Lesson Plans for America's 250th
Designed by teachers to help students navigate our nation’s history and constitutional principles using trusted, nonpartisan resources.
Promises and Protections: Are Rights Equal for Everyone?
Students will investigate whether natural rights have been equally protected for all people in the United States throughout history. Through analysis of constitutional rights, Jim Crow laws, voting rights expansion, and civic discussion, students will examine how rights and freedoms have been protected, limited, and expanded over time.
Protecting Natural Rights: The Bill of Rights and Government Power
Students will investigate how governments protect people’s natural rights by examining the Bill of Rights, grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence, and different forms of government. Through source analysis, collaborative discussion, and constructive dialogue activities, students will evaluate how democratic governments protect individual freedoms and how constitutional rights continue to shape civic life today.
The Power of Your Voice!
In this lesson, students will investigate the meaning of natural rights, their place in the Declaration of Independence, and the role of citizens in protecting these rights. Students will engage in small-group deliberation, utilize a myriad of resources, and ultimately engage in a student voice project. By the end of the lesson students will have seen several examples of fellow students engaging in active citizenship, and how they might exercise their own voice.