SS.912.CG.3.4

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 will review Article II and Amendments 12, 20, 22, 23, and 25 of the United States Constitution to understand the structure, function, and process of the Executive Branch.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will learn basic information about impeachment as it is established in the U.S. Constitution.  Students learn what impeachment is, why it is included in the Constitution, who is subject to impeachment, why someone may be impeached,  who has been impeached, and how impeachment works.  Students will complete a graphic organizer, create a timeline, and complete an assessment quiz.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is Lesson 3 in an integrated Civics and Coding Unit.  In this lesson, students will produce Scratch programs based on the flow chart they created in Lesson 2 that depicts the U.S. impeachment process.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is Lesson 2 in a 3-part series that integrates coding and civics.  In this lesson, students will create a flowchart of the impeachment process in the United States. They will experience conditional statements and learn to place these in a flowchart.   By the end of the lesson, students will have a clear understanding of the impeachment process and a visual representation of the steps involved.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is Part I of a three-lesson unit on the impeachment process.  In this lesson, students will research and identify the different individuals and groups involved in the impeachment process. Students will engage in discussions and activities to deepen their understanding of the impeachment process and how it relates to the US political system. They will analyze the research website for reliability and accuracy. Throughout the unit, students will do research, complete a flow chart, and finally create a Scratch program on the impeachment process and history.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson is #3 in an ELA/Civics Integrated Text Unit designed to support students with the integration of civics into the ELA classroom through the reading and study of Homer’s The Odyssey. This lesson should take place after students have read excerpts from Part 2 of The Odyssey. Students will use knowledge from lessons one and two as well as information from Article II of the United States Constitution to identify and explain the different presidential responsibilities such as receiving foreign heads of state. They will then create a “White House Press Briefing” outlining the U.S. President’s events of the day which includes a visit from a foreign head of state- Odysseus-who has come to the United States to learn more about how the United States borrowed from Greece when creating a constitutional republic.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will become familiar with James Madison's influence on the creation of a three-branch government system in the United States. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will have the opportunity to analyze the use of atomic weapons on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. Students will look at the executive branch, the role of the U.S. president as “Commander in Chief” of the military during war, and the U.S. President who made the call to utilize this weapon during WWII. Students will analyze the pros and cons of using the atomic weapon. Students will also look at the aftermath of the use of the atomic bombs.

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

Students will analyze presidential responsibilities and decision-making, notably in the diplomatic/foreign policy realm.  Students will examine Constitutional diplomatic powers and responsibilities of the U.S. presidency by exploring the example of President Truman’s decision to formally recognize the State of Israel. Students will also explain why the creation of the State of Israel was a significant event of the 20^th century by exploring the context surrounding the event, including the role of the U.S.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn about the impeachment process in the United States with a PowerPoint Presentation that provides detailed information and historical examples. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will learn about the presidency and the executive branch.  After direct instruction, students will demonstrate their understanding of the office of president by developing a “job announcement."

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will learn about the federal bureaucracy and the ways the three branches of government can guide, check, and expand the bureaucracy.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students are exposed to the presidential impeachment process. After reviewing Section 4 of Article II of the United States Constitution, students analyze historic impeachment trials in a jigsaw format. In groups of four, each student takes on one of the impeachment scenarios and responds to the prompts. Groups reconvene to review the scenarios and reach a consensus when responding to the synthesis prompts.

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

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

Explore the purpose, role, and impact of the Federal Communications Commission (F.C.C.) with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

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 3 at these grade levels.

Type: Teaching Idea

This teaching resource provides the tools to help students analyze the use of rhetorical appeals in President Franklin Roosevelt’s speech, “A Day that Will Live in Infamy.” The president delivered this powerful speech in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Students will analyze Roosevelt’s use of ethos, pathos, and logos in his address to Congress and the American people. 

Type: Teaching Idea