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The United States has 3,069 county governments acting as a bridge between state governments and the people. This lesson covers the diversity in county government structure, duties,…
What's the closest form of government to the American people? Why municipal government, of course! In this lesson, students will explore the varied functions and structures of…
As sovereign nations, American Indian and Alaska Native tribes develop and manage their own governments. This lesson examines the varied structures and functions of tribal…
Kick off this project-based unit by asking students to examine what it means to make change in the world. Students think about why people are motivated to advocate for change, what…
Do your students breeze through internet search results, easily weeding out irrelevant results and finding exactly what they need? No? This step offers a detailed look at how to…
In this step, students read and annotate the sources they identified in Step 2. The lesson discusses investigative reading and offers strategies for staying organized when faced…
No issue exists in a vacuum, so in this step, students examine the factors that contribute to the circumstances surrounding their issue to gain a deeper understanding of the issue…
In this step, students figure out who’s got a stake in their issue. They learn what stakeholders are and how to identify them, as well as why the power of numbers is important and…
Armed with information and a deep understanding of their issue, students shift into action mode in this step by writing an action plan for “moving the needle” on their issue.
Students take a “step” back in Step 7 and identify gaps in their information: What pieces of the puzzle are still missing? What information is important to have before going on? To…
To get support for an issue, you have to be able to talk about it—and in this step, students learn how to do that effectively. By developing and practicing both an elevator speech…
In this step, students get creative by developing “swag” to promote their cause. They learn principles of effective attention-grabbing that they apply to their own swag designs,…
In the culminating lesson, students learn how to design and deliver an effective slide presentation to gather support for their issue, create a 5-minute presentation targeted to a…
What separates journalism from all the other kinds of information out there? Teach students to recognize reliable reporting as they explore the tenents of high-standards reporting…
Misinformation? Disinformation?? Fake news??? Don't be fooled! Train your students to examine news stories for evidence of transparency and verification that will help them…
Strip the fear out of bias by showing students how to notice the word choices and framing that show up when bias is present in a news story. Students learn about methods…
Reality check: The news is a business! Help students learn how news providers monetize the news through advertisements and consider how the news/profit relationship affects…
Satirical news stories, like political cartoons, are meant to poke fun—not trick people. Help your students learn to spot satire and understand both the joke and the purpose of…
This mini-lesson highlights some of the most critical additions to our Constitution and how those additions guarantee students' rights.
How does Washington’s state constitution compare and contrast with the U.S. Constitution? Look no further for the answer! Guide your class through some basic similarities and…
Lesson Plan
