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Explore the presidential veto and pocket veto powers, their role as a negotiating tool, and the Congressional veto override process. Students also learn how to use fact-checking…
Teach students about presidential pardons, commutations, and the limitations on these powers. What's more, students learn about fact-checking websites and how to conduct an…
Learn about unilateral presidential appointments, nominations, and the Senate confirmation process. Then investigate the role the media plays as a gatekeeper and agenda setter in…
Discover how presidents use executive orders to wield power and how the legislative and judicial branches support and challenge these measures. Then take a look at what fair and…
Review the official presidential line of succession and read about its origins. Students also learn how to detect satire in a news literacy-related activity.
Discover the different types of congressional committees and their responsibilities. What's more, teach students about bias and balanced reporting. In the closing activity,…
First, teach students about filibusters and how and why senators use them. Next, help students develop their news literacy skills by taking a look at how news coverage of a…
Learn about the electoral advantage that favors incumbents and the benefits and drawbacks of reelecting members of Congress. Then, put students' news literacy skills to work as…
Students try their hand at a simplified districting exercise and learn about the common gerrymandering practices of packing and cracking districts. Students then explore the…
Students learn about midterm elections, their role as a referendum on the presidency, and how a shift in party control impacts the legislative and executive branches. Page two of…
Learn about the judicial philosophies of activism and restraint. In the second half of the lesson, students learn about opinion journalsim and explore criteria through which they…
Students work through the writing process by creating an outline for or against banning band t-shirts in schools. Students organize the information from their idea web into an…
Prepare students for persuasive writing by introducing them to the concept of making an argument. Students discover there’s a difference between “arguing” and making an argument in…
Students meet Ben Brewer and find out what happened the day he decided to wear his favorite band t-shirt to school in violation of a new dress code rule. Students read a summary of…
In order to build arguments for their essays, students examine evidence about whether band t-shirts were disruptive at Ben’s school. Students think critically to filter out…
Students begin to organize their arguments and evidence both for and against the rule banning band t-shirts. Students learn the necessity of clear organization, generate main and…
Students meet “Yabbut Rabbit” and learn how to flesh out the support for their arguments by developing counterargument. Using the technique they learn in this lesson, students add…
As a precursor to writing a rough draft, students learn that you can’t ignore evidence for the other side of an argument. Students learn how to use complex sentences to minimize…
Students make direct connections between the format of an outline and the organization in an essay. Using side-by-side examples, students see how the outline translates into a…
Lesson Plan