Need to teach the legislative branch in a hurry? This lesson is designed to cover the basics in a single class period. Students learn what Congress is, what the Constitution says about the legislative branch, and how a bill becomes law. They analyze some actual language from the Constitution, compare the House and the Senate, and simulate the lawmaking process by reconciling two versions of the same fictional bill.
LESSON OBJECTIVES: Explain the structure and powers of the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government. *Describe the legislative process in the U.S. Congress. *Identify the legislative branch's role in the system of checks and balances/separation of powers. *Analyze a primary source (excerpts of Article I).

After ten years under the Articles of Confederation, Americans realized they needed something different. This mini-lesson shows students the major debates that occurred at the convention, as well as the outcomes that created our system of government. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Recognize how various individuals and groups contributed to the development of the U.S. government. *Trace the impact of significant events that surrounded the founding of the United States. *Big Ideas: Articles of Confederation, alliance, federalist, three branches, checks and balances, bicameral representation, delegation of powers, U.S. Constitution

Find out what the definition of a cost and a benefit is in terms of the economy when using this site. "When making a decision, students should consider the costs and the benefits of that decision."

Make your students' game play more meaningful by using our activity and assessment set designed specifically for Counties Work (Texas). This easy-to-use Extension Pack helps you give context and purpose to the game, as well as reinforce and assess the game concepts. That means deeper learning for students, and best practices around game-centered learning for you! Extension Packs are designed for use with projectors or interactive whiteboards. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Simulate the role of county government, including organization, responsibilities, and services *Identify appropriate resources and departments of county government to solve problems *Consider how a budget and major sources of local revenue affect both services and citizens

In this segment from Curious, learn about creating energy from solar rays to meet the growing energy needs of the world.

Geographic information systems (GIS), once used predominantly by experts in cartography and computer programming, have become pervasive in everyday business and consumer use. This unit explores GIS in general as a technology about which much more can be learned, and it also explores applications of that technology. Students experience GIS technology through the use of Google Earth on the environmental topic of plastics in the ocean in an area known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The use of this topic in GIS makes the unit multidisciplinary, incorporating the physics of ocean currents, the chemistry associated with pollutant degradation and chemical sorption to organic-rich plastics, and ecological impact to aquatic biota.

Students grasp the nuances of diplomacy through this interactive lesson. They are called to decide which diplomacy tools work best in different situations. Students will develop an understanding of negotiation, sanctions, and other elements used in diplomatic relationships. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Define foreign policy. *Distinguish between isolationism and internationalism. *Explain the relationship between the national interest and U.S. foreign policy. *Explain the role of the three branches of government in foreign policy. *Make judgments about the effectiveness of various diplomatic strategies in a variety of situations. *Distinguish between aid, sanctions, and military force as foreign policy tools.

As a new country, the United States experienced a lot of growing pains. This mini-lesson highlights some of the citizen rebellions that occurred in the nation's first decades, and how the government grew to respond. It always boiled down to one thing... money. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Recognize how various individuals and groups contributed to the development of the U.S. government. *Trace the impact of significant events that surrounded the founding of the United States. *Big Ideas: Articles of Confederation, taxation, Shay's Rebellion, Whiskey Rebellion, national debt, Fries's Rebellion, tax collectors, stronger national government

The Enlightenment was a period of time, starting around 1715, when people developed new ideas about human existence, including people's basic rights and the purpose of government. When our Founding Fathers created a government for the new United States, they embraced many Enlightenment ideas. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Analyze the ideas behind America's founding documents. *Identify the ideas of various Enlightenment thinkers who influenced America's founders. *Recognize how various individuals and groups contributed to the development of the U.S. government. *Big Ideas: salons, Age of Reason, natural rights, state of nature, social contract, consent of the governed, republicanism, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Locke

Determine if a source is credible using a table of key questions in a document. Time to complete: 45-90 minutes

Students learn the role of the executive branch in creating and carrying out laws. Through role-play, the class models the legislative and execution processes as they create a new coin in order to learn how the executive and legislative branches work together. They follow the new coin from its inception as an idea in the executive branch to its creation at the U.S. Mint.
LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify requirements for the new coin by analyzing a "Presidential Announcement." *Model the legislative process by voting for a "bill" authorizing the new coin. *Act out executive approval by accepting or vetoing the bill. *Participate in the bill's "execution" by designing a new coin. *Recall the steps of the coin-making process by completing a word bank worksheet.

Research technology's impact on the workplace and on people's daily lives, and create a report to communicate your findings. Time to complete: 2-5 hours

An online publication on banking basics. It explains what a bank is, what the different types of banks are, how to choose a bank, and how banks work. It also explains about checks, electronic banking, credit cards, debit cards, and the Federal Reserve.

