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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…
Meet your PALS—Power, Authority, Legitimacy, and Sovereignty! In this lesson, students are introduced to these characteristics of government and consider how…
Where did democracy get its start? In this lesson, students learn about direct democracy in Athen's and Rome's republic, how each took shape, and the ideas our Founders borrowed…
Did Cellar breach the contract? Or was there no contract to begin with? Let students decide in this scripted trial simulation. Got a 1:1 classroom?
Many pieces play a part in carrying out our nation’s foreign policy—and they don’t always get along. In this lesson, students learn what foreign policy is, discover the agencies…
How much influence does the media have on the public’s perception of current issues? In this mini-lesson, students explore where news and information come from and how the media…
Politicians are everywhere—talk shows, radio, news reports, and social media. But why are they there? In this mini-lesson, students explore how elected officials use the mass media…
Can a person really influence public policy? Yes, and in multiple ways. In this lesson, students discover who and how different groups influence public policy. With a case study…
Why does it take so long for a public policy to be enacted? In this lesson, students take a deep dive into the six steps involved in creating public policy and the obstacles…
Are your students researching a public policy? Help them through the process with this graphic organizer. It guides students through narrowing down a topic, answering questions…
What are our nation’s fundamental values? In this lesson, students learn what our nation’s core values are and what influenced them. Students examine primary documents and…
Lesson Plan