Armed with information and a deep understanding of their issue, students shift into action mode in this step by writing an action plan for "moving the needle" on their issue. They learn how to write an objective, identify action steps, and anticipate challenges and necessary resources. A "Move-the-Needle Toolbox" gives them a list of resources for communicating and gathering support.
This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Articulate an objective for their issue *Identify action steps required to achieve the objective *List needs and potential challenges for each action step *Create a written action plan

To get support for an issue, you have to be able to talk about it-and in this step, students learn how to do that effectively. By developing and practicing both an elevator speech and a set of talking points, students come away prepared to persuade.
This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Draft an "elevator speech" about their issue *Develop talking points to support their issue *Adapt their elevator speech and talking points to various situations

Students summarize their research and their proposed solution in one coherent document that describes what the issue is, what's being done, and how the proposed public policy will help solve the problem.
This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Summarize the problem and the research they have completed in earlier steps. *Describe their proposed solution using a 5W + H graphic organizer. *Analyze the benefits/limitations or the roles of various actors in the proposed regulation or action. *Predict the long-term effect of the proposed solution.

Having built a foundation of knowledge about the chosen issue in Steps One through Four, students now learn the term "public policy." Students identify government action and regulation as the two main ways the government works to solve problems. They analyze examples and evaluate the situations in which action and regulation are appropriate.
This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Define public policy. *Identify action and regulation as two types of public policy. *Distinguish between examples of actions and regulations. *Match government agencies with examples of actions they carry out. *Evaluate the restrictions and benefits of hypothetical regulations.

To increase their knowledge about both the chosen issue and the three types of actors they studied in Step Three, students examine three websites of governmental and non-governmental organizations that are involved with the chosen issue. They apply the "5W + H"method in order to learn how to navigate and gather information from a website. At the same time, they record and analyze new information about the class's chosen issue.
This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe six basic parts of an organizational or governmental website. *Collect information about the class public policy issue from internet resources. *Identify groups and individuals who are addressing the issue the class has selected.

Now that the research is done and students have articulated a proposed public policy solution for the chosen issue, they learn how to gather support. Students learn 12 different campaign and publicity strategies, then apply what they've learned by creating publicity materials to promote the class' public policy solution. This lesson may be done as a fictional exercise or to kick off a real-life campaign.
This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify a variety of strategies for building public awareness and support. *Evaluate the best strategies to use for different objectives. *Create components of an action campaign for the solution the class chose.

In the first of nine steps, students explore two county issues you have chosen. They vote to decide which issue the class will focus on for its "County Solutions"project.
This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Read articles about two county issues. *Collect information from the articles. *Analyze why the issues are significant. *Identify personal connections to the issues. *Select one issue to tackle for the County Solutions project.

Armed with knowledge about the chosen issue and about how public policy works from Steps One through Six, students brainstorm a public policy solution for the issue the class has been studying. Students use a "Thinking CAPS" method of organized brainstorming.
This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Work in a group to brainstorm solutions for the class problem. *Evaluate potential effectiveness of ideas the class has brainstormed. *Evaluate the ideas for cost and simplicity.

Building on the concepts of public policy, government action, and regulation from Step Five, students analyze real-world examples of government actions and regulations. Students get a taste of the wide variety of public policies that exist, and they learn how to evaluate a public policy idea for benefits and limitations.
This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Analyze examples of government actions and regulations using 5W+H. *Explain how the real-life actions involve the government, groups, and individuals. *Explain how both limit freedom and offer benefits. *Evaluate each example for how far it can go to actually address the issue. *Decide whether action or regulation is a better fit for the class issue.

To begin thinking about possible solutions for the issue they read about in Step Two, students learn about the difference between individual, group, and government action. They analyze examples, then apply what they've learned by suggesting ways each type of actor could address the class's chosen issue.
This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Compare the roles and effectiveness of three types of actors (individuals, groups, and the government). *Suggest solutions for hypothetical county problems. *Generate a list of actions the three types of actors could take to help address the class problem or issue.

Having chosen an issue for the project, students analyze two news articles about the issue. They apply the "5W + H"method in order to learn how to gather information from a news article. Using what they learn, they describe the current state of the chosen issue.
This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Read news articles to understand the problem the class has selected. *Analyze the articles using 5W+H (who, what, when, where, why, and how). *Summarize the problem.