Prior to this lesson learners engage in the Arcadia Earth app’s Keep the Great Lakes GREAT section to build their understanding of the Great Lakes and its importance to all animals that call this area home, including humans. Next learners explore food chains with a hands-on activity, Linking the Chain. Students then synthesize what they know about the Great Lakes, food chains and how human behaviors can affect both.

Estimated time required: 1 class period.

Technology required for this lesson: Tablet or Smartphone.

Three years before the United States entered World War II, President Roosevelt declared the South to be "the nation's number one economic problem." Georgia's economy was distinctly agricultural and low-wage, with little manufacturing compared with states in the North and Midwest. The median family income was nearly half of the national average. One year later, an influx of federal defense money established new industries, such as the Bell Aircraft plant in Marietta, and expanded existing ones, such as the J. A. Jones Construction Company in Brunswick. While 320,000 Georgians served in the United States Armed Forces, tens of thousands of Georgians repaired aircraft, built B-29 bombers, and worked in shipyards at home during the war. Meanwhile, military training was widespread throughout Georgia, occupying its fields as well as skies. Capitalizing on the state's flat coastal region and mild winters, Army airfields were installed in Savannah, Statesboro, Thomasville, and Waycross, and pilots trained in Albany, Augusta, Americus, and Douglas. Thousands of soldiers passed through Fort Benning and Fort Oglethorpe, where members of the Women's Army Corps trained for positions at home and abroad. World War II employment was crucial to the economic development of the state, ushering in the transformation to a modern, industrial, and diverse Georgia. This exhibition was created as part of the DPLA's Public Library Partnerships Project by collaborators from the Digital Library of Georgia and Georgia's public libraries. Exhibition organizers: Mandy Mastrovita and Greer Martin.

Do your students know about the U.S. census? Are they prepared to be counted? In this lesson, students learn the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the census. Students explore the importance of being informed and how the census impacts their communities. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe the census and its purpose *Identify how often the census occurs *Explain how communities are impacted by and benefit from census data *Share how to complete the census

This lesson uses the topic of cell phone service to illustrate how government and the economy are related. Students learn the difference between market, command, and mixed economies. Building on the idea of a mixed economy, the lesson discusses government limits on economic activity, including anti-trust laws, tariffs, and consumer protection. Having studied cell phone service as an example, students apply what they've learned by showing how the principles of a mixed economy work in the food production industry. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Compare the government's role in free market, command, and mixed economies. *Analyze the role of consumers, private producers, and the government in the U.S. mixed economy. *Explain the effects of government policies on the free market. *Describe how government policies allow either free or restricted trade. *Identify U.S. laws and regulations adopted to promote economic competition. *Identify U.S. laws protecting consumer rights and avenues of recourse.

This is a full unit of study from iCivics, featuring multiple lesson plans with presentations, downloadable documents, and more. In this unit, students learn about the relationship between the government and the economy. Starting with the basics of the market economy, students learn about government regulations on our market economy, where the government gets its money and what the government spends it on, and how banks and lending influence our economic system. Each lesson is a basic overview of a very broad topic and includes activities designed to show students how these topics impact their own lives.

Students learn how the American colonists grew used to governing themselves and became increasingly unhappy with British policies toward the colonies. Students follow the development of those policies to see why the colonists ultimately declared independence from Britain in order to establish their own government. Finally, students analyze the Declaration of Independence to see how it addressed the colonists' concerns. As an extension, students look at primary sources to see how the colonists' reaction to the Stamp Act was being reported in London. This lesson feeds into the lesson "Wanted: A ‘Just Right' Government," but may be taught independently. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe how British policies and responses to colonial concerns led to the writing of the Declaration of Independence. *Analyze the ideas (natural rights, role of the government) and complaints set forth in the Declaration of Independence. *Analyze the impact of the Stamp Act, Declaratory Act, Townshend Revenue Act, Quartering Act, and Intolerable Acts. *Outline the Declaration of Independence and its parts. *Evaluate the colonists' reaction to the Stamp Act using primary sources.

Economic, cultural, and military influence are all critical in developing spheres of influence. Students explore international authority by following a Cold War case study, which will encourage better understanding of international persuasion. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify the following key terms: sphere of influence, containment, capitalism, communism, propaganda, Truman Doctrine, Cold War, NATO, Warsaw Pact, and Marshall Plan. *Describe times that the U.S. has been influenced or has influenced other sovereign nations. *Explain the tension between western and eastern allies during the Cold War. *Evaluate the effect of economic, military, and cultural influence on other nations.