Learn about one of the hardest working passages in the U.S. Constitution: the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause. Students learn why the clause was created and discover how it has been used to expand civil rights. After, students analyze how the extension of equal protection rights has changed American society.
How to use this lesson: Use this lesson by itself or pair it with more iCivics resources, like the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and a variety of lessons from our Landmark Library. For suggestions, see the downloadable teacher resources below. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Explain what the Equal Protection Clause does and to whom it applies *Describe a reason the 14th Amendment was created *Apply the Equal Protection Clause to scenarios *Identify a change in American society that the Equal Protection Clause helped create

This is a full unit of study from iCivics, featuring multiple lesson plans with presentations, downloadable documents, and more. Students will learn about the executive branch, including the unique role and powers of the president and the function of executive departments and agencies. They will explore key facets of foreign policy and the president's role in it.

Have your students ever wanted to be President for a day? In Executive Command, students can play commander-in-chief in this video game and learn how to: Propose an agenda to Congress; Sign bills into law; Delegate new laws to the appropriate federal agency; Handle international diplomacy; Command the military during times of war. Explore all of our free election curriculum and teaching resources at our Election Headquarters. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Analyze the structure, functions, and processes of the executive branch Describe the various roles of the president: commander in chief, head diplomat, agenda setter, chief executive Identify the functions of executive cabinet positions and regulatory departments

Ever wanted to be President for a day? In Executive Command, you can be President for four years! Try to accomplish what you set as your agenda while facing the challenges and responsibilities that crop up along the way. Being commander-in-chief and chief executive is no easy job! See how you do!

Make your students' game play more meaningful by using our activity and assessment set designed specifically for Executive Command. 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. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify the powers of the Executive Branch *Describe the responsibilities of the President of the United States of America *Locate sources of presidential power within the U.S. Constitution *Recall the function of the executive cabinet and the areas that they serve

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.

Learn how America's love-hate relationship with Great Britain's government showed up in the way the Founder's designed America's government. In this lesson, students take a close look at British influence on American government by examining representation, voting, checks and balances, and the concept of a bill of rights as they learn about Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, and the British monarchy.
*Note: This lesson highlights British influence on American government. Combine this lesson with other lessons from Foundations of Government - High School to teach students about the many influences that impacted the writing of the U.S. Constitution. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Explain British influence on American government *Identify British documents that were influential in shaping the U.S. Constitution *Compare and contrast shared features of English and American government, including representation, voting, a bicameral legislature, a single executive, and a bill of rights *Analyze how America's Founders incorporated and improved upon familiar British concepts to contain tyranny in favor of liberty

In this federalism lesson plan, students learn where the federal government gets its power and that government power in the United States is split between states and the federal government. They learn about express and implied powers, distinguish between federal powers and those reserved to the states (as well as shared powers), and contrast the federalist system of government with other choices the Founders might have made. We suggest teaching our lesson "State Power: Got a Reservation? back-to-back with this lesson. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Define federalism and explain the division of power between states and the federal government. *Identify expressed, implied, reserved, and concurrent powers. *Explain the significance of the Supremacy Clause and the Necessary and Proper Clause. *Describe the ongoing tension between federal and state power. *Compare and contrast federal, confederal, and unitary forms of government. *Identify the strengths and weaknesses of federalism.

It's easy to forget how much drama surrounded the Constitution before it became the law of the land. The ratification debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists gives us insight into the ideas behind both sides and a better understanding of how our government developed in its early years. Students will analyze parts of Federalist 84 and Anti-Federalist 46. We also provide a template so you can bring in additional excerpts as your state standards require.
LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify the arguments used by the Federalists and Anti-Federalists during the ratification debate *Analyze excerpts from the Federalist Papers (#84) and Anti-Federalist Papers (#46) *Describe the importance of the Bill of Rights in the ratification debate

This mini-lesson looks at the debate, and eventual compromise, between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists that occurred around the creation of the U.S. Constitution. 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, U.S. Constitution, Anti-Federalist, Federalist, Federalist Papers, compromise, Bill of Rights, preamble

