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How are the ideas from the Declaration of Independence connected to our government today? A Short Gallery Walk Activity for High School and Middle School

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STUDENTS INVESTIGATING PRIMARY SOURCES Forward to the Future: The Declaration of Independence in Our Lives Celebrate Freedom Week Series: Part IV How are the ideas from the Declaration of Independence connected to our government today? A Short Gallery Walk Activity for High School and Middle School. Students will engage in a primary source analysis of the Bill of Rights, The US Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence and analyze the documents to see connections between documents and how these documents connect to their lives today.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Homework/Assignment, Learning Task, Lesson

Authors: Civics 360, Lou Frey Institute

Civic Online Reasoning: Evaluating Evidence

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The Problem: When evidence is attractively presented, convincingly stated, or aligns with our beliefs, it can be tempting to accept it without stopping to ask whether the evidence comes from a trustworthy source or directly supports the claims being made. When evidence takes the form of statistics or infographics, it can be particularly tempting to accept it without fully evaluating it. This lesson gives students a chance to practice evaluating evidence based on its reliability and relevance. Students work in groups to evaluate several examples of online evidence and engage in class discussions about the strength of the evidence. Note: Civic Online Reasoning is motivated by three driving questions: Who's behind the information, What's the evidence and What do other sources say? This lesson is an introduction to one of the main concepts. Registration is required and free.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Lesson

Author: Stanford History Education Group

C-SPAN Classroom Deliberations - How should the issue of gun violence be addressed in the United States

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In the wake of recent acts of gun violence in America, both citizens and politicians continue the debate over gun control in the United States. Legislation addressing issues like background checks, concealed carry permits and bump stocks have been suggested to address this issue. This deliberation will allow students to explore the roots of gun control in the United States while also exploring varying viewpoints on how to address the problem of gun violence in the future.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Alternate Assessment, Assessment, Case Study, Formative Assessment, Homework/Assignment, Interactive, Learning Task, Lesson, Module, Other, Primary Source, Reading, Reference Material

Author: C-Span Classroom

Civic Online Reasoning: What's the Evidence: Evaluating Photos

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The Problem: Photographs and other images circulate rapidly online and are often persuasive forms of evidence. It can be difficult to determine the accuracy of these images and it is often tempting to take these images at face value. If we trust images without verification, we risk believing false claims and narratives. This short lesson will introduce students to a strategy for learning more about online images: the reverse image search. Students can use this tool to learn more about an image, including where it has been posted online and what (if any) stories have been written about it. Students practice this strategy in groups. Note: Civic Online Reasoning is motivated by three driving questions: Who's behind the information, What's the evidence and What do other sources say? This lesson is an introduction to one of the main concepts. Registration is required and free.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson

Author: Stanford History Education Group

Civic Online Reasoning: What is the Evidence: Evaluating Evidence on Wikipedia

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The Problem: Wikipedia contains a vast supply of information and is the 5th most trafficked website in the world. Still, many teachers advise students against using it. If students learn to use Wikipedia wisely, it can be a powerful resource for lateral reading, verifying claims, and a starting point for research. This lesson introduces students to Wikipedia’s standard of verifiability, which requires article authors to provide reliable citations to support claims they make. By following these citations, students can verify the claims in Wikipedia and locate a variety of reliable resources. Students practice verifying claims on Wikipedia by following its citations. Note: Civic Online Reasoning is motivated by three driving questions: Who's behind the information, What's the evidence and What do other sources say? This lesson is an introduction to one of the main concepts. Registration is required and free.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment

Author: Stanford History Education Group

Civic Online Reasoning: Intro to What Do Other Sources Say?

