This lesson plan allows students to work as different parts of Congress to balance part of the budget. They work through the process of balancing the budget from resolutions to appropriations. Ultimately, they must compare their version of the budget to the President's proposal and decide whether he would sign or veto their bills!
Budgeting; appropriations; resolutions; federal budget; congressional appropriations
In this simulation-style lesson plan, students learn how to develop a personal budget. Students select careers, homes, cars, family size, and other lifestyle choices and then develop a workable budget considering those criteria. They develop an understanding of a realistic budget and the difference between wants and needs.
Budgeting; finance; budget; future; needs; wants; personal finance; money management
Students learn about how the federal government manages money. They develop an understanding of the fundamentals of federal budgeting, including revenue streams, budgetary choices, and their consequences. This lesson includes both a PowerPoint and paper option.
This lesson shows students how the government gets its budget. It leads students through each step of the legislative process that results in a federal budget. Through a PowerPoint presentation or paper reading option, students learn about the compromises and choices that go into creating a budget to fund our government!
Students explore the many roles filled by their county government and the role of county governments in a federalist system. After a close examination of the county, students create their own fictional county! Students are familiarized with fun facts about county government and analyze the transition of county development through the lense of westward expansion.
County; local government; federalism; budgeting; legislation;
Constitution Day; U.S. Constitution; Separation of Powers; Checks and Balances; Three Branches; Article I; Article II; Article III; Executive Branch; Legislative Branch; Judicial Branch; Congress; Structure of Government
Take a peek into the electoral process- from party primaries to the general election. Students will learn the distinctions between the popular vote and the Electoral College, and exercise their critical reasoning skills to analyze the differences between the presidential and congressional elections. Students will also contrast the various nomination processes and learn about the role of party conventions in American politics.
Primary Election; General Election; Caucus; Electoral College; Electors; Popular Vote; Party Conventions; Nomination; Nominee; Campaign; Acceptance Speech; Delegate; Absolute Majority
The Civil War and Reconstruction Era brought about the end of slavery and the expansion of civil rights to African Americans through the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Compare the Northern and Southern states, discover the concepts of due process and equal protection, and understand how the former Confederate states reacted to the Reconstruction Amendments.
Use primary documents and images to discover the ways state and local governments restricted the newly gained freedoms of African Americans after the Civil War. Compare, contrast, and analyze post-war legislation, court decisions (including Plessy v. Ferguson), and a political cartoon by Thomas Nast to understand life in Jim Crow states.
Jim Crow Laws; Black Codes; Segregation; Miscegenation; Public Accommodation; Ku Klux Klan; Plessy v. Ferguson; Separate But Equal; Poll Taxes; Poll Tests; White Primary; Grandfather Clause; Resistance
Discover the people, groups, and events behind the Civil Rights Movement. Learn about means of non-violent protest, opposition to the movement, and identify how it took all three branches of the federal government to effect change. Protest posters, fictional diary entries, and a map of the movement's major events develop a greater understanding of the struggle for civil rights.
Civil Rights Movement; 1950s; 1960s; Discrimination; Segregation; Activism; Protests; Boycotts; Non-violence; Marches; Integration; Brown v. Board of Education; Civil Rights Act of 1964; 24th Amendment; Voting Rights Act; Prejudice; Thurgood Marshall; Rosa Parks; Martin Luther King Jr.; Malcolm X; Lyndon B. Johnson; NAACP; SNCC; SCLC
