This 11-minute video and accompanying lesson plans explore the ways reapportionment and redistricting affect how and by whom the people are represented. Students will examine interactive resources to explore how changing district lines can affect the balance of partisan power, and evaluate criteria for drawing district lines. They will experiment with interactive maps to see both historic and contemporary changes to the balance of power among states, and discover who has power within those states to redraw the lines. These activities ask students to examine primary sources, pose questions for investigation and gather additional narratives.

This lesson is not under an open license; however it is provided free for educational services.

Jennifer Connell was called the “Worst Aunt Ever” on Twitter after she sued her cousin’s son over a broken wrist. The story, full of misinformation and inaccuracies, went viral. This video and accompanying lesson plan helps students learn how to fact-check a sensational story using a technique called lateral reading.

This lesson is not under an open license; however it is provided free for educational services.

These lessons concern the United States Constitution Article 1 concerning the establishment and purpose of the Legislative Branch of the three branches of the US Government.

Students will learn about the attack on Pearl Harbor and the US response of the Pearl Harbor Day observance.

In the first bend of this unit, students will closely read multiple perspectives on the “American Dream” in
order to collect information to use and integrate that information into an evidence-based perspective.
Students will examine primary and secondary source documents to make informed decisions about
what information to collect that may inspire their writing about “The American Dream.”

In the second bend of this unit, students will engage in a short-research process to create a draft of
argumentative speech on the “American Dream” with a specific purpose, audience, and tone in mind.
They will use their inquiry research questions from bend one to begin analyzing search results and citing
and gathering relevant, accurate, and credible information.

This document describes a series of lessons in the Social Sciences, all of which are tied to the exploration of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as a Primary Source Document. They are designed to be given to 9th or 10th grade students in a World History, Cultural Geography, or similar social science class. They are specifically designed to teach the Common Core Standards for Literacy in the Social Sciences, and to engage higher order thinking skills.

Of the three branches of our government, many believe that the most important is the one directly elected by "We the People": the legislative branch, represented by the two houses of the U.S. Congress at the Capitol building. Join a group of middle schoolers on a tour of Washington, D.C. as they learn about the Constitution and what it means to be "We the People." The "We the People" videos are produced in collaboration with the U.S. Capitol Historical Society.

The Wind River Reservation contains some of the most unique features in Wyoming. Visitors to the reservation usually tour burial sights of Chief Washakie and Sacagawea. However, the significant contributions of these historical figures are sometimes overlooked.

In the accompanying lessons plans (found in the Support Materials), contributions of Washakie and Sacajawea will be highlighted, and stress the importance of teaching and learning about the unique history, culture, and contemporary contributions of Wyoming’s tribes on the Wind River Reservation in a culturally responsive manner.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Students will identify leadership traits.
Students will obtain an understanding of the purpose behind learning about the Arpahoho and Shoshone people.
Students will analyze how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance to understand the continuing evolution of governments and to demonstatre civic responsibility.