Standard 1: Historical Inquiry and Analysis

This lesson will allow the students to recognize the symbols, people, and documents that represent Florida while analyzing primary and secondary sources.  The students will explain how people perceive Florida based on the lyrics of the Swanee River, the Florida state song, and participate in turn-and-talk discussions about the meaning of the song. The students will conclude the lesson by writing an opinion paragraph about what symbol best represents Florida.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson will allow the students to recognize the symbols, people, and documents that represent Florida while analyzing primary and secondary sources.  The students will look at the Florida Seal on the Florida state map and participate in a visual discovery of the Seal.  The students will also read a text about three people who represent Florida and participate in turn-and-talk discussions about the text.

Type: Lesson Plan

The lesson focuses on teaching 3rd-grade students the importance of voting through a classroom election for class president. The objective is to help them understand the purpose of voting, learn the voting process, and actively participate in the election. Students are introduced to making choices as a community and having a voice in decision-making. They learn about the steps of a classroom election, from nominations to counting the votes. Candidates present their ideas, and students cast their votes on prepared ballots. The lesson concludes with a reflection on the significance of voting and respecting the results. Overall, the lesson aims to engage students in the democratic process and foster their understanding of the value of voting in a classroom and beyond.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this 3rd grade Social Studies lesson, students explore the Preamble of the Constitution and learn key terms related to it. Through discussions, examples, and group activities, students understand the meaning of terms such as "common," "constitution," and "justice." They also grasp the significance of phrases like "We the People" and "consent of the governed." The lesson emphasizes cooperation, fairness, and well-being within a community. Students actively participate, reflect on personal connections, and complete assessments to demonstrate their understanding. By the end of the lesson, students gain a deeper understanding of the Preamble, key terms, and the values that shape a fair and just society.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will discuss the contributions of William Pope Duval, William Dunn Moseley, and Josiah T. Walls regarding Florida's government.  They will learn vocabulary terms about government titles such as governor, senator, congressman, etc. Students will choose one of the individuals, read a passage about him, and then work in a group to create a poster that includes a photo or drawing of the individual and at least five facts from the reading passage.  They can use that poster to teach the class about their chosen Florida VIP.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will be able to analyze sources to gain a better understanding of historical events and concepts, differentiate between primary and secondary sources, identify examples of primary and secondary sources related to voting and elections. Class discussion will include significance of each resource and the importance of voting and elections and why there are things in different languages.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will begin an engagement activity where the teacher shows an image of the Washington Monument and students will be asked it's symbolism. Then students will take a gallery walk of images and discuss what they see or have read and record their information on a worksheet. The teacher will introduce the terms “primary source” and “secondary source” along with the definition for each. The teacher will share examples of both primary and secondary sources and engage students in conversation about the examples. For a review of the lesson, students will be divided into groups of 3 or 4, and each group will be given a deck of cards (source examples) and sort them into primary source or secondary source categories. As a closing, students will discuss how they categorized their cards and to check for understanding of the lesson, students will complete an exit ticket.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will identify examples of civics virtues and explain why citizens should demonstrate civility, cooperation, volunteerism, and other civic virtues. Students will participate in a tableau movement activity to review and practice the information on civic virtues.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will examine a primary source (photograph) of a significant event related to Juneteenth Day and read a secondary source (summary history text) describing the history of the holiday and other pertinent information. They will answer questions about the primary and secondary source materials. Teachers will lead students in a class discussion about holidays and how to identify patriotic holidays.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will examine a primary source of a significant event related to Constitution Day and read a secondary source describing the history of the holiday and other pertinent information. They will answer questions about the primary and secondary source materials. Teachers will lead students in a class discussion about holidays and how to identify patriotic holidays.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will examine a primary source (photograph) of a significant event related to or depicting Independence Day and read a secondary source (summary history text) describing the history of the holiday and other pertinent information. They will answer questions about the primary and secondary source materials. Teachers will lead students in class discussion about holidays and how to identify patriotic holidays.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will examine a primary source related to Medal of Honor Day and read a secondary source (summary history text) describing the history of the holiday and other pertinent information. They will answer questions about the primary and secondary source materials. Teachers will lead students in class discussion about holidays and how to identify patriotic holidays.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will examine a primary source photograph related to Veterans Day and read a secondary source describing the history and meaning of the holiday. They will answer questions about the primary and secondary source materials. Teachers will lead students in a class discussion about holidays and how to identify patriotic holidays.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will analyze a primary source photo and read a secondary source article about Josiah T. Walls, the first African American elected to the U.S. Congress from Florida.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will learn about the history of using fireworks in Independence Day celebrations, recognizing that exploding fireworks are a source of both light and heat. They will explore primary and secondary sources to explain how our current firework celebrations reflect John Adams’ vision of "illuminations from one end of this continent to the other," as well as the inherent risks of fireworks in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

