Standard 2: Evaluate the roles, rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens and determine methods of active participation in society, government and the political system.

In this lesson plan, students will analyze voting trends from three different time periods in United States history to determine factors that have influenced voter turnout and trends in voter participation. The time periods will be as follows: 1850-1920, 1920-1970, 1970-2020.

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This Vietnam War lesson starts with a background reading and questions on tensions with the French and the Domino Theory. Students will make predictions about arguments for and against entering the war and the impact of public opinion. Next, they will map a divided Vietnam and surrounding areas to evaluate Domino Theory. Students will be given primary sources to categorize if the source supports or challenges the war and ultimately write a thesis statement if they think the war was justified. This is lesson 3 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating civics and history.

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Students will analyze foundational documents and read about important people and events that helped African Americans achieve Civil Rights and Liberty.

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Students will determine the impact of Jim Crow Laws on the political participation of African American males.

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Students will use block-coding to create a project in Scratch that will showcase one of many civics issues related to Florida water, based on their previous research, in this integrated lesson plan. Lesson 3 of 3

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will be introduced to the various methods of political communication since the 1780s. Throughout the lesson, students will evaluate modes of communication and collaboration. Students will explain how the methods of political communication have changed over time (e.g., press, radio, television, social media). This is part one of a three-part Computer Science and Civics integrated series.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will implement an original algorithm in pseudocode and a flow chart to show they are informed citizens about water issues in Florida. This is lesson two of a 3-part integrated computer science and civics mini-unit.

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Students will explain the rights that victims of a crime have; contrast the differences between restitution and victims’ compensation boards; and view a Florida Bureau of Victim Compensation brochure before breaking into a small group to discuss feelings and reactions.

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Learn about the origin of the Everglades National Park.

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Students will analyze one of the historical murals found in the Florida House of Representatives and discuss how it is a form of civic participation. They will identify events in history and the artist's intent. They will note how the artist uses skills in design and composition to accomplish his purpose. This is Lesson 1 in a three lesson unit integrating civics and art.

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In this lesson, students will explain why the U.S. government-imposed restrictions on Japanese-Americans, a special population of U.S. citizens, during World War II, and understand why SCOTUS ruled for the restrictions, rather than enforcing the Bill of Rights.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this final lesson, students code with SCRATCH to create a guided critique of their imagery created in Lesson Two to demonstrate to viewers what they have learned about evaluating image authenticity. Using the Art Criticism model and their Code of Image Ethics created in lesson two, viewers are guided through the four steps of critiquing a work of art (Describe, Analyze, Interpret, Judge) focused on evaluating the image’s authenticity and potential bias. This is the last lesson of a three-lesson mini-unit.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will unpack the 14th Amendment and discuss the impact of the Amendment on citizenship and guaranteed freedoms for African Americans. Then students will explore the consequences of the 14th Amendment and the creation of Jim Crow laws. Students will finish their lesson as they review the key facts of the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case and determine their ruling on the case. Students will compare their ruling on the case and Supreme Court’s ruling. This is lesson 2 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating civics and US History.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson is intended to supplement the study of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Students will read the first three chapters of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and analyze emerging themes, symbolism, and references to civic engagement.

There are four lessons that can be used to complement a study of Fahrenheit 451 and allow for a new perspective by merging ELA skills with civics knowledge.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will read portions of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and analyze the theme of civic engagement and its impact on institutions by analyzing examples from the text and will reflect on the significance of these themes in both literature and society.

There are four lessons that can be used to complement a study of Fahrenheit 451 to help students take a new perspective by merging ELA skills with civics knowledge.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will re-read portions of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and analyze the relationship between citizens and the government depicted in the novel, and they will explore how these dynamics mirror real-world scenarios. Students will develop a deeper comprehension of the ways citizens can influence government decisions and policies.

There are four lessons that can be used to complement a study of Fahrenheit 451 and allow for a new perspective by merging ELA skills with civics knowledge.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this integrated lesson, students will use the Scratch platform to create a promotional tool for Deaf Awareness Week that shows support for the Deaf community and includes information about the Deaf community and Deaf history. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this integrated lesson, students will understand the concept of audism and legislation and supreme court decisions that have helped to combat this issue.  They will complete a jigsaw activity using digital research skills to further develop their understanding of legislation and court cases that have specifically impacted the civil rights of the Deaf community, particularly in regard to Deaf Education. Students will complete a graphic organizer.  This is the first lesson in a unit designed to allow students to understand how the civil rights and liberties of people who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing have expanded over time using digital resources.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this integrated lesson, students will analyze the impact of the various means used by Deaf people to promote change. They will use digital resources to analyze the Deaf President Now movement and the De’VIA movement. They will complete a graphic organizer comparing the characteristics of affirmative and resistive art in the Deaf community and discuss why an artist might choose one over the other.

Type: Lesson Plan

In groups, students will begin painting their mural which has a clearly defined message and topic on civic participation. They will be expected to provide evidence for their message and employ art and design principles to show depth in the mural. This is Lesson 3 in a 3-part unit integrating civics and art.

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This lesson starts with background reading and textual questions on the Chinese Civil War. Students will be given three propaganda primary sources from the Chinese Communist Party on the topics of the Great Leap Forward, Red Guards, and Cultural Revolution. They will write 3-sentence scenarios from the point of view of the targeted audience of the propaganda to give a written representation of those who would have supported the idea. This is lesson 1 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating Civics and World History.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson 3 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating civics and US History. Students will unpack the 15th Amendment and discuss the impact of the amendment on citizenship and guaranteed freedoms for African Americans. Students will explore the consequences of the 15th Amendment and review connections between the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. Students will review their impact on the idea of citizenship in the United States and the Freedoms these amendments guaranteed by completing a project.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will complete bell work related to prior knowledge of Gestalt principles and how our brain categorizes similarities and differences. Followed by a Think Pair Share (TPS) activity, creating a list within their groups of people, events, movements, politics, rules, laws that affect their lives. Once student groups have compiled a list, as a class combine and highlight common themes. After reviewing the common themes, what similarities they have, segway into Civil Rights Leaders and go over specific examples of the Civil Rights Movement in Florida. List provided in the event students don’t mention them.

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In this lesson plan, students will analyze Florida laws that conflicted with the principles of freedom and democracy. Students will then rewrite the laws to reflect principles of freedom and democracy.