In this civic engagement lesson plan, students brainstorm a list of local problems and action steps that they might take to solve these problems. After analyzing the concept of problem/solution alignment, students select a problem of their own and create an action plan to solve the problem. Ultimately, students are left with a deeper understanding of action steps they can take to address problems in their communities.
LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe the ways that citizens can engage with their environment to affect political change. *Develop an action plan to solve a local problem. *Present action plan to the class.

Students have a lot of power to influence elections! The Students Power Elections Young Voter Guide provides thorough and engaging explanations of voting and participation in the election season. The resource is broken up by topic and guides students to research elections in their state and ways to get involved in movements and ideas they are passionate about. Download and view the Young Voter Guide for more information about using this resource so your students can power this election.
Thinking about sharing this resource with students? Use this link: http://bit.ly/iCivicsSPE
Explore all of our free election curriculum and teaching resources at our Election Headquarters. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Gain practical knowledge about the process of voting in an election *Discover ways to engage in government and politics outside the ballot box

Before there was Brown v. Board, there was Barbara Johns, a teenager who organized a student walkout for better conditions for her segregated school. Use this new video to discuss the history of school desegregation and the role of young people in leading change. [2:05]

This lesson plan teaches the fundamentals of Supreme Court Justice nominations and helps students understand the politics behind the nominations. It challenges students to cut through the politics and compare nominees' judicial philosophies and includes an optional extension for students to research and analyze the controversial nominations and confirmation processes of Robert Bork, Harriet Miers, Clarence Thomas, and Merrick Garland.
Got a 1:1 classroom? Download fillable PDFs of this lesson's materials below! LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify ways in which the nomination of Supreme Court justices is and is not political *Compare judicial philosophies *Evaluate the effect of politics on the nomination process *Research and analyze the nominations and confirmation processes of Robert Bork, Harriet Miers, Clarence Thomas, and Merrick Garland

In this lesson, students compare Ben Brewer's fictional case in "Supreme Decision" with a real-life case involving a student. They also look at a variety of historic landmark cases to understand why precedents and judicial review are important in peoples' everyday lives.
*Special Note* We are working on a replacement for the now-retired Supreme Decision game referenced in the lesson plan. The lesson can still be used by focusing on Savanna's story. Her reading and the following activities are all independent of the game.
LESSON OBJECTIVES: Recall the justices' analysis in Supreme Decision. *Analyze a real-life case. *Compare the analysis of the real-life case with an analysis of Ben's case. *Evaluate the effect of landmark cases on everyday life. *Explain the importance of judicial review.

This lesson teaches the basics of taxes: what they are, who pays them, what kinds exist, and what they're used for. Students learn how people's income is taxed, how much revenue taxes generate, and how taxes and government services are related. Activities based on real life show students how to analyze a pay stub and how to calculate sales tax. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify the government's sources of tax revenue *Explain that government uses tax money to provide certain goods and services. *Explain how federal, state, and local taxes support the economy as a function of the U.S. government. *Describe the impact of taxation. *Analyze a pay stub. *Calculate sales tax and compare the effect of different tax rates on total price paid.

This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that burning the American flag is a form of political speech protected by the First Amendment. Students learn about the First Amendment freedom of speech and the principle that "the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable." They then learn about the dissenting view by distinguishing between arguments from the Court's majority opinion and the dissent. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and the kind of speech it protects. *Identify the main arguments put forth in the case. *Explain why the Supreme Court said flag-burning is protected speech. *Identify the impact of the Court's decision on freedom of speech in general. *Compare arguments made by dissenting justices with those made by the majority.

What ocean is off the east coast? Who is our southern neighbor? What are the U.S. territories? Can you draw the Rocky Mountains on a map? In this lesson, students answer these questions and more as they learn the basics of United States geography. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Label major geographic features of the United States on a map *Identify the nations that share a border with the U.S., along with U.S. border states *Locate the U.S. capital and the capital of their home state *Identify the five U.S. territories

Thomas Hobbes was one of the first of his era to discuss the idea of the social contract. This mini-lesson looks at his views on government and his famous book, Leviathan. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify the ideas of various 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: state of nature, social contract, sovereign, Leviathan, monarchy