- lesson looking at role and powers of the POTUS- includes examples up to date as of 2021/2022 Fully resourced does not require textbooks. Includes examples.

How effectively does Congress fulfil its role of Representation in the USA? -Includes up to date examples and video links of AOC, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Marco Rubio etc. Very detailed- explains concepts of gerrymandering and pork barrel politics, incumbency advantage, caucuses etc. Lesson lasts around 2hours as I teach in doubles but can be broken down into smaller chunks. Includes debate sheet on How effectively Congress performs this role for students to caption each argument and use for essay planning

Improved lesson on Federalism and the debates around it looking at Presidents since 2000. For the Edexcel Politics Alevel spec Topic 1 Constitution- addresses the debates around Federalism and the US Constitution Includes essay planning sheet and all resources as well as all up to date examples including President Biden and Dobbs v Women’s Board of Health. Includes a full and comprehensive essay plan on final slide regarding how far Federalism is in decline. Please note: PNG files are for illustrative purposes only. File includes fully editable powerpoint and word documents.

Edexcel Politics Alevel revision for Component 3 Can be used for AQA also This powerpoint mega pack has revision pyramid quizzes on all 5 topics USA Topic 1: Constitution USA Topic 2: Congress USA Topic 3: President USA Topic 4: SCOTUS and Civil Rights USA Topic 5: Democracy and Elections Includes: content revision quizzes and answers Planning for essay questions; what could we use? Revision quilts of relevant arguments and examples Examiner tips from the examiner reports. Key Words for Topic 1 and 2. Essays covered: To what extent does the US Constitution allow effective government? To what extent does Congress vote on party lines/ constituents wishes/effectively represent voters? To what extent does Congress perform role of oversight effectively? To what extent is the President the most powerful branch? To what extent does the USA have an imperial judiciary? To what extent do US elections need reform? NOTE: Although this does include a lot of content; it still requires the knowledge of teacher to explain it and do live plans from the content with students. Ignore the PNG files, they are for illustration only, the main file is a huge powerpoint which is fully editable

Edexcel Politics Alevel source questions technique guide Powerpoint and word document which guides students through writing source questions for Component 1 UK Politics- includes exemplar intros and paragraphs with evaluation from the sample assessment material and 2021 paper. Very comprehensive and detailed advice on how to write these answers.

This is a grid for supporting your revision- it has some questions planned out in full for each topic and space for you to do your own using the models to help you. I’ve also included some full exemplar Level 5 essays for several topics.