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The biggest fire in American history charted the course of the Forestry Service's firefighting strategy for decades.  Learn this history and help your students better understand how government departments develop.

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National Parks!

Teddy Roosevelt played a huge role in their creation.  Teach your students not only the history of America's amazing national parks but also stir debate about the appropriate use of executive power.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students create their own manipulated fake digital images to examine and evaluate their truthfulness, analyze possible outcomes of manipulated images as well as investigate the power of text and images to amplify its message.

Students also create a 'Code of Image Ethics' for images they encounter in the future, as well as identify important historical impacts of imagery and their effect on the American political process, and the implications of new technology (such as A.I. generated imagery) might impact the future of this process.

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In this lesson plan, students will read a case study about illegal dumping. Students will reflect on how humans affect ecosystems and how the government handles those who hurt the ecosystem.

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This lesson grows student awareness of the many roles photography plays in our personal and political lives, helping them develop strength in discerning how images may be attempting to persuade them and ways to identify its veracity. Students will explore visual examples (in attachments or teacher-sourced), guided discussion, critique, and exploration of their own found examples. Reflection at the end of the lesson will reinforce the importance of telling the truth with images as well as the role they play in creating & sharing trustworthy imagery. This is lesson 1 of a 3-part unit.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will create a Scratch animation exhibiting the opposing viewpoint to the one they promoted in lesson two. This is part 3 of an integrated computer science and civics mini-unit on coding and the effects of bias within media communications. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this integrated civics lesson, students will use the block coding program Scratch to create an artifact that demonstrates an understanding of one side of a political issue or disagreement. This lesson is part II of a three-part integrated computer science and civics mini-unit. 

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will research, plan, and create a public service announcement (PSA) in Scratch to inspire social change. The PSA will be about manatee mortality and seagrass reduction due to fertilizer runoff. This is lesson 3 in a 3-part integrated civics and computer science mini-unit.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will debug a Scratch animation and then plan their own public service announcement (PSA) using Scratch. Their PSA will focus on increased mortality rates for manatees and the link to fertilizer use in Florida. This is lesson 2 of a 3-part integrated computer science and civics mini-unit.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will unpack the 13th Amendment and explore the black codes that were implemented because of the amendment. Students will be exposed to the black codes through a “mock simulation” and develop a plan for how the Federal Government should handle the creation of these codes.

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Students will research and discuss key leaders within the various rights movements, consider the forms of civic engagement that theses historical figures used to accomplish their goals, and complete a graphic organizer using their collected information. Then they will complete a written short response of their favored form of civic engagement from the lesson and tie it back to the historical figure/s they studied.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson 1 in a 3-part unit. Students will conduct research and describe how using public/government resources for communication can affect change while identifying the civic responsibility of being informed. Students will analyze the impact of civic engagement as a means of preserving or reforming institutions in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will research potential threats to manatees that cause an increase in mortality rates. This is lesson 1 of 3 of an integrated computer science and civics mini-unit.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this interactive lesson, students will understand the concept of carbon footprint and its role in climate change. Students learn how to measure their carbon footprint using an online carbon footprint calculator. This tool allows them to assess the environmental impact of their daily activities. Students will explore some effective strategies and actions aimed at reducing their carbon footprint. They will be able to recognize the responsibilities of citizens and the government to help create a greener future.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will plan and create a position, supported by their research, on one debated issue in the Deaf community. They will use the Scratch platform to create code that demonstrates and substantiates their position on the issue in an interactive way. The completed Scratch projects will be used in the following lesson where students present their projects as part of classwide mock-debates on the issues. This is lesson 2 of a 3-lesson unit.

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Students will investigate how the legislature creates policies and passes laws in response to citizens’ needs through direct instruction. Students will then analyze three environmental policies, answer questions, engage in discussion and then transfer this knowledge to create a policy that works to solve their original researched environmental issue. This is lesson 2 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating civics and biology.

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Power point that displays propaganda of the Cold War.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn how the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments helped to provide freedoms to African Americans and other groups in our country’s history. Students will focus on the 13th amendment during the period of Reconstruction in helping to end slavery. Students will then look at how the 13th amendment did not guarantee citizenship or freedoms to those newly freed slaves and that additional amendments were needed to help provide that. Students will be able to analyze text from the 14th and 15th amendments. Teachers will help guide students in an analysis of the text from the U.S. Constitution and apply it to the historical events during the Reconstruction Era.

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Students will transfer the knowledge they gained from their researched environmental issue in part 1 and the policy making process in part 2 to now draft a policy that works to solve the issue they originally researched. Students will then engage in an activity in order to argue and defend their policy and to ensure that it is the most effective solution for their environmental issue. This is lesson 3 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating civics and biology.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will compare the reporting of the same issue from different points of view and analyze the impacts of these values on media messages. Several activities will lead to a discussion of how different people/organizations bring different points of view to many topics. This is lesson 1 of 3 of an integrated computer science and civics mini-unit.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will participate in mock debates on 3 issues in the Deaf community to help engage students in being informed citizens while seeing the benefits of debate. Student-created Scratch projects will be used to present their stances on the 3 issues to engage their peers in the debate process. Finally, students will vote and reflect on the 3 debated topics and how the debate process may have influenced their original stance/opinions on each issue. This is the final lesson in a 3-lesson unit.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will research issues within the Deaf community and learn the components of a debate. They will use prior knowledge and digital research skills to identify common beliefs and attitudes surrounding 3 issues within the Deaf community. This is the first lesson in a unit designed to allow students to participate in and reflect on the debate process using digital resources in order to strengthen their understanding of why it is essential to be informed citizens and how debates assist with this during elections.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will be introduced to environmental issues that connect with their biology learnung and will then research to create a poster or model (in groups) that answers the Who? What? Where? When? Why? about the environmental issue they've chosen. This is lesson 1 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating civics and biology.

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In this lesson, students will analyze the Declaration of the Rights of Man to identify examples of Enlightenment ideals and civic participation.

This is lesson 2 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating Social Studies and Civics.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will analyze the Haitian Declaration of Independence for Enlightenment influence and civic participation.

This is lesson 3 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating Social Studies and Civics.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will analyze the Declaration of Independence to identify examples of Enlightenment ideals and civic participation.

