Standard 1: Foundations of Government, Law and the American Political System

In this lesson plan, teachers will assist students in developing an understanding of the principles of the U.S. Constitution as highlighted in the Preamble. Students will then develop a few classroom rules and create a classroom preamble to understand how and why governments are important in organizing societies.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson #6 in the text unit series for Abraham Lincoln: A Life of Honesty by Tonya Leslie.

This lesson is meant for students to look closely at the events, and their cause and effect relationships, that led to the abolision of slavery in the United States. Students will complete a graphic organizer and write a summary explaining their findings.

This unit will help students explain why the United States Constitution is an important document that protects the rights of American citizens, the responsibilities of the United States government, and how Abraham Lincoln is an important symbol of the United States Government.

Students will engage in a read aloud spread out over several lessons emphasizing vocabulary, central idea, research, expository and opinion writing, and collaboration in groups.

The teacher will facilitate vocabulary instruction, student research, determination of central ideas, student presentation, expository and opinion writing, and group collaboration to help students demonstrate why the United States Constitution is an important document.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this 3rd grade Social Studies lesson, students explore the Preamble of the Constitution and learn key terms related to it. Through discussions, examples, and group activities, students understand the meaning of terms such as "common," "constitution," and "justice." They also grasp the significance of phrases like "We the People" and "consent of the governed." The lesson emphasizes cooperation, fairness, and well-being within a community. Students actively participate, reflect on personal connections, and complete assessments to demonstrate their understanding. By the end of the lesson, students gain a deeper understanding of the Preamble, key terms, and the values that shape a fair and just society.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson #2 in the text unit series for Father of the Constitution: A Story about James Madison by Barbara Mitchell. The focus of this lesson is Chapter 5. Students will consider why the author chose to title the chapter "Something Most Important". Additionally, students will discuss why a constitution is needed.

This unit of study is about the Father of the Constitution, James Madison. Through this unit, students will follow the life of James Madison, creating a timeline of events that led to the creation of the U.S. Constitution and the democratic government system still in use today. Students will research, develop an argumentative debate, and vote as they read the text. Students will realize that this process prepared Madison for the writing of the U.S. Constitution. Students will engage in the expository writing process to construct a Classroom Constitution that aligns with the school’s vision and mission statements.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson #9 in the text unit series for Abraham Lincoln: A Life of Honesty by Tonya Leslie. Students will research Abraham Lincoln and another United States President using the computer or books. They will then write an expository essay comparing and contrasting the two presidents.

This unit will help students explain why the United States Constitution is an important document that protects the rights of American citizens, the responsibilities of the United States government, and how Abraham Lincoln is an important symbol of the United States Government.

Students will engage in a read aloud spread out over several lessons emphasizing vocabulary, central idea, research, expository and opinion writing, and collaboration in groups.

The teacher will facilitate vocabulary instruction, student research, determination of central ideas, student presentation, expository and opinion writing, and group collaboration to help students demonstrate why the United States Constitution is an important document.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson #4 in the text unit series for Abraham Lincoln: A Life of Honesty by Tonya Leslie. Students will write an opinion paragraph about whether or not they think Abraham Lincoln was an effective U.S. President.

This unit will help students explain why the United States Constitution is an important document that protects the rights of American citizens, the responsibilities of the United States government, and how Abraham Lincoln is an important symbol of the United States Government.

Students will engage in a read aloud spread out over several lessons emphasizing vocabulary, central idea, research, expository and opinion writing, and collaboration in groups.

The teacher will facilitate vocabulary instruction, student research, determination of central ideas, student presentation, expository and opinion writing, and group collaboration to help students demonstrate why the United States Constitution is an important document.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson #1 in the text unit series for Abraham Lincoln: A Life of Honesty by Tonya Leslie. Students will be learning vocabulary specific to the content in the text in order to build background knowledge. Students will be using the glossary and background knowledge to define the vocabulary words.

This unit will help students explain why the United States Constitution is an important document that protects the rights of American citizens, the responsibilities of the United States government, and how Abraham Lincoln is an important symbol of the United States Government.

Students will engage in a read aloud spread out over several lessons emphasizing vocabulary, central idea, research, expository and opinion writing, and collaboration in groups.

The teacher will facilitate vocabulary instruction, student research, determination of central ideas, student presentation, expository and opinion writing, and group collaboration to help students demonstrate why the United States Constitution is an important document.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is Lesson 7 in the text unit series for Vote! by Eileen Christelow. After a close read of pages 30-33 of the text, students will have the opportunity to voice their choice by voting. Students will create their own ballot to vote on a topic, and then host a mini election in class. Students will also focus on summarizing the text using the central idea and relevant details.

This unit will explain voting in the United States. Unit lessons include duties of responsible citizens for voting, the voting process, responsibilities of candidates, and voting outcomes. Teacher will utilize a read aloud over several lessons incorporating text structure, text features, figurative language, and the use of multimedia in presentations. Teachers will facilitate research to help students create a presentation.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson #5 in the text unit series for Father of the Constitution, A Story about James Madison by Barbara Mitchell. The students will review how James Madison researched the governments of strong nations across history. The students will review the issues that states were having and discuss issues in their school. Students will develop pocket notes about their opinions of how the school needs to change to improve its governing system. Students will include their opinion, reasons for their opinion, and whether the change should be controlled at the school or classroom level. They will look at the rights of the students, how the school is organized, and the security, and services the school provides for students. The students will orally present their opinions to the class and allow for debate using oral presentation skills.

This unit of study is about the Father of the Constitution, James Madison. Through this unit, students will follow the life of James Madison, creating a timeline of events that led to the creation of the U.S. Constitution and the democratic government system still in use today. Students will research, develop an argumentative debate, and vote, as they read the text. Students will realize that his process prepared Madison for the writing of the U.S. Constitution. Students will engage in the expository writing process to construct a Classroom Constitution that aligns with the school’s vision and mission statements.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

This resource goes over the purpose of government from the smallest units (families) to the larger ones (countries).  Students then focus on the United States Constitution and explain the concept of "we the people" and "consent of the governed."

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will explore the purpose of voting and how it impacts their community. The lesson's warm-up examines voting in a classroom to elicit student prior knowledge. The next activity allows students to learn more about the voting process through a "gallery walk." The concluding activity requires students to put their knowledge into action by creating a poster to encourage people to vote. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will explain how the U.S. Constitution’s Preamble establishes the purpose and fulfills the need for government by identifying examples of how the government protects rights, provides security, and offers services.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will explore the history and meaning behind the celebration of Constitution Day and explain how the Constitution impacts our lives today. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, teachers will assist students in describing the concepts of consent, representation, and the interaction between the needs of the people and responsiveness of government.

Type: Lesson Plan

This Grade 3 Civics Family Guide provides some ideas and activities to support civics education when at home, out and about, and in the community. The activities provided align to the civics learning benchmarks within Standard 1 at this grade level.

Type: Teaching Idea