The Great Awakening

This short video examines the flurry of religious expression which spread throughout the colonies during the 1740’s and 1750’s. Led by individuals such as George Whitfield and Jonathan Edwards, the Great Awakening cut across racial, class, and geographic barriers to create an incipient sense of nationalism. Professor Jeffry Morrison contends that the popular religiosity of this movement contributed directly to the popular constitutionalism of the 1770’s.

Grades 11, 12
Foundations of Democracy
Video

The Appointment of Sandra Day O’Connor

The U.S. Constitution grants the President the power to appoint people to a variety of government positions. These appointments require careful thought and consideration since the people can have a great impact on the lives of many Americans during that President’s term. Some appointments need even greater thought and consideration, and those are to the federal judicial system and more importantly, to the Supreme Court of the United States. Justices of the Supreme Court (and other federal courts) serve lifetime appointments. Their rulings as they interpret the Constitution, and other situations as outlined in Article III of the Constitution, can have far-reaching effects for generations. With this awesome power to appoint comes an equally awesome responsibility to make sure that the individuals are the best people for the job. In this lesson, students will examine the appointment of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who was also the first female Justice. Students will examine the process by which a President makes the selection and the steps that lead to that person being confirmed by the Senate (or not).

March on Washington: Lesson Plans & Resources

On August 28, 1963, approximately 250,000 people participated in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which is considered to be one of the largest peaceful political rallies for human rights in history. Among other events, the march participants gathered at the Lincoln Memorial to hear Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. Many consider The Great March on Washington to be the event that encouraged the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Share My Lesson team has created this collection of free lessons and classroom materials to help middle and high school educators teach their students about this historic event.

Grades 6-12
Rights and Responsibilities
Lesson Plans

Climate Change Lesson Plans & Resources

Lessons to teach climate change.

This curated collection serves as a great resource for educators to find a wide-range of relevant K-12 lessons on climate change, celebrating Earth Day or supporting young people as they continue to lead the conversation around the climate change crisis. What is weather? How does it impact people and the planet? Are there things we do that can address climate change?

Grades 10, K, 11, 1, 12, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Citizenship
Books

The Geography of the United States (CKHG Unit)

The Geography of the United States

This unit reinforces map and globe skills as students learn about the geographic characteristics of different regions of the United States: New England, Mid-Atlantic, South, Midwest, Great Plains, Rocky Mountain, Southwest, and West Coast. Across 13 lessons, students explore the climate, natural resources, culture, and other distinctive characteristics of each region.

Grades 5, 6, 7, 8
Foundations of Democracy
Assessments

Early Presidents (CKHG Unit)

Early Presidents and Social Reformers

This unit (first half of Early Presidents and Social Reformers) focuses on the first seven presidents of the United States. Across 9 lessons, students learn about how the early presidents organized the federal government, built a national capital, directed a second war with Great Britain, more than doubled the size of the country, and formulated a “hands-off” foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere.

Grades 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Executive Branch/Presidency
Assessments

Women Before the American Revolution

This short video explores the limited rights of women prior to the American Revolution. According to the idea of femme covert, women were legally and politically subservient to their husbands. Married women could not own property and all women were considered irrelevant to the political sphere. Professor Rosemarie Zagarri notes that 80% of the freemen in the colonies could vote (as compared to 20% in Great Britain), but suffrage was still limited to men.

Grades 9-12
Citizenship
Video

Civics Flash Cards for the Naturalization Test

This flash card set of 100 questions and answers was developed to help immigrants prepare for the naturalization test. By providing questions and answers about U.S. history and government, they also are a great tool to use in the classroom for citizenship preparation. Note that some answers may vary from state to state while others may change because of elections or appointments. The flash cards were created by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and last revised in February 2012.

Grades 6-12, 4, 5
Citizenship
Games

Constitutional Compromise Game

The Constitutional Compromise Game was designed specifically for teachers who don’t know what to do on Constitution Day. The game combines the skills of discourse, debate and compromise that were essential to the creation of the Constitution. Students work independently and in groups to solve Constitutional challenges and ratify the Constitution. This is a great activity for teachers who do not teach government or civics but need to satisfy the Constitution Day requirement. Free registration is required to access the lesson plan.

Grades 8, 9-12, 6, 7
Foundations of Democracy
Games