This is lesson 1 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating Social Studies and Civics.

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In this lesson plan, students will participate in a classroom activity called "Chat Stations," they will rotate among stations that include specific readings and questions. Each station will center around the Radical Republicans and various plans, groups, and individuals involved in the Reconstruction Era's efforts to rebuild the South, as explored through specific literary pieces.

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In this lesson plan, students will understand how political parties can impact public policy.

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In this lesson, students will review and identify externalities and their impact, either positive or negative on society, while looking at public goods and determining/discussing the same.

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In this lesson plan, students will analyze primary sources by participating in a gallery walk of images related to Japanese internment camps.

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This is a handout containing study/analysis of a 1770 letter from Henry Pelham to Paul Revere. We will look at his accusations in the letter and then study the two artists' artwork of the Boston Massacre. There is a series of guiding questions to engage students in the analysis, impact, and ramifications of this storyline.

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In this lesson plan, students will determine whether the rights of women and Japanese Americans were contracted or expanded by reading through various excerpts of legislation and Executive Orders passed during WWII and then complete a graphic organizer.

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Students peer-review a Scratch animation about increasing voter turnout of underrepresented populations that was created in lesson two of this series. They will learn about and use internal documentation to communicate within a code. This is lesson 3 of an integrated computer science and civics mini-unit. 

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In this lesson, students will research and describe the connection between American artists, art, and civic and political participation.

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Students will create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) with the subject “Conserve Our Water.” This will be a way to exercise their civic participation. They will be creating it using coding in Scratch. Using the graphic organizer from Part 1 and the flowchart from Part 2 as a reference. Students will review each other’s PSA and provide constructive feedback. This is the third part of a three-lesson computer science integrated civics unit .

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Students will be analyzing and interpreting the legislative intent of the Florida Beach and Shore Preservation Act as a legislative solution to ecological problems found in coastal areas of the state due to harmful human activity in this integrated lesson plan.

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In this lesson plan, students will determine whether the rights of various populations were contracted or expanded by completing a graphic organizer and reviewing excerpts of executive orders passed during WWII.

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Students will create a flow chart to plan a Scratch program for a Public Service Announcement, PSA. A flow chart symbol sheet and a flow chart planning sheet are provided. Peer review is also included in this second lesson of a three-part unit.

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Students will work in small groups to create an informational flyer promoting community involvement in their conservation efforts in this integrated lesson plan.

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Students will create a Scratch animation based on the societal effects of either the 15th, 19th, 24th, or 26th Amendments. This is the final lesson in a 3-part integrated computer science and civics mini-unit.

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Students will analyze a data set and create a data display that best represents the data, in this integrated lesson plan.

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Students will analyze and interpret data displays to explain the advantages and disadvantages of each data display, in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will create an interactive poster or public service announcement in Scratch that supports voter turnout for an underrepresented demographic in their state or local area. This represents lesson two of a three-part integrated computer science and civics mini-unit.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will engage with a Scratch program on voters' rights. The program is filled with coding bugs to fix. Your students will love locating the errors, fixing the bugs, and turning the project into their own engaging program that informs viewers of voters' rights. This is lesson 2 of a 3-lesson computer science integrated with civics unit.

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In this lesson plan, students will analyze an excerpt from Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” to determine how effectively the author uses rhetorical devices, specifically anaphora, aphorism, chiasmus, and rhetorical questions, to achieve his purpose. The lesson will also examine how Thoreau’s effort in writing this essay was a means of civic participation.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will read President Barack Obama’s second inaugural address from 2013. Students will paraphrase several important sections of President Obama’s speech to develop their paraphrasing skills and evaluate the president’s use of figurative language and emotional appeal to establish purpose. Students will also complete text-dependent questions to further analyze the speech. As part of this analysis, they will express their comprehension of the key elements and overall message of his speech.

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In this lesson, students will read Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s “Declaration of Sentiments,” presented at the Seneca Falls Convention (Seneca Falls, N.Y., July 19th and 20th, 1848). Students will categorize selected text by type of rhetorical appeal: ethos, pathos, logos, or kairos.

Students will also complete text-dependent questions to further analyze the document. As part of this analysis, they will evaluate Stanton’s use of various appeals and compare and contrast the ideas and language in this document and in the Declaration of Independence.

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In this lesson, students will read an excerpt from John F. Kennedy's speech, commonly titled "A Moral Issue", in response to the Civil Rights Movement. Upon reading the text, students will analyze and evaluate President Kennedy's use of ethos, as well as the impact of delivering the speech via live broadcast.

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In this lesson, students will review important Supreme Court cases that helped expand or protect civil rights and liberties related to integration, busing, and the rights of the accused.  

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In this lesson, students will learn to evaluate sources of political information from multiple perspectives for fact and bias.

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In this lesson, students will analyze excerpts from W.E.B. DuBois' 1903 essay “The Talented Tenth", which advocated for the advancement of African American people through increased access to higher education beyond vocational training. Their study of the text will focus on identifying and evaluating the support of the central ideas of the text. In groups, students will read the excerpts and examine the textual support for each central idea presented in the text.

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Students will explore the timeline of voters' rights in the United States. Students will specifically note the dates of the 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th Amendments; poll tax; along with other historical events surrounding those amendments. Students will complete a graphic organizer on the amendments, bullet-pointing the most important information. Students will be given scenarios of people and decide if they can vote using an if/then system. This is Lesson 1 in a three-part unit integrating civics and coding.

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Students will classify variables as numerical/categorical and univariate/bivariate. Graphs representing various data related to citizenship will be used in this integrated lesson plan.

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In this lesson plan, students will read President John F. Kennedy’s “A Moral Issue,” delivered on June 11th, 1963. Students will analyze the central idea of the speech and examine the textual evidence within the speech that supports the central idea. As part of the analysis, students will make connections between President Kennedy’s speech and the ideas expressed in an excerpt from the 14th Amendment to the Constitution and an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence. They will answer comprehension questions about the central idea and the connection to these important historical documents as well as answer text-dependent questions to further analyze the speech.

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Students will research government websites to gather data about source water conservation. Students will also be answering open ended questions from the data gathered to summarize what they have learned. The data they are gathering and analyzing will be used to create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) using their coding skills in Scratch in this integrated lesson plan. This lesson is part one of a three-part mini lesson.

