In this lesson, students get an introduction to the concept of Manifest Destiny. Even before the phrase "Manifest Destiny"was first used in 1845, many Americans believed the U.S. was destined to grow. Students learn what this philosophy looked and sounded like in the 19th century and preview United States expansion. This lesson is intended to serve as an introduction to further study of American expansion. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Define Manifest Destiny and explain the ideals behind its ideology *Analyze primary sources that illustrate Manifest Destiny and related American values *Illustrate America's territorial expansion across the continent *Describe the effect of U.S. expansion on Native Americans *Explain how white Americans in the early 19th century viewed Native Americans

This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that affirmed the Court's power of judicial review. Students learn how Congress tried to add to the Supreme Court's Constitutional power, how the Supreme Court rejected the idea that it has any power beyond what's listed in the Constitution, and how the Court's exercise of judicial review in this case made the judicial branch equal to the other two branches. Students then learn that even when the Supreme Court declares a law unconstitutional, Congress has options for moving the law forward. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Define "judicial review" and describe its importance. *Identify the main arguments put forth in the case. *Describe the Supreme Court's decision and analysis. *Identify the impact of the Court's decision on the judicial branch. *Identify ways Congress can respond when the Supreme Court strikes down a law.

This lesson teaches the basics about the market economy, including the relationships between consumers and producers, supply and demand, and profit and incentive. Students learn six traits of a market economy, compare the market economy to other types of economies, identify opportunity costs, and much more. We recommend teaching this lesson before the other lessons in this unit. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe the characteristics of a market economy, including the principle and protection of private property rights. *Identify the relationship among supply, demand, scarcity, and opportunity cost. *Analyze how profit, incentive, and competition motivate individuals, households, and businesses. *Describe the circular flow that shows the interaction among consumers/households, businesses/producers, and markets. *Analyze how changes in technology, costs, and demand interact in competitive markets to determine or change the price of goods and services. *Compare the market economy to other types of economies (command, traditional, mixed).

Students learn about the landmark case McCulloch v. Maryland, in which the Supreme Court clarified what kinds of actions Congress can take under the "necessary and proper" clause. Students find out what events led to this case, look at some examples of what "necessary and proper" could include, and examine the relationship between state and federal power under the Supremacy Clause.
LESSON OBJECTIVES: Explain how the supremacy of the national government was defined by the Supreme Court's decision in McCulloch v. Maryland. *Describe how the landmark case McCulloch v. Maryland expanded the powers of the national government. *Identify the effect of the Supremacy Clause and the "Necessary and Proper" clause in the U.S. Constitution.

This is a full unit of study from iCivics, featuring multiple lesson plans with presentations, downloadable documents, and more. This unit is designed to teach students about media influence on politics and society. Students learn how the media and interest groups influence discussions that take place in the "public sphere" and ultimately influence the government. They also identify and apply the seven types of propaganda to see how messages are designed to influence us individually. The unit challenges students to take a critical look at all these sources of constructed messages through simulations, vocabulary-building activities, and real world applications.

This document offers teachers a "quick peek" at the background, arguments, decision, and rationale for 35 Supreme Court cases. The cases are organized into four thematic categories, and include links to mini-lessons on specific cases where available. The Guide also provides the general learning objectives for all of the mini-lessons found in the Landmark Library. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe the facts underlying a variety of landmark cases. *Identify the Constitutional rights at issue in each case. *Identify the main arguments put forth in each case. *Describe the Supreme Court's decision and analysis. *Identify the long-term impact of the Court's decision.

This guide provides summaries of all the cases outlined in the Massachusetts Frameworks. It also includes 12 supplemental cases that highlight the experiences of people from diverse backgrounds. The guide provides links back to our Landmark Library mini-lessons and is accompanied by The Research Roadmap, a graphic organizer for researching a Supreme Court case. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe the facts underlying a variety of Supreme Court cases *Identify the constitutional rights at issue in each case *Identify the main arguments put forth in each case *Describe and analyze the Supreme Court's decision *Identify the long-term impact of the Court's decision on people's lives

The Mexican-American War ended with Mexico giving up a million acres of land to the United States. In this lesson, students learn about Americans' drive to expand west, tensions between the U.S. and Mexico, and President James Polk's actions that started a war between the two countries. This lesson also includes the Gadsen Purchase of 1853. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Illustrate the disputed area claimed by both Mexico and the United States. *Draw the U.S.-Mexico border described in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. *Draw the U.S.-Mexico border after the Gadsen Purchase. *Identify Mexican states and territories the U.S. acquired. *Use compass directions, lines of latitude, and meridians to draw features on a map.

This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that allowed schools to require students to salute the flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Students learn about the First Amendment and how the interests of national security can supersede individual rights of free speech and exercise of religion. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe the rights protected by the First Amendment. *Identify the main arguments put forth in the case. *Describe the rationale behind the Supreme Court's decision. *Identify the impact of the Supreme Court's decision on the issue of student expression at school and individuals' rights.