The purpose of this lesson is for the students to recognize Mount Rushmore and the Washington Monument as man-made landmarks that are symbols of the United States. The students will write an opinion piece about which landmark, Mount Rushmore or the Washington Monument, most represents the United States.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will examine a primary source (photograph) of a significant event related to or depicting Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and read a secondary source (summary history text) describing the history of the holiday and other pertinent information. They will answer questions about the primary and secondary source materials. Teachers will lead students in class discussion about holidays and how to identify patriotic holidays.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will analyze a primary source photo and read a secondary source article about William Dunn Moseley, the first governor of the state of Florida.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will analyze a primary source photo and read a secondary source article about William Pope Duval, the first non-military governor of the Territory of Florida.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn about civic virtue and volunteerism. Students will identify ways to volunteer in their school and the local community. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students learn about leadership and civic virtue: what it means to be a leader and display civic virtue, how that relates to their daily school lives, and identify ways that they can be a leader in the school. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will learn about various patriotic American holidays.  The teacher will provide some direct instruction and students will work independently.  Students will have the chance to demonstrate their understanding by completing a matching handout and selecting a holiday of their focus. 

Type: Lesson Plan

This resource goes over the purpose of government from the smallest units (families) to the larger ones (countries).  Students then focus on the United States Constitution and explain the concept of "we the people" and "consent of the governed."

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will explore the purpose of voting and how it impacts their community. The lesson's warm-up examines voting in a classroom to elicit student prior knowledge. The next activity allows students to learn more about the voting process through a "gallery walk." The concluding activity requires students to put their knowledge into action by creating a poster to encourage people to vote. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will explore the history and meaning behind various patriotic holidays and make personal connections with those holidays including, Constitution Day, Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, Patriot Day, President’s Day, Independence Day, and Medal of Honor Day.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn the meaning of the terms volunteer and volunteerism, analyze primary sources related to volunteerism, and identify different ways they can volunteer in their community or at school.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will learn the importance of voting and civility and participate in a class "election."

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will plan and write a Scratch coding program to explain how various elements on the Great Seal of the State of Florida represent Florida. After reviewing the various elements included in the Great Seal of the State of Florida, students will create a Scratch coding program that describes the importance of at least one element on the Great Seal. Students will be required to use at least one sprite, a background, narration, and any animations they choose in their block-based coding program

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will explain how the U.S. Constitution’s Preamble establishes the purpose and fulfills the need for government by identifying examples of how the government protects rights, provides security, and offers services.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will analyze a photo of the Great Seal of the State of Florida and investigate the significance of various elements included in the Great Seal of the State of Florida. Students will identify and create a drawing of various elements of the seal that help explain the significance of the Great Seal of the State of Florida as a symbol of the Florida.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will identify the significant elements on the Great Seal of the State of Florida that represent the state of Florida and its history. Students will then examine the Great Seal of the State of Florida’s artistic aspects and create a watercolor drawing of it.  

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students with recognize that government in the United States has local, state, and national levels. Students will recognize the responsibilities each level of government has in their lives by evaluating the actions of each level in relationship to each other, against the backdrop of services and needs of their community. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn the importance of voting and get a chance to design a vote tote.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will learn about the importance and responsibility of voting in elections. Students will conduct and analyze their own elections in class. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will compare and contrast the structure of the U.S. and Florida Constitutions. Students will complete a stations activity to learn about the function and powers of the national and state government.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will explore the history and meaning behind the celebration of Constitution Day and explain how the Constitution impacts our lives today. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will become fluent with recognizing U.S. symbols and documents. Students will play a matching game and at the end of the game students will be more familiar with historical figures, symbols, documents, and current government facts.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students use technology every day, but do they ever stop and wonder about the inventors who made certain technology possible? This lesson encourages students to investigate three American inventors-Alexander Graham Bell, George Washington Carver, and Stephanie Kwolek-through research and readings of their biographies. As students read, gather, and present information about Bell, Carver, and Kwolek, they learn how this trio's inventions changed and shaped America's past and influenced the future of technology.

Type: Lesson Plan

Kites for Education is a Modeling Eliciting Activity which presents students with an engineering challenge in which they must analyze data sets and develop a procedure for ranking different kite models. The product ranked as best by the students will hypothetically be sold to customers and the profit used to purchase school textbooks and supplies for school age children impacted by Haiti's devastating earthquake.

Type: Lesson Plan

This web resource provides an introduction to the discrimination and segregation that triggered the Civil Rights movement, through the eyes of some of the youngest activists at the time.

This teaching idea supports the exploration of the purpose of rules and laws in society, as well as some of the basic tenets of the Constitution that address equal rights for all citizens. Also included are ideas on how to help students examine historical examples of segregation to consider their impact and analyze how civil rights activists responded to segregation laws to promote change.

Type: Teaching Idea