This is a full unit of study from iCivics, featuring multiple lesson plans with presentations, downloadable documents, and more. Sometimes the textbook definition isn't enough! Our collection of Legal Reference Sheets provides students with a deep understanding of important laws, rights, and legal concepts in a flash. Part-infographic, part-written text, these mini-lessons consist of a one-page reading and a page of activities to reinforce the concepts learned. The lessons can be used individually, or as a compliment to another lesson or case from the Landmark Library.

This is a full unit of study from iCivics, featuring multiple lesson plans with presentations, downloadable documents, and more. Students will learn about the structure, function, and powers of the legislative branch of government. They will explore the legislative process, as well as the influence of citizens and political parties.

What separates journalism from other kinds of information out there? Would you know reliable reporting if you saw it? This lesson introduces students to journalistic standards and ethics. Students learn basic markers of high-standards reporting based on the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics. They flex their new skills by analyzing a variety of examples to identify what reliable reporting looks like.
This resource was created with support from the Raab Family Foundation. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Recognize standards-based journalism *Identify markers of verification, transparency, accountability, and independence in a news story *Evaluate the reliability of an anonymous source

Prepare students for persuasive writing by introducing them to the concept of making an argument. Students discover there's a difference between "arguing" and making an argument in support of a position, and that making an argument is a learned skill that doesn't depend on how you feel about an issue. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Define argument, counterargument, and supporting argument. *Identify supportng arguments for a main argument. *Distinguish between types of arguments. *Discuss hypothetical situations where persuasive writing skills are useful.

Students meet Ben Brewer and find out what happened the day he decided to wear his favorite band t-shirt to school in violation of a new dress code rule. Students read a summary of a Supreme Court case to figure out the "rule" that applies to Ben's problem. This lesson lays the groundwork for students to write two short persuasive essays-one arguing each side of the issue. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify a freedom of speech issue in a fictional scenario. *Construct the rule about freedom of speech in schools by reading and color-coding a summary of the Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines. *Apply the rule to a variety of hypothetical scenarios.

Bias can sneak into any news story, influencing an unsuspecting audience. Bias often seems like the boogeyman of the news industry, but is it really so terrifying? This lesson strips the fear out of bias by showing students how to notice the word choices and framing that show up when bias is present in a news story. Students learn about methods journalists use to produce high-quality objective reporting to see how journalists address bias and present stories from neutral viewpoints.
This resource was created with support from the Raab Family Foundation. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Define and describe common types of bias found in the news *Recognize journalists' tools that combat bias *Analyze word choices that reveal bias *Analyze a story's framing for bias *Compare how different news outlets have framed the same issue

In order to build arguments for their essays, students examine evidence about whether band t-shirts were disruptive at Ben's school. Students think critically to filter out evidence for and against each position. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Generate evidence in support of two positions by evaluating oral testimony and written exhibits. *Use a graphic organizer to organize the evidence.

Students begin to organize their arguments and evidence both for and against the rule banning band t-shirts. Students learn the necessity of clear organization, generate main and supporting arguments, and create idea webs to organize the evidence they gathered in the last lesson. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Compare well-organized supporting arguments with poorly-organized ones. *Deconstruct a well-organized argument. *Develop main and supporting arguments. *Use a graphic organizer to organize arguments and evidence.

Opinions can be cleverly disguised as news. Can you tell the difference? After completing this lesson, hopefully so! Students learn how to distinguish news from opinion and how to determine if an opinion has merit. The lesson introduces students to several different kinds of opinion writers and offers tips for investigating an author's background. Through a web activity and hands-on internet investigation, students get up close and personal with news-related opinions and the journalism standards that make news commentary and analysis worthwhile.
This resource was created with support from The Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics of the Annenberg Public Policy Center. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Distinguish between opinion and news *Recognize common types of opinion often found alongside news *Compare how different news outlets label opinion *Describe the relationship between journalism standards and opinion writing *Decide how much value to place on a particular news-related opinion *Recognize how news-related opinion can contribute to the public conversation

Students meet "Yabbut Rabbit" and learn how to flesh out the support for their arguments by developing counterargument. Using the technique they learn in this lesson, students add arguments to their idea webs. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Formulate counterarguments based on fact, not opinion. *Use counterarguments to strengthen the arguments begun in Lesson 4.