In this mini-lesson, give your students a reality check about the news industry by helping them understand that news is a business. Students learn how news providers monetize the news through advertisements and consider how the news/profit relationship affects journalism and news audiences.
This resource was created with support from the Raab Family Foundation. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Recognize that news reporting is a business *Identify the relationship between news and advertising *Evaluate "native advertising" for deceptiveness

Do algorithms impact you? Do you even know what they are? Algorithms help bring us many of the functional products and tools we use today. This mini-lesson offers students an introductory look at how social media platforms use algorithms and how that use selectively curates the content users see.
LESSON OBJECTIVES: Explain the basic function of an algorithm *Identify factors that influence how social media algorithms work *Describe the intentional and unintentional effects of social media algorithms on social media users

How are leaders in Congress elected and organized? In this short mini-lesson, students learn about Congress' leadership positions and the primary duties of each one. Students will also think through how to creatively represent the leadership structure in diagram form.
Looking for more? Follow this mini-lesson with our visual infographic Leadership & the Agenda! LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify congressional leadership roles *Explain the responsibilities of a congressional leader *Describe the leadership structure of Congress *Distinguish between majority and minority party

Find out about the importance of the vice presidential candidate in a presidential election, and how this person is more than a running mate. This mini-lesson will explain the history of the office of the vice presidency and describe the modern role of the VP. Let students practice what they learn by selecting from a pool of potential VP nominees to run with them for president.
LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify why there is a presidential line of succession *Explain how and why the office of the vice president was created *Explain the current role of vice presidents and what the job entails *Describe the imact of a running mate on a presidential campaign

This is a full unit of study from iCivics, featuring multiple lesson plans with presentations, downloadable documents, and more. For your convenience, we've assembled a library of our Media Moment Mini-Lessons. These mini-lessons combine civic content and news literacy skills. Designed for the high school classroom, each mini-lesson includes a content reading, a news literacy highlight, and a one-page news literacy activity. Use the readings together or separately to target multiple learning objectives throughout the year! Each lesson can also be found in the units below.

Students discover the different types of congressional committees and their responsibilities in this Media Moment Mini-lesson. Students are introduced to the concept of bias and the tools reporters use to strive for balance. In the closing activity, students put their news literacy skills to work by evaluating an article of choice for the inclusion of varied and balanced perspectives. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify the types of congressional committees *Describe the role committees play in the legislative process *Recognize balanced reporting as a standard of objective news reporting *Analyze an article for multiple and balanced perspectives

In this Media Moment Mini-lesson, students discover how presidents use executive orders to wield power and how the legislative and judicial branches support and challenge these measures. Additionally, students will take a look at what fair and balanced reporting on an executive order might look like and will practice evaluating perspectives presented in online news articles of choice.
LESSON OBJECTIVES: Define executive orders *Explain the roles the legislative and judicial branches play in regulating executive orders *Describe fair and balanced reporting *Analyze a news item for multiple perspectives (or the lack thereof)

This Media Moment Mini-lesson teaches the judicial philosophies of activism and restraint. In the second half of the lesson, students explore criteria through which they can evaluate news-related opinion pieces and practice judging the value of a Supreme Court related opinion piece of choice.
LESSON OBJECTIVES: Define judicial activism and restraint *Describe the pros and cons of each judicial philosophy *Decide how much value to place on a particular news-related opinion *Evaluate a news-related opinion

Students will learn about the midterm election, its role as a referendum on the presidency, and how a shift in party control impacts the legislative and executive branches. Page two of this Media Moment Mini-lesson overs horse race journalism, common during election season, and the limitations of this type of coverage. In the activity, students consider an article about a West Virginia Senate primary candidate and practice distinguishing substantive information about a candidate from horse race coverage. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Define midterm elections *Describe the impact midterm elections have on the executive and legislative branch *Identify horse race journalism *Explain how horse race journalism can affect the public

Students learn about unilateral presidential appointments, nominations, and the Senate confirmation process in the Media Moment Mini-Lesson. Through this lens, students investigate the role the media plays as a gatekeeper and agenda setter. In the closing activity, students evaluate news coverage of an appointee or executive department of choice over 3 business days to evaluate how coverage evolved and what details were emphasized.
LESSON OBJECTIVES: Recall two types of presidential appointments *Identify the role of the U.S. Senate during the confirmation process *Explain the media's role as gatekeeper and agenda setter *Evaluate the media's role as agenda setter by analyzing news coverage over several days

Students will learn what an incumbent is, the electoral advantage that favors incumbents, and the benefits and drawbacks of reelecting members of Congress. On page two of this Media Moment Mini-lesson, students will learn what distinguishes an opinion piece, op-ed, or commentary from traditional news. Students then practice identifying opinion and news headlines. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Explain what an incumbent is and the position's advantage *Identify effects of the incumbent advantage *Describe opinion journalism *Distinguish opinion headlines from news headlines