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Students will create posters to advocate for a solution to an environmental impact and will vote for which issue the class thinks should be pursued in this integrated lesson plan.

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Students examine trends in voter turnout related to age, gender, race, and educational level. They will identify the most underrepresented category within each demographic for both a state and local election. This research from lesson one will be used throughout the three-part integrated computer science and civics mini-unit.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will select a historical event or topic that connects to civic participation to create a mural in small groups similar to Christopher Still's murals at the Florida House of Representatives. They will collaborate to complete a planner and sketch for their group mural for this event or topic. This is Lesson 2 in a three-lesson unit integrating civics and art.

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Students will discuss the impacts of oil spills and how they can use civic responsibility to help restore our ecosystems in this integrated lesson plan. 

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In this lesson students will independently research human environmental impacts and think of ways they can use civic duties from last class to persuade the class to support their solutions in this integrated lesson.   

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In this lesson plan, students analyze methods of political communication. In partner pairs, students analyze methods of political communication used by politicians by determining the strengths and weaknesses of each method. Via think-pair-share, students evaluate the efficacy of the methods of political communication while also determining how the methods changed over time.

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In this lesson plan, students analyze the language of a speech delivered by William Jennings Bryan (1896) in opposition to the Gold Standard and in support of bimetallism. The analysis will focus on connotation and bias in Bryan’s word choice. This lesson addresses the term rhetoric and the definitions and features of the rhetorical appeal, pathos.

Students will read the speech and analyze the use of connotative language that was used by Bryan to express a politically biased message.

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In this lesson plan, students will explain the processes and procedures of elections at the state and local level. They will also explore the challenges of running for office and analyze the needs that candidates have when they appeal to voters.

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In this integrated civics and dance lesson, students will analyze the dance of the Civil Rights Movement and how it was used to fight the distortion of Black people and racism. Students will explore dancers of the time and how dance was used to eradicate the negative stereotypes of Black people. Students will learn about the rise of Black dancers in American concert dance and how Black dancers made a conscious effort to educate others about the beauty and abilities of African Americans.

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In this lesson, students will review a timeline of the Vietnam War and American escalation and involvement. Students will also analyze primary sources from pro and anti-war protests and media coverage to determine how individuals and the media shaped public opinion and government reaction to the war.

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This lesson plan is an introduction to explain how media (social media, news, etc.) affects herd mentality in the age of viral videos and commercials. This lesson entails analysis activities in which students will consider how herd mentality forms and how people can be influenced in their thinking on public problems.

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Students will read excerpts and analyze the fireside chats broadcasted during the Great Depression. Broadcasts will highlight President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal focusing on Fair Labor Standards Act (minimum wage) and child labor laws.

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Students will be able to identify and describe different types of propaganda, their uses, and effectiveness based on historical uses of propaganda in the United States.

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Students will examine the implementation of President Harry Truman’s Executive Order 9981 to end segregation in the U.S. Armed Forces. Through a Jigsaw activity students will see how implementation occurred in the Air Force, Navy, Army, Marines, Coast Guard, and National Guard.

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In this lesson, students will become familiar with Franklin D. Roosevelt and his use of the radio to communicate with the American people one of the New Deal programs, Social Security.

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Students will research different forms of electronic communication and how they have changed throughout time, how the government and the scientific community has used the media to communicate with the public, and how effective those communications have been.

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In this lesson, students will explain how citizen’s experiences and expectations influence perception of various forms of media and the internet in political communication.

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In this lesson, students will become familiar with Franklin D. Roosevelt and his use of the radio to calm and reassure citizens during the Great Depression. Students will focus on the fireside chat addressing drought conditions and policies to aid farming.

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Students will explore methods used by civil rights groups to influence government steps to dismantle segregation in the United States Armed Forces leading up to Executive Order 9981.

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In this lesson, students will become familiar with Franklin D. Roosevelt and his use of the radio to calm and reassure citizens during the Great Depression. Students will focus on the first chat addressing the banking crisis.

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• A guided presentation on Abraham Lincoln's role in the U.S. Civil War and the eventual end of slavery in the United States. This presentation examines Lincoln's changing stance on slavery, southern states' challenge of federal law, and the end of slavery in the United States. Included in this lesson are guided notes, built in review questions, and a guided practice worksheet for students to complete.

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In this lesson, students will choose a social issue and describe how citizens and local, state and federal government are involved.

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In this lesson plan, students will use the types of propaganda to help analyze WWI propaganda. Students will learn about the different types of propaganda and then apply those techniques to famous WWI propaganda posters.

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This lesson is intended to supplement the study of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Students will read Part 1: The Hearth and the Salamander of the text and analyze Captain Beatty’s explanation of how a society devalued literacy and information over time, paying attention to the actions of the citizens and evaluating how and to what degree the citizens acted responsibly.

There are four lessons that can be used to complement a study of Fahrenheit 451 and allow for a new perspective by merging ELA skills with civics knowledge.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will go on a "road trip" to learn about events surrounding the Civil Rights Movement while becoming familiar with the geography of the United States.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will "think, pair, share" the road to African-American equality based on reading about various U.S. Supreme Court cases and constitutional amendments.

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The “To Sod or Not To Sod” MEA provides students with an environmental dilemma in which they must work as a team to develop a procedure to select the most environmentally friendly grass for the lawns in a new neighborhood. The lesson provides students with the opportunity to recognize how the voice of citizens can be used to build a sense of community through environmental awareness in this model eliciting activity.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will define the term “citizen” and explain the constitutional means of becoming a U.S. citizen. Students will analyze the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. 

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In this lesson, students will use case studies to evaluate issues that cause the government to balance protecting individual rights with protecting the common good.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will review important leaders and organizations in the African American community during the Civil Rights Movement, how lives changed for African Americans and the impact of civic and political participation for African Americans.

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In this lesson, students will learn how the Red Scare impacted domestic policy and analyze how the media and public opinion influenced government decision-making and policy.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will analyze key female leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, the things that these women were able to accomplish, the organizations that they served as a part of or partnered with, and the ways that they helped to advance the Civil Rights Movement.

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In this lesson, students will analyze World War II posters as political communication for use of emotional appeal, bias, factual accuracy, and omission.