As a precursor to writing a rough draft, students learn that you can't ignore evidence for the other side of an argument. Students learn how to use complex sentences to minimize or emphasize evidence when they argue. This lesson may not take an entire class period, so you may want to combine it with your own sentence-writing exercises or with another lesson. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Determine which part of a complex sentence minimizes an idea and which part emphasizes an idea. *Write complex sentences designed to emphasize or minimize evidence in an argument.

Students make direct connections between the format of an outline and the organization in an essay. Using side-by-side examples, students see how the outline translates into a written product. They also see examples of complex sentences in action. At the end of this lesson, students begin their rough drafts. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Deconstruct an essay by color-coding its parts. *Compare an outline and an essay by color-coding the same information in both. *Write the rough draft of an essay.

Teach your students about democracy with examples from the very beginning! In this lesson, students learn about Athens's direct democracy and Rome's republic. Students explore how these governments took shape and key features of their structure, and then try their hands at comparing and contrasting each to U.S. government today. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe democracy in Athens and Rome *Differentiate between democracy and other forms of government *Identify characteristics of direct and representative democracy *Compare and contrast democracy in Athens and Rome to the U.S. government today *Analyze arguments against democracy

What keeps government from having too much power? Students learn about the limited power of government in this lesson, which outlines five basic limits on government. They analyze the true story of former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, in which many of those limits disappeared, and they evaluate fictional cases of governments with limits missing. The concepts in this lesson prepare students to understand why the U.S. Constitution is structured the way it is. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe five limits on government: constitution, separation of powers, rule of law, consent of the governed, and rights of the minority. *Analyze how former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori's presidential actions affected Peru's government limits. *Evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of giving one leader total control. *Apply the five limits to fictional government systems.

From large cities to small towns, municipal governments serve as the closest form of government to the people of Massachusetts. In this lesson, students will explore the varied functions and structures of local government as well as the services provided in their own municipality. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Explain the major components of local government in Massachusetts, including the roles and functions of mayors, city councils, and school committees in cities; town managers, select boards, representative and open town meetings and school committees, in towns, and courts and sheriff's departments in counties. *Give examples of tax-supported facilities and services provided by the Massachusetts local governments. *Contrast the responsibilities of government at the federal, state, and local levels (e.g., protection of individual rights and the provision of services such as law enforcement, welfare payments, and the building and funding of schools).

In this map-based lesson, students learn the historic importance of the Mississippi River and why the U.S. was determined to maintain access. They find out how the United States acquired the land that made up the Louisiana Purchase-and just how little anyone knew about that land before handing over the purchase price! LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe how and why the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory. *Draw and compare early boundary guesses with boundaries established by later treaties. *Identify and label major geographic features related to the Louisiana Purchase.

This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that struck down state bans on interracial marriage. Students learn about the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, and its use in court cases to challenge a range of discriminatory laws. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe the equal protection rights guaranteed by the 14th Amendment *Identify the main arguments put forth in the case *Describe the rationale behind the Supreme Court's decision *Identify and analyze different interpretations of the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause

This mini-lesson examines the Supreme Court case that pitted the interests of government economic projects against the religious rights of American Indians. Students learn about the religious protections of the First Amendment's Free Exercise Clause. They also analyze a fictional scenario and play the role of president in deciding whose interests should have priority. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe the rights protected by the First Amendment's Free Exercise Clause *Identify the main arguments in the case *Describe the rationale behind the Supreme Court's decision *Discuss how the government's jobs of protecting personal freedoms and promoting economic interests may conflict

This mini-lesson looks at the ideas and writings of the Italian thinker and politician, Niccoló Machiavelli (1429-1527). LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify the ideas of various pre-Enlightenment thinkers who influenced America's founders. *Analyze the ideas behind America's founding documents. *Recognize how various individuals and groups contributed to the development of the U.S. government. *Big Ideas: Machiavelli, realism, The Prince, the end justifies the means, Discourses on Livy, balanced government, republic, monarchy

Welcome to the Constitutional Convention! What were some of the major debates and compromises made during the writing of the Constitution? In this lesson, students explore the reasons for and outcomes of some of the most impactful resolutions made to form the U.S. Constitution. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify compromises and major issues of debate during the Constitutional Convention *Recognize how the compromises embedded in the Constitution have shaped the country's development *Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of compromises made *Explain the role of slavery in America's founding