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The Problem: Claims and evidence flow rapidly online. We aid in the spread of misinformation if we don’t ensure that a claim or evidence is accurate before we share it. Luckily, the internet also allows us to check claims and evidence by consulting other sources. Although verification takes time, it helps to ensure that the information we read, use, and share is trustworthy. This short lesson will introduce students to the importance of checking what other sources say through a relatively straightforward example. Students practice evaluating a claim made on social media by clicking on the provided link to see if the argument in that source matches the claim in the post. Note: Civic Online Reasoning is motivated by three driving questions: Who's behind the information, What's the evidence and What do other sources say? This lesson is an introduction to one of the main concepts. Registration is required and free.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson

Author: Stanford History Education Group

Civic Participation in the Justice System How Individuals Shape Major Cases- Lessons & Mock Trial

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"Teach students about civic participation and the role it has played in our judicial history with this two-part lesson comprising historic cases, a classroom mock trial, and a research project. Objective: Your students will analyze the impact of historic cases and the role of civic participation in these cases. Students will also demonstrate their understanding of the basic elements of a trial through a mock trial proceeding. Time: Two class periods Materials: Student Worksheets #1 and #2, access to online resources, paper, pencil or pen"

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment Item, Homework/Assignment, Learning Task, Lesson, Primary Source, Simulation

Authors: ABOTA Foundation, Scholastic

Increasing Student Agency in Elections: The “Why Vote?” Lesson Plan

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"The Right Question Institute’s “Why Vote?” Tool is used to foster a strong sense of urgency to vote. Voting is framed as a self-advocacy role students can and will want to play. Whether students can or cannot yet vote, they will: Understand the connection between specific public services they rely on or issues they care about and the role of elected officials Name for themselves the importance of voting Ask questions using the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) Explore ways (in addition to voting) that people can take action and advocate for public services they rely on or issues they care about This lesson plan is designed to bring elements of the ‘Why Vote’ Tool into the classroom and can be used in remote, hybrid, or fully in person settings."

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Formative Assessment, Homework/Assignment, Learning Task, Lesson, Lesson Plan, Self Assessment, Student Guide

Author: The Right Question Institute

Teach your students to guide their own inquiry: Facilitation Materials for Question Formulation Technique from the Right Question Institute

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Teach your students to guide their own inquiry: Facilitation Materials for Question Formulation Technique from the Right Question Institute. This resource includes a powerpoint to lead students through the steps to construct their own questions to lead their inquiry, has student handouts, and gives exmaples for how to use the Question Formulation Technique in your instructional practices.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Learning Task, Lesson, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: The Right Question Institute

Why Government?: Hobbes and Locke Lesson Plan

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Website Explanation: Students take a look at two political thinkers that spent a lot of time trying to answer the question, "Why Government?" - Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. This lesson combines our Influence Library entries on Hobbes and Locke and adds activities that ask students to compare and contrast Hobbes and Locke and to think about how these philosophers influenced those that followed in their footsteps.

Material Type: Homework/Assignment, Lesson Plan

Author: iCivics

A Dive Into Democracy

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Website Description: Take a close look at the structure of Athenian democracy and how it influenced the U.S. government. In this lesson, students explore the democratic ideals and practices of the ancient Greeks and search for evidence of them in the U.S. Constitution. Student Learning Objectives: * Identify political institutions and principles in ancient Athenian democracy * Explain the organization of Athenian democracy and the importance of citizenship * Analyze the purpose, strengths, and shortcomings in the rules and structure of Athenian democracy * Discover aspects of Athenian democracy found in the U.S. Constitution

Material Type: Homework/Assignment, Lesson Plan

Author: iCivics

Lessons from Antiquity

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Website Description: Teach your students about democracy with examples from the very beginning! In this lesson, students learn about Athens’s direct democracy and Rome’s republic. Students explore how these governments took shape and key features of their structure, and then try their hands at comparing and contrasting each to U.S. government today. Student Learning Objectives: * Describe democracy in Athens and Rome * Differentiate between democracy and other forms of government * Identify characteristics of direct and representative democracy * Compare and contrast democracy in Athens and Rome to the U.S. government today * Analyze arguments against democracy

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Game, Homework/Assignment, Lesson Plan, Primary Source

Author: Icivics

Government and Power Lesson Plan

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Website Description: What's the relationship between government and power? And how do the concepts of authority, legitimacy, and sovereignty influence that relationship? In this lesson, students are introduced to these key characteristics of government, consider how governments establish and maintain them, and analyze government forms to determine if and how each characteristic exists. Student Learning Objectives: *Explain how governments get their power, authority, legitimacy, and sovereignty * Analyze governments for key characteristics * Describe the relationships power, authority, legitimacy, and sovereignty share * Consider a government’s legitimacy

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan, Primary Source, Reading

Author: iCivics

The 14th Amendment — Civics 101: A Podcast

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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.

