Civics Lesson Plans

1. Budget Making- Introduce students to budgetss; learn about government services and basic expenses; and create pie charts representing government spending priorities.
2. Center for Civic Education- Selected curricular materials change monthly.
3. Citizenship City- Define "good citizen," explore ways for students to volunteer in the community, and create public service campaigns about the importance of civic responsibility.
4. City, County, Community- Define the attributes of good places to live and compare the local community to another American region.
5. Dear Presidential Diary- Develop five first-person diary entries exploring the duties and privileges of the presidency.
6. De-Coding Political Cartoons - Students will analyze several political cartoons to understand the common rhetorical strategies employed in the cartoons and how these "work" in terms of putting across a message.
7. Donkeys, Elephants, and Voters- Learn about political parties by creating new political parties and issue platforms. Plan for a mock convention.
8. Fight For Freedom- Research slavery around the world today and find out more about institutions working to end slavery.
9. Get The Word Out!- Explore issues in your community and write PSAs for local media distribution.
10. Gilded Age Politics - The learner will describe innovations in technology and business practices and assess their impact on economic, political, and social life in America.
11. Graphically Speaking- Explore the relationship between congressional representation and state population by graphing current statistics.
12. I.O.U.: An Introduction To The National Debt- Introduce the causes and consequences of national debt, relating it to personal debt, and brainstorming solutions.
13. Melting Pot- Through surveys and interviews, identify how immigrants contribute to contemporary American culture, and how they are changed by it.
14. Millennium Challenge- Explore how the Statue of Liberty symbolizes 19th century American ideals, and design a monument to symbolize late 20th century values.
15. Neighborhood Portrait- Identify the features that make your community special, through interviews and multimedia presentations.
16. Painting Presidential Portraits- Redesign U.S. paper currency to recognize six U.S. presidents and describe their significant accomplishments.
17. Paving The Way- Evaluate transportation in your community and develop a proposal to alleviate a specific transportation problem.
18. Plan A Park- Develop a proposal to expand an existing park or create a new one within your community.
19. Presidential Places Quilt- Honor past presidents and explore their connections to Washington, D.C. landmarks through research and the creation of a class "quilt."
20. Reconstruction Post Civil War - Students will be expected to analyze Political Cartoon #1 aloud in a whole class setting with the guidance of the teacher.
21. Smart Art- Using the work of Thomas Nast as introduction, explore the tools of political cartoonists and create political cartoons of your own.
22. Stowaway- Participate in on online game about immigration in the late 19th century, and create a game of your own about modern-day immigration to the U.S.
23. Tasty Mapping- Identify important governmental and institutional structures in your town by creating an edible map.
24. The Inside Story- Learn more about 19th century urban reformers, and identify problems and solutions in your own community.
25. The Perfect President- Identify the legal requirements, previous experiences, and personality traits that equip someone to be a successful president. Write a job description and a newspaper article.
26. The Union Breaks Apart - To teach the students how the civil war started and also how slavery was an issue.
27. To Vote Or Not To Vote?- Examine the history of voting rights in America, explore the current-day problem of low voter turnout, and create community surveys to evaluate different ways to improve voter registration and voter participation.
28. Trail of Discovery- Research the settlers and native populations in your community.
29. What's It Say Today?- Research a local landmark and describe its significance in your community's civic and cultural history.
30. Why Vote? A Public Awareness Campaign- Learn about the importance of government services in your town, and design a public awareness campaign about voter turnout.
31. You Make The Rules- Learn about the rules governing U.S. citizenship and create your own club with a unique charter and bylaws.