This resource is used in conjunction with our Preparing for Pathways to Citizenship lesson plan. This version is recommended for middle grade students (grades 6-8).
Biographies for Pathways to Citizenship (Grades 4-6)
This resource is used in conjunction with our Preparing for Pathways to Citizenship Lesson. This version is designed for younger students in grades 4-6.
Class Discussion: Manufacturing and International Relations
In this lesson students will learn about the Chips and Science Act, a bill designed to improve semiconductor manufacturing in the United States. Students will watch a short introductory video, read speeches in favor and against the legislation, and then have their own discussion and vote on whether the bill should pass.
Climate and Energy Policy Vocabulary
This resource provides students with useful vocabulary words and definitions regarding climate and energy policy.
Elections and Voting: An Overview
Students will explore the Constitutional amendments that deal with elections, the qualifications for voting, and protections offered to voters. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, explains the Fifteenth, Nineteenth, Twenty-fourth, and Twenty-sixth amendments, the history of voting in America, Supreme Court cases, and measures that ensure voters can vote without discrimination based on property ownership, race, sex, and age. Created by National Constitution Center.
Reading Historical Documents
Students will practice their understanding of historical documents and allusions by evaluating how well they can interpret references and contextual clues in a brief activity.
A Walking Tour of the Bill of Rights
Students will walk through the ten amendments that make up the Bill of Rights. This discussion draws on Yale professor Akhil Reed Amar’s framework for grouping related sets of rights protected in the Bill of Rights.
Why Have Civil Dialogue?
What is civil dialogue and why is it important? Drawing on the writings of Supreme Court Justices Louis Brandeis and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, explains the central role civil dialogue has played in American democracy throughout history and today.
Created by National Constitution Center.
Lesson Plan: Does the Constitution Need a 28th Amendment to Fix Deficiencies in the Government?
This deliberation presents video clips, articles, and numerous education activities to guide students through a review of the debate over whether the Constitution needs a 28th Amendment to address the government’s deficiencies, using several specific examples as case studies. After a careful review of multiple perspectives, students will be able to consider whether a 28th Amendment to the Constitution is necessary or unnecessary.
The Great Debate on the Constitution
This resource pairs the text of the U.S. Constitution with the Federalist Papers.