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In this lesson, students will analyze the impact that World War II had on domestic policy and everyday life for Americans by completing a station rotation review.

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In this lesson plan, students will read excerpts from Plessy v. Ferguson [1896], Brown v. Board of Education [1954], and Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education [1971] and explain the outcomes of each case using a graphic organizer. Students will receive direct instruction on some historical context and background information of each case to aid in understanding. Students will complete a timeline to illustrate the impact of landmark Supreme Court decisions as it relates to integration and busing. The lesson will conclude with a student analysis of the impact of the Supreme Court cases on integration and busing and how those cases have expanded rights found in the U.S. Constitution 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will use a slideshow and guided notes to learn about the protections guaranteed by the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments.  They will also learn about Southern resistance to those new rights and how they were restored in the 20th century.  Finally, students will  complete a worksheet utilizing primary source texts.

Type: Lesson Plan

Using primary source documents and a Jigsaw technique students will explore the process resulting in President Truman's Executive Order 9981 ending segregation in our armed services. Teachers will guide students through an understanding of presidential “executive order” authority, history of African American military service in the U.S. and help students trace the evolution of thinking as our nation moved toward equality for all.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will review important leaders in the African American community and the impact of civic and political participation in the early 20^th century, a time of change for African Americans. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will review how the public and media reaction associated with the Red Scare influenced government decision making related to public issues.

Type: Lesson Plan

From 1933 to 1945, the Nazi party gained political power in Germany. During this reign, the Nazi rule restricted those who they considered inferior, especially the Jewish people. In this lesson, students will analyze primary and secondary sources to analyze how the Nazi government used the law to systemically take rights away from its citizens, and create a society that would carry out the Holocaust.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will review how different movements and institutions, like Hollywood, shaped American life during the 1920s and 30s. Students will also examine how civic engagement was used to preserve or reform institutions as American society changed.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will assess key organizations that contributed to the shaping of the Civil Rights Movements by learning about the “Big 5": C.O.R.E., S.N.C.C, S.C.L.C., N.A.A.C.P., and the National Urban League. Students will rotate through stations, where they will have the opportunity to learn about the 5 organizations. Students will complete a graphic organizer, focusing on organizational leaders and events that helped shaped the direction and results of the Civil Rights Movement.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will review how the United States prepared the country to enter World War I and the effect of the entry into the war on American citizens' rights and liberties.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will review the expansion of industries such as steel, oil, and railroads and the civic engagement that led to reforms in the United States.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will review key terms and people behind the Constitution.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson will be part of the World War I unit. Students will analyze George M. Cohan’s song, “Over There” to evaluate how he used propaganda techniques to gather support for the nation’s entry into WWI. It will also demonstrate how one individual can influence public policy and how the song helped boost morale and prepare the people for war.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will review the experiences of different groups of immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will travel to multiple "stations" to learn about significant events and people from the American Civil Rights Movement.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will be placed into four groups. Each group will be tasked with becoming “experts” on one of the following topics: the Espionage Act of 1917, the Sedition Act of 1918, the Schenck v. United States (1919) Supreme Court ruling, and the Debs v. United States (1919) Supreme Court ruling.  Using the jigsaw strategy, students will share their analyses and discuss and debate responses to the inquiry question: When, if ever, is the government justified in limiting individual rights?

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will work in small groups and utilize prior research to design and present their proposal for an after school program to benefit their community in a cost-efficient way.  The entire class will vote on whether or not they would approve each proposal.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will review important legislation and reactions to it during and after Reconstruction, and analyze how both impacted the lives of African Americans.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will review important individuals and groups during early social movements in 20^th Century American history and analyze how those individuals and groups worked to shape public policy.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will review influential groups and identify the impacts of their civic and political participation during Reconstruction.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will explain the impact of political parties, interest groups, media and individuals on shaping public policy by researching a topic and creating a shareable with the class.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will be able to identify times throughout history when government action helped to expand and protect voting rights and could have led to an increase in voter participation.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will analyze the impact of civic engagement as a means of preserving or reforming institutions. In particular, students will identify legal methods that citizens can use to promote social and political change. Students will identify historical examples of citizens achieving or preventing political and social change through civic engagement.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will review interview notes and historical research to write first draft narratives about individuals they previously interviewed in this integrated lesson. This lesson is Part 3 in a series of 5 parts designed to help students communicate with members of an older generation.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will develop a deeper understanding of how the U.S. government balances the rights of individuals with the public good.  Students will learn about the Espionage Act and the Sedition Act and will research the Schenck v. U.S. case of 1919 to explain and evaluate the Court’s ruling in relation to these controversial laws.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will explain the importance of political and civic participation to the success of the United States’ constitutional republic. Within their research, students may assess key figures and organizations in shaping the Civil Rights Movement, women’s suffrage movement and Black Power Movement. Students may also examine efforts to expand or contract rights for various populations in the United States during World War II. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will research the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution of the United States.  Students will explore the significance of these amendments in group settings and in an invidual written reflection.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will explore voter turnout data for three gubernatorial elections before and after the passage of the 19th amendment. They will fit linear functions to the data and compute predicted values for raw and percentage of voter turnout. Students will draw some conclusions concerning the relationship between eligible voters and voter turnout, including possible causes behind the fluctuation in voter participation in this integrated lesson

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students analyze the impact of civic engagement as a means of preserving or reforming institutions. This analysis will take place through identifying means and methods to promote social change using historical examples of citizens achieving or preventing political and social change through civic engagement.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will explore voter turnout data for three gubernatorial general elections before and after the passage of the 19th Amendment. They will interpret the correlation of raw voter turnout vs. eligible population using a scatterplot, determine its direction by analyzing the slope and informally determine its strength by analyzing the residuals. Students will draw some conclusions and discuss what a correlation means and how it differs from causation in the context of elections in this integrated lesson.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will explore voter turnout data for three gubernatorial general elections before and after the passage of the 19^th Amendment. They will interpret the correlation of eligible population vs. percentage of voter turnout using a scatterplot, determine its direction by analyzing the slope and informally determine its strength by analyzing the residuals. Students will draw some conclusions and discuss what a correlation means and how it differs from causation in the context of elections in this integrated lesson.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will explore the impact of civic engagement as a means of preserving or reforming institutions. Students will look at how citizens can use various methods to promote social change. Students will also examine historical examples of citizens achieving social change through civic engagement, specifically focusing on iconic changes in society through the use of fashion.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students identify various responsibilities of citizens at the local, state, and national levels, including the voting process and voter registration, and how to locate information on and communicate with their elected officials.