Students learn the primary responsibilities of the president and how those duties connect to the powers the Constitution grants to the Executive Branch. Students also learn about the types of issues the Executive Branch deals with and which federal agencies handle them.
LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify powers of the executive branch described in Article II of the U.S. Constitution *Describe the responsibilities of the president and vice president *Evaluate the difficulty of certain presidential responsibilities *Name the current president and vice president and their political party *Recall the length of a president's term and the number of terms to which a president may be elected *Understand presidential succession and identify the officeholders next in line to become president *Identify key departments in the executive branch

Students learn what foreign policy means. First, they learn the distinction between foreign and domestic policy. Then they find out what role the executive branch plays in foreign policy and the primary tools it uses: foreign aid, the military, and treaties. In addition, students learn how foreign policy power is shared with the legislative branch.
LESSON OBJECTIVES: Define the terms "foreign" and "domestic" by identifying common-use phrases that use these words. *Distinguish between foreign and domestic policy by analyzing examples of both. *Take notes about the three main tools the executive branch uses for foreign policy. *Determine how the executive and legislative branches share foreign policy powers by matching powers with branches. *Categorize current and historical examples of foreign policy in action by analyzing the examples and matching them with the correct foreign policy tool.

What's the relationship between government and power? And how do the concepts of authority, legitimacy, and sovereignty influence that relationship? In this lesson, students are introduced to these key characteristics of government, consider how governments establish and maintain them, and analyze government forms to determine if and how each characteristic exists. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Explain how governments get their power, authority, legitimacy, and sovereignty *Analyze governments for key characteristics *Describe the relationships power, authority, legitimacy, and sovereignty share *Consider a government's legitimacy

This is a full unit of study from iCivics, featuring multiple lesson plans with presentations, downloadable documents, and more. Students will examine the purpose, forms, and limitations on government. They will learn about key philosophers like John Locke and explore practical examples of government functions. Students will complete this unit with an understanding of different forms of government, key influences on American democratic principles, and distinguishing features of governments around the world.

We've heard a lot about the role the Founding Fathers played in the early United States, but what role did our Founding Mothers play? This mini-lesson looks at the contributions of women in the Revolutionary War and the founding of the U.S. 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: role of women in early America, Margaret Corbin, Mercy Otis Warren, Phillis Wheatley, Abigail Adams, Remember the Ladies, Revolutionary War

Students learn the role of citizens and how they can influence the government. They measure the impact of their "citizen power" on each of the three branches and learn how to target the right government official with their concerns. (Note: This lesson will be most effective if students have some background knowledge of the three branches of government.)
LESSON OBJECTIVES: Compare the role of citizens in each branch of government by filling out a comparison table. *Compare the impact of citizens on the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court. *Describe the role of the three branches. *Decide whether a variety of citizen communications have targeted the correct government officials with their requests.

This is a full unit of study from iCivics, featuring multiple lesson plans with presentations, downloadable documents, and more. For your convenience, we've added lessons from our Geography Library to related units. But you can still view the full library right here!

This mini-lesson looks at George Mason's role in the founding of the U.S. Even though he never served as a president and refused to sign the Constitution, Mason's work in Virginia and with the Anti-Federalists earn him a place with the Founding Fathers. 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: Founding Father, individual liberties, slavery, anti-federalist, wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Virginia Constitution

This mini-lesson looks at the variety of roles that George Washington played in America's early years. From commanding the Continental Army, to presiding over the Constitutional Convention, to setting the standard for the American presidency, Washington led the way. 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: military leadership, President of Constitutional Convention, setting precedents as first president, executive branch, presidential cabinet

Where do we draw the line? Use this infographic to find out how redistricting turns into gerrymandering, and how gerrymandering can negatively impact people in those districts. This resource shows students actual examples of gerrymandered districts and how the Supreme Court decides if the gerrymandering is legal.
We suggest you start with Mini-Lesson: Gerrymandering to introduce your students to the process of redistricting. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Define redistricting and gerrymandering *Explain packing and cracking *Recognize the negative impact of racial gerrymandering