Material Type: Lecture

Author: Hannah Mccarthy

No Bill of Rights, No Deal (HS)

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Website Description: In the debate over the Constitution, the Bill of Rights was a deal breaker. In this lesson, students learn why the federalists thought the Constitution didn’t need a bill of rights and why the anti-federalists refused to accept the Constitution without one. Students will find out why individual rights was such a big issue, where the concept of a bill of rights came from, and how the Bill of Rights finally got added to the U.S. Constitution. Student Learning Objectives: Students will be able to: *Identify arguments for and against the need for a bill of rights in the U.S. Constitution *Explain why the Bill of Rights was added to the U.S. Constitution *Describe how the Bill of Rights addresses limited government *Relate the arguments over the need for a bill of rights to the wording of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution *Compare and contrast the fears on both sides of the argument over the need for a bill of rights

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Homework/Assignment, Lesson Plan, Reading

Author: iCivics

Constitutional Principles (HS)

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Website Description: When the Founders wrote the Constitution, they didn’t pull their ideas out of thin air. They created a government based on a set of fundamental principles carefully designed to guarantee liberty. This lesson lets students look at the Constitution from the perspective of its foundational principles. Students make direct connections between these principles, the Founders’ intentions, and the Constitution itself, and they learn why the constitutional principles are critical to a free society. Student Learning Objectives: Students will be able to: *Analyze the basic principles of the U.S. Constitution *Identify relationships among popular sovereignty, consent of the governed, limited government, rule of law, federalism, separation of powers, and checks and balances *Describe how these principles are incorporated into the Constitution *Explain the concerns that led the Founders to value these principles

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Diagram/Illustration, Lesson Plan, Primary Source, Reading

Author: iCivics

The Federalist Debate (HS)

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Website Description: It’s easy to forget how much drama surrounded the Constitution before it became the law of the land. The ratification debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists gives us insight into the ideas behind both sides and a better understanding of how our government developed in its early years. Students will analyze parts of Federalist 84 and Anti-Federalist 46. We also provide a template so you can bring in additional excerpts as your state standards require. Student Learning Objectives: Students will be able to: *Identify the arguments used by the Federalists and Anti-Federalists during the ratification debate *Analyze excerpts from the Federalist Papers (#84) and Anti-Federalist Papers (#46) *Describe the importance of the Bill of Rights in the ratification debate

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Formative Assessment, Homework/Assignment, Lesson Plan, Primary Source, Reading

Author: iCivics

Constitutional Influencers: WebQuest

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Website Description: Magna Carta, Montesquieu, the Mayflower, and more! Follow this WebQuest through history to the events, people, and documents that inspired the writers of the Constitution. This WebQuest serves as an introduction or review. Students will learn how documents from the Middle Ages and thinkers from the Enlightenment had an impact on the system of government that was formed in the Constitution, and how that has an impact on them today. Student Learning Objectives: Students will be able to... *Identify documents and ideas that shaped the U.S. Constitution *Compare American and British governing documents *Explain key constitutional principles and their impacts

Material Type: Formative Assessment, Interactive, Learning Task, Primary Source, Reading

Author: iCivics

Teaching Sortify: U.S. Citizenship

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Website Description: Are your students experts on U.S. citizenship? Put their knowledge to the test with Sortify: U.S. Citizenship, an original BrainPOP game made by BrainPOP with iCivics. Share Sortify: U.S. Citizenship with your students using the “Share” button above. You must be logged in to access. This new feature allows teachers to assign Sortify outside of iCivics using learning management systems like Google Classroom, Edmodo, and more. Student Learning Objectives: Students will be able to... *Recognize and recall rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens *Identify active ways in which citizens can participate in government and contribute to the common good *Relate like terms and concepts by deducing shared relationships

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Learning Task, Lesson Plan

Author: iCivics

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