Type: Lesson Plan

This 5-part student-centered activity places students in the role of a local emergency management team that is tasked by the County Board of Commissioners to develop a County Hurricane Emergency Management Plan (CHEMP). In part 2, student teams will utilize the research they conducted in part 1 to develop part of a County Hurricane Emergency Management Plan (CHEMP). Teams will complete a plan worksheet and upload it along with any relevant attachments to an online collaborative platform for feedback. The teacher’s role will be to facilitate plan development and assist with the document upload process.

Type: Lesson Plan

This 5-part student-centered activity places students in the role of a local emergency management team that is tasked by the County Board of Commissioners to develop a County Hurricane Emergency Management Plan (CHEMP). In part 2, student teams utilized the research they conducted in part 1 to develop one portion of a County Hurricane Emergency Management Plan (CHEMP). Teams completed a plan worksheet and uploaded it along with any relevant attachments to an online collaborative platform for feedback. In part 3, student teams will review the draft submitted by a team working on a different portion of the CHEMP and provide feedback through the online collaborative platform. Teams will provide feedback to the other team using a checklist (attached). Once feedback has been given, teams will then utilize feedback to adjust their plan before developing a presentation to communicate their plan to the County Board of Commissioners.

Type: Lesson Plan

This 5-part student-centered activity places students in the role of a local emergency management team that is tasked by the County Board of Commissioners to develop a County Hurricane Emergency Management Plan (CHEMP). In part 4, students will work within their teams to create the three components of their presentations. Students will plan their oral presentation to the County Board of Commissioners as well as create a visual presentation and a written document. The teacher’s role will be to present the task, monitor student engagement, and provide feedback as the teams complete the three components of their portion of the plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

This 5-part student-centered activity places students in the role of a local emergency management team that is tasked by the County Board of Commissioners to develop a County Hurricane Emergency Management Plan (CHEMP). In parts 1-3, students conducted research and collaborated to create portions of the CHEMP. In part 4, teams prepared a presentation for the County Board of Commissioners. In part 5, each team will present their plan to the board. Each student will be scored using the rubric provided.

Type: Lesson Plan

This 5-part student-centered activity places students in the role of a local emergency management team that is tasked by the County Board of Commissioners to develop a County Hurricane Emergency Management Plan (CHEMP). In part 1, the class will divide into teams responsible for different aspects of the CHEMP. Students will conduct research on the state’s expectations for local emergency management plans, the likely impacts of hurricanes in the local area, and the resources available to address preparation, response, and recovery in the event of a major hurricane. The teacher’s role will be to present the task and facilitate student research as they investigate their portion of the plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will take on the role of an auditor to assist an auditing firm in determining which bank branches need a full audit performed. Students will fill in missing transactions, review bank statements, and use their knowledge of the Bank Secrecy Act to determine the order in which the auditing firm should complete full audits in this model eliciting activity.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will examine the influence of hurricanes and other severe weather/natural disasters on public policy.  They will explore the role of the state government in preparing for and responding to emergencies including severe weather and natural disasters in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will examine the influence of hurricanes and other severe weather/natural disasters on public policy.  They will explore the role of the state government in preparing for and responding to emergencies including severe weather and natural disasters in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will examine the influence of hurricanes and other severe weather/natural disasters on public policy.  They will explore the role of the state government in preparing for and responding to emergencies including severe weather and natural disasters in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will identify and evaluate the influence and effects of various forms of media and the internet on political communication. Students will read scenarios and develop campaign strategies for each scenario that reflect the information provided.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will analyze data and read descriptions to identify the various primary election formats from state to state. Then, students will evaluate the impact of the primary election processes and procedures on voters in the United States and in Florida.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will participate in a silent debate over individual interests versus the public good using facts from historical U.S. Supreme Court cases.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will explore the political, social, and environmental consequences of government monitoring and policy decisions regarding sustainable use of land and water.  They will interpret the Florida statutes and consider their impact on the citizens and environment of Florida in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will explore the political, social, and environmental consequences of government monitoring and policy decisions regarding sustainable use of land and water.  They will interpret the Florida statutes and consider their impact on the citizens and environment of Florida in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will explore the political, social, and environmental consequences of government monitoring and policy decisions regarding sustainable use of land and water.  They will interpret the Florida statutes and consider their impact on the citizens and environment of Florida in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will explore the political, social, and environmental consequences of government monitoring and policy decisions regarding sustainable use of land and water.  They will interpret the Florida statutes and consider their impact on the citizens and environment of Florida in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will explore the political, social, and environmental consequences of government monitoring and policy decisions regarding sustainable use of land and water.  They will interpret the Florida statutes and consider their impact on the citizens and environment of Florida in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will explore the political, social, and environmental consequences of government monitoring and policy decisions regarding sustainable use of land and water.  They will interpret the Florida statutes and consider their impact on the citizens and environment of Florida in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will explore the political, social, and environmental consequences of government monitoring and policy decisions regarding sustainable use of land and water.  They will interpret the Florida statutes and consider their impact on the citizens and environment of Florida in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will explore the importance of biodiversity and interdependence within ecosystems by analyzing Florida Statutes related to nonnative species.  They will interpret the statutes and consider their impact on the citizens and environment of Florida in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will explore the importance of biodiversity and interdependence within ecosystems by analyzing Florida Statutes related to nonnative species.  They will interpret the statutes and consider their impact on the citizens and environment of Florida in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will explore the importance of biodiversity and interdependence within ecosystems by analyzing Florida Statutes related to nonnative species.  They will interpret the statutes and consider their impact on the citizens and environment of Florida in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will explore the importance of biodiversity and interdependence within ecosystems by analyzing Florida Statutes related to nonnative species.  They will interpret the statutes and consider their impact on the citizens and environment of Florida in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will explore the importance of biodiversity and interdependence within ecosystems by analyzing Florida Statutes related to nonnative species.  They will interpret the statutes and consider their impact on the citizens and environment of Florida in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will anazlye the use of rhetorical appeals in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 1963 "Letter from Birmingham Jail." Students will read an excerpt of the letter and examine King’s effective use of ethos, logos, and pathos in achieving his purpose.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will analyze testimony delivered to congress by Suffrage Activist Lucy Stone (1892) in support of amending the U.S. Constitution to give women the right to vote in this lesson. The lesson specifically focuses on Stone’s use of alliteration, antithesis (parallel structure), and rhetorical questions to help achieve her purpose.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will assume the roles of various community members involved in a pollution problem in Florida. They will brainstorm solutions and create a policy to reduce the pollution at their source.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will analyze the historical background of the Juneteenth holiday, including its relationship to the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will apply their knowledge of the structure and function of macromolecules in order to rank four school lunch menus for the National School Lunch Program. Students will practice communicating persuasively and professionally with public officials by providing insight to their ranking process through use of a letter that cites evidence and justifies reasoning in this model eliciting activity.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson students will be instructed on the importance and benefits of biodiversity as well as human impacts on biodiversity loss. They will explore the roles and responsibilities of citizens as it pertains to these issues. Students will work collaboratively to perform online research on examples of human impacts on biodiversity and how it relates to them as individuals and as citizens within their community. Each group will participate in a class discussion using their roles as citizens to determine the responsibilities and obligations they have to help limit biodiversity loss.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will discover some of the ways humans have impacted South Florida’s environments and explore proposals to help improve and restore them in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will recognize that phosphorus is important to living things, and cycles through soil, water, and organisms. Students will investigate the effects of excess phosphorus in water, along with methods used to reduce phosphorus levels in Florida bodies of water. Students will take part in a jigsaw activity that will require them to teach what they have learned to other students. The activity will end with a whole-class discussion analyzing public policy solutions related to cleaning up phosphorus in Florida waterways and restoring water flow in the everglades.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will read Frederick Douglass’s 1852 speech “What, to the Slave, is the Fourth of July.” Students will analyze Douglass’s use of rhetorical appeals throughout the text. Students will specifically identify his use of pathos and logos and examine how Douglass uses these appeals to support his overall purpose. Students will also learn important historical context about Douglass and the abolitionist movement.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will work collaboratively to make arguments for and against a proposed piece of legislation: A Bill to Eliminate Bot Social Media Accounts to Stifle Misinformation.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan intended for a debate class, students will create Congressional arguments based on proposed legislation randomly assigned to them at different stations.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will analyze primary sources found in various social media to determine their reliability by incorporating lateral reading exercises and applying the CRAAP (Currency, Relevancy, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose) method.  To practice, students will compare multiple perspectives on the Declaration of Independence.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan intended for the debate classroom, students will work in small groups to develop a brief speech employing both offensive and defensive arguments on the topic of the government balancing the interests of individuals with the public good.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will review a Supreme Court case, identify the rights restricted and, try to determine a ruling for the case before reviewing the historical outcomes. The cases relate to historical events that have resulted in the government limiting or attempting to limit the rights/freedoms of the people of the United States. Students will then compare their decisions with the findings of the Supreme Court. As they review the cases, they will build an understanding of government-imposed restrictions on citizen’s rights and why they may happen.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will receive some direct instruction on persuasion and political ads. Students will then analyze various presidential campaign advertisements to examine their emotional appeal to voters.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn about the psychology of advertising and emotional appeal. Students will then analyze various presidential campaign slogans and logos to identify their emotional appeal to voters.  

