The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States. It also granted them equal protection under the laws and guaranteed due process of law. Those are considered its most important provisions today. That wasn't always the case, however. Why did it take so long for the Supreme Court to affirm these provisions of this significant Amendment, and what does that say about politics at the highest court in the land?

Our guide to the 14th Amendment is Aziz Huq, professor of law at the University of Chicago School of Law.

These primary sources follow the content and narrative structure of the Annenberg Classroom film “The 19th Amendment: A Woman’s Right to Vote.”

Handout includes poems, songs, photos, papers, as well as highlights important people and events associated with the 19th amendment.

The Wisconsin Social Studies/Civics 6-8 Suggested Scope & Sequence is divided by grade. The writing team decided this because they wanted to be able to build upon previous learning, and if the three courses were listed at any grade, educators would not be able to count on what was happening the year before. Therefore, we offer the
following order of courses:
• 6th Grade: Geography & Cultures of the World: Yesterday and Today
• 7th Grade: Civics & Our Contemporary World
• 8th Grade: Wisconsin & U.S. Studies (Thematic, 1924 – Present Day)

Civics and Social Studies are integrative by nature. Focusing on themes over dates, names, and battles can help students visualize the connections between strands of social studies better and learn to see the bigger picture while still meeting our state standards and expectations. Instead of viewing events in isolation, a thematic approach allows
students to better see connections and patterns across time. In addition, it assists teachers in helping students make connections to their own lives, identities, and current issues.

Each course is thematic, based in inquiry, has a civics lens, and is aligned to the Wisconsin Standards for Social Studies and the National Council for the Social Studies Themes of Social Studies. The courses all have the same units, focused on the strands of social studies (Inquiry, Behavioral Sciences, Economics, Geography, History, Political Science) in a thematic manner through the subject area. Every year starts with an inquiry unit to build inquiry skills and dispositions.

Each unit is further divided into planning ideas tied to middle school indicators from the Wisconsin Standards for Social Studies (2018). These planning ideas include:
• Potential Essential Questions, aligned to the standards
• NCSS theme of this unit
6-8 Social Studies/Civics: Suggested Scope and Sequence 8
• Focusing Questions for the Topic
• Recommended Inquiry Topics
• Specific Social Studies Indicators met with this unit
• Important Terms and Points to Consider
• Supporting Resource Providers to Consider

The essential and focusing questions are meant to help guide instruction and determine quality resources and lessons for use in the classroom. The recommended inquiry topics are provided to assist specific content choices for the unit.

We recognize this work is not as complete as the K-5 recommended scope & sequence. Where the K-5 team started with a framework similar to this document, the 6-8 started from scratch. We anticipate a more robust 6-8 document similar to the current released K-5 to be released by summer 2024.

How did photographers help convince Congress to pass child labor laws? We will explore some of Lewis Hine’s photographs that exposed child working conditions and advocated for child labor laws to protect children.
We will investigate the photographer who captured the photos to understand the sourcing of information as part of a historical inquiry.
In this episode, students will engage in careful observation to identify objects and note details (See), generate and test hypotheses based on evidence they have collected (Think), and reflect on their learning by applying it to related questions (Wonder). A key focus is to consider source information and identify aspects of a primary source that reveal a photographer’s point of view or purpose.

American Government is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of the single-semester American government course. This title includes innovative features designed to enhance student learning, including Insider Perspective features and a Get Connected Module that shows students how they can get engaged in the political process. The book provides an important opportunity for students to learn the core concepts of American government and understand how those concepts apply to their lives and the world around them. American Government includes updated information on the 2016 presidential election.

This site examines the job of a president, the balance of power with the Supreme Court and Congress, and ways presidents have communicated with the public. Features include the battle sword of George Washington, the lap desk on which Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, and the top hat worn by Abraham Lincoln the night he was assassinated.

This DBQuest activity has student explore and analyze primary source documents (preambles and introductory text of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution) to begin to understand the thinking behind the formation of our United States govenment.

Instructor Notes: Teachers can assign this content to their students in iCivics account and then Clicking the Assign button on this activity. Teachers will then have the option to add a Class into iCivics OR Sync a roster from Google Classroom. This will allow teachers to see student's responses. There are also Downloadable Resources available to support this learning activity.

Website Description:
This lesson gives an article-by-article overview of the structure and function of the U.S. Constitution. Students learn about the duties and powers of the three branches, the amendment process, and the role of the Constitution as the supreme law of the land. (Note: Anatomy of the Constitution now includes content previously covered by the lesson Directions for Democracy.)
Got a 1:1 classroom? Download fillable PDF versions of this lesson's materials!

Student Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
*Explain the structure, function, and powers of the U.S. government as established in the Constitution.
*Identify the roles of the three branches of government.
*Describe the constitutional amendment process.
*Interpret the intentions of the Preamble of the Constitution.

A challenging, fun card game that helps students learn about their rights under the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. The game offers three levels of play: Easy, Normal, Difficult.

This lesson uses a poster decrying the disruptive influence of railroads on local culture to launch a discussion on local differences and their effect on American politics. Explanatory text, materials for teachers, and links to further resources accompany the documents. This lesson correlates to the National History Standards and the National Standards for Civics and Social Sciences. It also has cross-curricular connections with history, government, and art.

Complaining about something is easy, but can you do something about it? In this read aloud lesson, students will explore how a complaint can move to action.

This WebQuest has students explore the definition of the role of the President, what tasks are part of the job, the departments and cabinet that support the President, and their role in passing and carrying out laws. .

Instructor Notes: Teachers can assign this content to their students through their iCivics account and then Clicking the Assign button on this activity. Teachers will then have the option to add a Class into iCivics OR Sync a roster from Google Classroom. This will allow teachers to see student's responses. There are also Downloadable Resources available to support this learning activity.

This unit introduces students to the purpose and practice of media literacy. It includes pre- and post-visit activities designed to bracket the Believe It or Not? ED Class ( The activities also can be done independent of a visit to the Newseum.) Students will come to understand why not all information is trustworthy and how to differentiate the good from the bad. They practice using a set of tools – the consumer’s questions – to deconstruct and evaluate information sources.

Charles Francis, president of the Mattachine Society of Washington, D.C., talks about the life of Lilli Vincenz and her contributions to the gay rights movement.

This website provides brief informational articles about the US government for young citizens around the ages of 4-8. Articles include information about the following topics:
1. Branches of Government
2. How Laws are Made
3. Symbols, Songs, and Structures
4. The Election Process
5. Historical Documents
6. Federal vs. State Government
7. Federally Recognized Tribes

This website provides brief informational articles about the US government for young citizens between the ages of 9-13. Articles include information about the following topics:
1. Branches of Government
2. How Laws are Made
3. Symbols, Songs, and Structures
4. The Election Process
5. Historical Documents
6. Federal vs. State Government
7. Federally Recognized Tribes

Game where students control each branch of government. Students will introduce a presidential agenda, craft laws in Congress, and review legal challenges to laws. This includes an extension pack for teachers to assign to students.

This short lesson provides students an opportunity to learn who can be a candidate for state, local  and federal offices in Wisconsin. 

By investigating primary sources displaying the American flag, we will explore the various ways people use the flag to show characteristics such as pride, loyalty, and unity for the nation.

In this episode, students will engage in careful observation to identify flags and note details of the variety of places in which American flags are used (See).

This activity was created for an 11th grade Civics class.The goal of this project is for students to use employability skills to work together while experiencing employment opportunities in political science. Students will work to analyze one of the major or minor political parties in the United States. Group’s will attempt to persuade the class that their party’s solutions to the issues, are the best to lead the country.