Make your students' game play more meaningful by using our activity and assessment set designed specifically for Convene the Council. 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 offer Google Slides and are designed for use with projectors or interactive whiteboards.

In Counties Work, students learn about local government by playing a county official responding to citizen requests. They will explore questions like: Are citizens making sensible requests? Which county department can best address a citizen's concern? Should taxes be raised or lowered to maintain a balanced budget? How will citizens react-and what's the best action when crisis strikes? For English and Multilingual Learners: Use the support tool, Spanish translation, voiceover and glossary. This game was made with support from the National Association of Counties. The Spanish translation and support for English and Multilingual Learners was made with support from the Jane Nelson Institute for Women's Leadership at Texas Woman's University. LEARNING 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

Make your students' game play more meaningful by using our activity and assessment set designed specifically for Counties Work. 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

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

Do your students want to try their hand at running their own Texas county government? In Counties Work: Texas, they can! They will need to stay on top of resident requests as they develop the local community, make important budgeting decisions, and solve crises that pop-up along the way. In Counties Work: Texas students will: Create their own Texas county, parish, or borough government; Review and address Texan resident needs and requests; Address community crises through strategic action; Manage the annual budget through property and sales tax adjustments and spending choices; Grow the community through expansion opportunities. For English and Multilingual Learners: Use the support tool, Spanish translation, voiceover and glossary. This game was made with support from the Jane Nelson Institute for Women's Leadership at Texas Woman's University. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Simulate the role of county government, including organization, responsibilities, and services Consider how a budget and major sources of local revenue affect both services and citizens Identify appropriate resources and departments of county government to solve problems

Meet the departments doing all of the important jobs that make your county work! Students will discover the impact of local government with this printable infographic that introduces the most common county departments and what they do. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Understand the ways local government impacts communities *Recognize the responsibilities county departments carry out

This is a full unit of study from iCivics, featuring multiple lesson plans with presentations, downloadable documents, and more. County Solutions is a lesson-based civic action project you can do with your students right in the classroom! We've broken down the project into nine steps for middle school and ten more research-intensive steps for high school, with one lesson per step. Students examine the broad context of their issues—including the role of county and other levels of government—and focus on bringing about local change using strategies tailored to their individual issues. When you've finished the unit, students will have a completed action plan to resolve a community issue. Whether you ask students to take it beyond that is up to you!

This resource was created with support from the National Association of Counties

Tell your students to grab the keys and get behind the wheel! It's their turn to drive the Justice Express in our new version of Court Quest. Assign the game and allow them to explore our state and federal courts systems by helping their passengers navigate through the American judicial system. For English and Multilingual Learners: Use the support tool, Spanish translation, voiceover and glossary. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Distinguish between the federal and state court systems Identify the types and levels of courts within each system Evaluate case scenarios to send citizens to the correct court

Make your students' game play more meaningful by using our activity and assessment set designed specifically for Court Quest. 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!
This Extension Pack uses Google Slides and is designed for use with projectors or interactive whiteboards. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Distinguish between the federal and state court systems *Identify the types and levels of courts within each system *Evaluate case scenarios to send citizens to the correct court

No one person invented the kind of government that we have in the U.S. This mini-lesson looks at two early governments that inspired the system that we have today: Athenian democracy, and the Roman Republic. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify the historical roots of direct and representative democracy in the classical period *Determine the differences between direct and representative democracy *Big Ideas: Athenian democracy, Roman republic, consent of the governed, direct democracy, representative democracy, citizen participation in government

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.

Take a close look at the structure of Athenian democracy and how it influenced the U.S. government. In this lesson, students explore the democratic ideals and practices of the ancient Greeks and search for evidence of them in the U.S. Constitution. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify political institutions and principles in ancient Athenian democracy *Explain the organization of Athenian democracy and the importance of citizenship *Analyze the purpose, strengths, and shortcomings in the rules and structure of Athenian democracy *Discover aspects of Athenian democracy found in the U.S. Constitution

In Do I Have a Right? students run their own firm of lawyers specializing in constitutional law. They decide if potential clients have a right, match them with the best lawyer, and win their case. The more clients you serve and the more cases you win, and the faster your law firm grows! Do I Have Right? includes: Full edition or a Bill of Rights edition; Option to play in English language or Spanish language; Option to hear or mute English voiceover, music, and/or sound effects. Planning to play Do I Have a Right? on Constitution Day? Explore our Constitution Day collection to find more resources. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Identify rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, and 26th Amendments Recall the specific amendment that guarantees a particular right Recognize complaints not involving constitutional rights

Make your students' gameplay more meaningful by using our constitutional rights activity and assessment set designed specifically for Do I Have a Right?. 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 require PowerPoint and are designed for use with projectors or interactive whiteboards.
This Extension Pack now includes English language learner (ELL) supports. We've included tips and practice that help make differentiated instruction a breeze. Best of all, new instructional scaffolds now mean this lesson is adaptable for a wide range of learners!
Do I Have a Right? and its Extension Pack are correlated according to WIDA's methodology using the WIDA PRIME V2 Inventory. To see how these materials best meet your ELL students' needs, click here. (Note: PRIME stands for Protocol for Review of Instructional Materials for ELLs.) LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe the arguments for and against listing people's rights in the Constitution (Bill of Rights). *Identify key rights granted by the Bill of Rights and the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, and 26th Amendments *Recall the specific amendment that guarantees a particular right *Recognize complaints not involving constitutional rights

This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court decision that determined that Dred Scott, having lived in a free territory, was not entitled to his freedom. Students learn about the impact of the Court's decision, and how it was a stepping-stone to the Civil War. Students also examine the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments which overturned the decision, and the black codes that were passed in some states to weaken them. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Define freedom and rights *Identify the main arguments put forth in the case *Identify the impact of the Supreme Court's decision on Black people and communities in the United States *Describe the rationale behind the Supreme Court's decision *Explain the impact of the Court's decision on the Civil War and the passing of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments

This mini-lesson explores the Supreme Court's decision regarding a company's discrimination against a Muslim woman during the hiring process. Students learn how Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits workplace discrimination, and then they identify religious discrimination in multiple workplace scenarios. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe the rights protected by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 *Identify the main arguments put forth in the case *Describe the rationale behind the Supreme Court's decision *Identify examples of religious discrimination in the workplace *Evaluate opinions about an issue and express their own

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

Take a peek into the electoral process with this lesson - from party primaries to the general election. Students will learn the distinctions between the popular vote and the Electoral College, and exercise their critical reasoning skills to analyze the differences between the presidential and congressional elections. Students will also contrast the various nomination processes and learn about the role of party conventions in American politics.
Love this lesson? Explore all of our free election curriculum and teaching resources at our Election Headquarters. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe the electoral process in primary and general elections. *Compare the popular vote with the Electoral College as a means to elect government officials. *Explain how a candidate can be elected without receiving the majority of the popular vote. *Contrast primaries and caucuses as ways to nominate someone within a political party. *Explain the role of local, state and national conventions in political parties. *Identify key dates for national elections.

This mini-lesson examines the Supreme Court's ruling that the 14th Amendment's Citizenship Clause did not apply to American Indians born on Native reservations. Students analyze a primary document and discover how the lack of citizenship affected the lives and cultures of Native Americans. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Explain the 14th Amendment's definition of citizenship *Identify the main arguments in the case *Describe the rationale behind the Supreme Court's decision *Identify the impact of the Court's decision on American Indians in the United States

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