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will rotate through stations to analyze the effects of different media on political communication in America. Each station will analyze a different time period and form of media: newspapers, radio, television, and the internet.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this multi-day lesson plan, students will read a text and view a speech which include appeals to both logic and emotion. Students will recognize the importance of using short narratives and personal anecdotes in speech and will develop their own narratives/anecdotes to use in their original oratory.

Type: Lesson Plan

Have you ever considered what sort of discussion is done before deciding to build a water park or hospital in your town or county? What about the roads? The schools? This resource is a valuable tool in teaching students about the importance of developing a thought process and about the value in public works. The students will be conducting an MEA that revolves around the premise of deciding on what is the most important public works project for Parker County, FL.

Type: Lesson Plan

Explore the office of the president, to include its creation, requirements to be president, responsibilities of the president while in office, amendments that have changed the role over the years, and other important information about the position in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn how women took on leadership roles during the Civil Rights Movement by exploring the contributions of Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, and Dorothy Height with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Travel through the southern United States to visit significant areas of the Civil Rights Movement with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Explore how Executive Order 9981 ended segregation in our military, thereby expanding rights for African Americans in the U.S. Army, Air Force, and National Guard with this interactive tutorial.

This is part 1 of a two-part series: Click HERE to open part 2 (coming soon). In Part 2, you'll see how Executive Order 9981 was implemented in the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Explore how Executive Order 9981 ended segregation in our military, thereby expanding rights for African Americans in the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard with this interactive tutorial.

This is part 2 of a two-part series. Click HERE to open Part 1, which explores how Executive Order 9981 was implemented in the Army, Air Force, and National Guard.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Explore the "birth" and legacy of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Travel around the state of Alabama to learn about three events during the Civil Rights era: the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the 16th Street Church bombing, and the March to Selma with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Continue learning about Watergate -- a political scandal that represents a significant chapter in American history--with this interactive tutorial. The events of Watergate led Richard Nixon, President of the United States, to resign his office.

This is part 2 in a six-part series. Click below to open the other tutorials in this series.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn about President Franklin D. Roosevelt's use of the radio to communicate New Deal policies that are still relevant with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Analyze methods used by civil rights groups to influence government action to end segregation in the United States Armed Forces, resulting in Executive Order 9981 with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Did you know our military personnel faced segregation and discrimination while serving our country? Learn about presidential powers, the use of executive orders by our presidents, and how Executive Order 9981 ended segregation in the U.S. armed forces with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn about Watergate -- a political scandal that represents a significant chapter in American history with this interactive tutorial. The events of Watergate led Richard Nixon, President of the United States, to resign his office.

This is part 1 in a six-part series. Click below to open the other tutorials in this series.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn about public policy solutions and how public opinion, the media, and interest groups all influence decision-making about public issues with this interactive tutorial. 

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Explore different methods for promotion social and political change and examples of preservation from U.S. history with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn how television, internet, and social media have influenced political communication in this interactive tutorial. 

