AP U.S. Government and Politics Featured Resources Collection

This is a collection of lesson plans and bell ringers that support the AP U.S. Government and Politics course. They are organized by unit, include required Supreme Court cases as well as practice Free Response prompts and review resources.

TVIC: The Electoral College

This lesson encourages students to think about representation in a democracy and examine important legislative issues within the structure of a Senate debate. Students will work collaboratively to create, debate, and vote on a new bill regarding presidential elections.

Bell Ringer: Significance of Presidents’ Day

Author and Presidential Historian Lindsay Chervinsky discussed the significance of Presidents’ Day, how Americans have remembered and memorialized departed presidents, and how Americans’ views of presidents have changed over time.

Bell Ringer: Origin and Impact of Title IX Legislation

President Nixon signed Title IX into law in June 1972, prohibiting sex discrimination in any education program receiving federal money—most notably sports. These clips provide background information on the legislation, discuss the role of former U.S. Commerce Secretary Barbara Franklin, and the impact that President Nixon’s administration had on equity for women.

Lesson Plan: Analyzing the 2024 Presidential Debates

This lesson has students view and analyze clips from each of the 2024 presidential debates. Students will view video clips of specific questions discussed during the debate and evaluate the effectiveness of each candidate’s response. This lesson will be updated to include clips from each of the presidential and vice-presidential debates as they air on C-SPAN.

Lesson Plan: Recognizing Propaganda in Political Speeches & Advertisements

In this lesson, students will learn about different types of propaganda by examining examples presented in the media. Students will then apply that knowledge to past and current presidential campaign speeches and advertisements. The lesson is divided into three sections. Section one introduces students to ten types of propaganda; section two asks students to watch C-SPAN video clips of past speeches and identify the types of propaganda utilized, and section three has students apply their new knowledge to the current election cycle using candidates’ speeches on C-SPAN. The lesson offers flexibility so any section can be revised to meet specific classroom needs and address teacher concerns.