In this lesson plan which is adaptable for grades 3-8, students use a free online game to sort  sort the three branches of government : Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. Students then extend their learning by creating their own version of the game. Read More »

In this lesson plan which is adaptable for grades 6-12, students use a free online game called Quandary to practice critical thinking and problem solving skills. Read More and View Common Core State Standard Alignments »

In this lesson plan, which is adaptable for grades 3-5, students use BrainPOP resources to explore their rights as citizens. Students will explain what a democracy is and its advantages and disadvantages, and make inferences about what America would be like without democracy.  Students then demonstrate their understanding of the voting process, political parties, and candidates through the creation of wikis. Read More »

In this multi-day lesson plan, which is adaptable for grades 3-5, students use BrainPOP resources to talk, draw, and write about the rights and responsibilities of a good citizen. Students will identify and choose which presidential candidate they would vote for during the upcoming presidential election, and exercise the right to vote by dramatizing a presidential election. Read More »

In this lesson plan, which is adaptable for grades 6 through 8, students use BrainPOP resources to explore the differences between a direct democracy and representative democracy. Students will also investigate the meaning and significance of key vocabulary terms, including democracy, citizens, aristocrats, oligarchy and tyrant. Read More »

In this lesson plan, which is adaptable for grades 6-12, students use BrainPOP resources to collect information on the two political parties and compare and contrast them. Students develop an understanding of the voting process and design a mock election. They then create materials to illustrate their own original political parties and platforms. Read More »

In this lesson plan, which is adaptable for grades 5-12, students select a world history topic and study it through the lens of an essential question. Read More »