This is part 2 of 2-part series, click HERE to view part 1.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn how newspapers, trains, and the radio have influenced political communication in this interactive tutorial. 

This is part 1 of 2-part series, click HERE to view part 2.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn about the Republican and Democratic political parties in the United States, including their origins, modern versions, and impact on public policy in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

This PowerPoint slideshow is designed to support teachers in delivering direct instruction on mass media and the effects that various forms of media have had on political communication. The accompanying guided notes can be completed by students during instruction.

Type: Presentation/Slideshow

This Grades 9-12 Civics Family Guide provides some ideas and activities to support civics education when at home, out and about, and in the community. The activities provided align to the civics learning benchmarks within Standard 2 at these grade levels.

Type: Teaching Idea

In this source analysis activity, students will read and analyze speeches and documents from the Civil Rights Movement and the Declaration of Independence. Students will answer questions about each document after reading. At the end, discussion questions require an overall analysis of the foundational principles of the United States and expansion of civil rights for African Americans.

Type: Teaching Idea

This teaching resource provides teachers with the tools to help students analyze a speech by Carrie Chapman Catt, an advocate for women’s suffrage. Catt utilizes the rhetorical devices of anaphora and rhetorical questions in her speech to establish and achieve her purpose. Students will evaluate the effectiveness of these rhetorical devices as they relate to Catt’s purpose.

Type: Teaching Idea

This resource provides teachers with the tools to help students analyze the speech delivered by President Ronald Reagan following the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster. Students will focus on how President Reagan conveys and supports his central idea through the use of two specific rhetorical devices. Students will evaluate how effectively the president applies the use of allusions and anaphora to support his central idea.

Type: Teaching Idea

This resource provides the tools to help students analyze the rhetorical devices in one of the most pivotal speeches of the civil rights movement. In 1965, President Johnson addressed Congress and the nation in the wake of the events in Selma, Alabama. The American public had been jolted by scenes of state troopers attacking peaceful marchers.

Just days later, President Johnson addressed the nation to promote the passage of the Voting Rights Act. He skillfully drove home his purpose through the use of two rhetorical devices: imagery and anaphora. This resource will help students analyze his use of these devices and how they strengthen his speech.

Type: Teaching Idea

This teaching idea focuses on FDR’s use of rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, & logos) in his inauguration speech. Students will practice identifying his use of these appeals within the text. The resource will help students understand how the president uses rhetorical appeals to convey and support his central idea.

Type: Teaching Idea

This teaching resource will provide teachers the tools to analyze the “Gettysburg Address” delivered by President Abraham Lincoln (1863) in which he dedicates a portion of the Civil War battlefield at Gettysburg to honor the country’s Founders and the soldiers who died in the name of American ideals. He also urges the audience to continue to fight for the core principles upon which America was founded: equality and liberty. Students will analyze the two central ideas of Lincoln’s address. Students will also make connections between an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence and Lincoln’s speech, and they will make connections between the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution and Lincoln’s speech.

Type: Teaching Idea

This is an activity that can be used as often as needed to review/reinforce how to use cross examination in debate. For the purposes of this lesson, we will stick with LD debate, but many of the tactics can be used in other formats like public forum. Also, this lesson focuses on the topic as if it is being introduced for the first time, so it should be modified for later uses.

Type: Teaching Idea

Using this activity intended for the debate classroom, students will engage in one or more short “SPAR” debates on a variety of topics related to the government’s role in balancing individual and public interests.

Type: Teaching Idea

This slideshow and accompanying notes introduce what Lincoln-Douglas debate is (a values/morals debate) and how it is conducted. Students will learn everything from timeframes to how “flow” works.

Type: Teaching Idea

This resource intended for the debate classroom will help students write an attention-getting introduction to convey ideas, concepts, and information through the use of education and humor.

Type: Teaching Idea

This assignment will enable students to search for and critically analyze news articles presenting differing perspectives on similar issues. Students will think critically about the role that media plays in affecting the way objective information is delivered to the general public.

Type: Teaching Idea

This teaching resource will provide teachers the tools to discuss the potential impacts of government environmental regulations on individuals, industry, and society.

Type: Teaching Idea

Students will analyze presidential orations for aspects of content, emotional, physical and verbal gestures, and audience engagement. They will then analyze their own oratory for ways to improve emphasis. 

Type: Teaching Idea

This teaching resource provides teachers with the tools to help students analyze Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” following his arrest in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. This resource uses the original version of Dr. King’s letter before it was later revised and republished. This letter serves as one of the most important documents in civil rights history. It contains various vocabulary words that may be unfamiliar to students. Students must use the available context clues to determine their meaning.

Type: Text Resource

This teaching resource provides the tools for teachers to help students analyze the use of rhetorical appeals in President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. This resource will help students understand how President Lincoln specifically used ethos, pathos, and logos to achieve his purpose.

Type: Text Resource

This lesson allows students to deepen their understanding of connotation by using background information to identify the connotative meanings of words and phrases in an argumentative text. 

Type: Text Resource

This teaching resource provides the tools to help students analyze Lucy Stone’s 1892 address on women’s suffrage. Students will analyze her use of two specific rhetorical devices: imagery and rhetorical questions. The resource will help students identify these devices within the text and analyze how they establish and support Stone’s purpose.

Type: Text Resource

This teaching resource will provide teachers the tools/ideas to help students analyze the speech delivered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This speech was given to Congress in order to persuade them to join the war efforts, protecting American ideals of freedom. This speech uses the rhetorical techniques of pathos and logos to persuade his listeners.

Type: Text Resource

Ivonne Blank immigrated to the United States in 1961 as part of Operation Pedro Pan, the largest exodus on unaccompanied minors in the Western Hemisphere. Ms. Blank talks about how difficult it was waiting for her parents and living in an orphanage in Denver, CO. Her parents later left the island by boat, were rescued by the Coast Guard, and resettled in the United States. After the family was reunited, they were able to rebuild their lives with support from their community. Ms. Blank went on to become a lifelong educator and U.S. citizen.

Type: Video/Audio/Animation

In this lesson plan, students will read and analyze text and visual sources related to the 19th Amendment and the women's suffrage movement. Students will answer questions about each document after reading/viewing. At the end, discussion questions require an overall contextualization and synthesis of the documents.

Type: Worksheet