SS.7.CG.2.3

In this integrated civics and visual art lesson, students will review the Bill of Rights, and the historical background to its creation. Students will choose one of the five freedoms from the First Amendment. They will plan and sketch a historical work of art depicting one aspect of the events that inspired the inclusion of that freedom within the Bill of Rights.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will read two poems on the subject of women’s suffrage but from opposing viewpoints. They will identify and explain how the rhetorical devices in the texts support the authors' perspectives.

There are three lessons that can be used to complement a study of Women's Suffrage texts and help students take a new perspective by merging ELA skills with civics knowledge.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will read the 19^th Amendment and vocabulary associated with the era and subject. Students will be provided with a passage containing vocabulary and embedded context clues. After, students will complete a graphic organizer predicting definitions, examples and non-examples, visual mnemonics, etc.

There are three lessons that can be used to complement a study of Women's Suffrage Texts and help students take a new perspective by merging ELA skills with civics knowledge.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson 3 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating civics and 7^th Grade ELA. In this lesson, students will be continuing to review 9 Landmark Supreme Court cases with an opening activity requiring the students to examine the court cases and pick out key academic vocabulary. At this point, students should be ready for a final review which is a matching game. Students will match the court cases, amendments, and key academic vocabulary terms to their descriptions or definitions. This activity can be played multiple times to ensure mastery of the standards.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson 2 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating civics and 7^th Grade ELA. In this lesson students will be continuing to review 9 Landmark Supreme Court cases with an interactive PowerPoint with primary source quotes that allow students to determine the cases discussed in each of the quotes. Students will then work through an activity (Think, Write, Pair, Share) to compare and contrast two court cases that they think had the most significant impact on society.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson 1 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating civics and 7^th Grade ELA. In this lesson, students will be reviewing 9 Landmark Supreme Court cases with an interactive PowerPoint. Students will take guided notes while recognizing the constitutional principles and individual rights in these cases and how they have impacted society. Academic vocabulary will be integrated into the lesson with a culminating key academic vocab activity.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson covers the historical context of the Sunset Strip curfew riots and the song, "For What It's Worth," that was created in response to the events of November 12th leading this song to be the anthem of this movement. This lesson covers genres and styles in relation to how they can impact the meaning of the music created.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn about the origins of democratic institutions in the United States and how voting and elections play a crucial role in supporting a constitutional republic and affecting the lives of citizens.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will review and apply their knowledge of the Bill of Rights as well as the limitations of these liberties. Working in pairs, students will be presented with a scenario in which they must determine if the individual is protected by an amendment in the Bill of Rights. During the activity, the teacher will facilitate the learning process by moving around the room and offering assistance and clarification as needed. At the conclusion of the activity, the teacher will lead a class discussion on the activity, and students will complete an exit ticket.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will learn about the Bill of Rights while completing guided notes that accompany a teacher-presented slideshow. Students will then show what they know by debating which amendment in the Bill of Rights is most important.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson is part of a text unit for A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. Students will examine the meaning of citizenship, using the text and research. Students will examine the 14th Amendment and citizenship in Sudan and the 14th Amendment’s influence on individual actions and social interactions.

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

Students will write an expository text in the style of newspaper reporting. Students will write to discuss the role of the first amendment for each of the historical figures in the text, Freedom Walkers. This is the final lesson within a unit using this text.

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 lesson plan, students will trace the principles underlying America’s founding ideas on laws and government while completing guided notes that accompany a teacher-presented slideshow. Students will then show what they know by completing and submitting a short written response to a provided prompt.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will describe the trial process and role of juries in the administration of justice at both state and federal levels. Students will act out a Mock Trial and answer questions based on the process shown during the play.

Type: Lesson Plan

After close readings of Douglass’ speech from Chapter 10 and the 13th-15th amendments, students will respond to text dependent questions and consider how the changes brought by the amendments impacted Douglass’ life in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will study four landmark Supreme Court cases all dealing with First Amendment free speech issues. Students will analyze all four cases using a graphic organizer. Then students will complete a short writing assignment in which they make and support a claim about one case and the Court's decision regarding free speech.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will begin this lesson by reviewing the Bill of Rights and discussing the need for additional amendments.  Students will then collaborate to read the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th amendments in order to complete a graphic organizer.  Ultimately, students will test their knowledge of the new amendments, as well as the Bill of Rights, in a game of GO FISH!

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, student groups analyze and interpret the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution and create skits to explain rights and liberties protected in the Bill of Rights.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will apply knowledge of roles and relationships in an ecosystem to develop a defense strategy in an imaginary trial where a panther is being prosecuted for predation of deer. They will explore the roles of various consumers in an ecosystem, their places in a food web, and the impact of limiting factors on populations (and vice-versa). Along the way, students will compare the rule of nature to the rule of law that people live by and consider the importance of the 6th Amendment in protecting the rights of citizens in the United States.

Type: Lesson Plan

Learn more about the protected rights of those who are accused of a crime as outlined in the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution in this student tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn about the background of the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution with this interactive tutorial. 

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn about the individual rights protected by the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights and U.S. Constitution with this interactive tutorial. 

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Discover and explain the individual protections of the 2nd, 3rd, 9th, and 10th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn more about the individual rights protected in the 4th and 5th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution with this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In this interactive tutorial, explore several landmark cases of the Supreme Court to see how the Court's decisions have impacted the rights of individuals and society throughout American history.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In this interactive tutorial hosted by "Bill" O. Rights, learn in great detail about the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment: religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In this interactive tutorial, learn about six important amendments to the U.S. Constitution. These amendments ended slavery, ensured equal rights for all citizens, and guaranteed voting rights to women, African Americans, and other minority groups.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In this interactive tutorial, analyze all 10 Amendments that make up the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution. You'll learn not only about the rights and freedoms guaranteed by each, but also the limits of those rights.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn about the different levels of our federal judicial system, from federal district courts all the way up to the one and only Supreme Court. In this interactive tutorial, you'll also learn about the landmark Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines, which set an important precedent for students' right to free speech in schools.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

This Grade 7 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 2 at this grade level.

Type: Teaching Idea

In this source analysis activity, students will recognize and examine the Bill of Rights. They will conduct a close read of each amendment, establish the rights and freedoms provided for in each amendment, and answer analysis questions to support their learning.

Type: Teaching Idea

This Tic Tac Toe activity is intended to allow students the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the rights contained in the Bill of Rights. 

Type: Teaching Idea

Idelia Viera shares the experience of being exiled from Cuba as a young woman, with special focus on the Cuban Missile Crisis. Ms. Viera describes the difficulties her immigrant family faced and overcame in their new home, providing educational opportunities for their children she and her husband never had. Her daughter, Dr. Cristina Viera, shares her experiences growing up as the child of political refugees and talks about how her career path stems from the dreams her father had before he left Cuba.

Type: Video/Audio/Animation

Luis Martínez-Fernández was born at the beginning of the Cuban Revolution. Dr. Martínez-Fernández immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 2 years old after the Bay of Pigs Invasion. His family moved to Lima, Peru after his father was offered employment there. Dr. Martínez-Fernández’s family left Peru after the President of Peru was ousted from power. The new government in Peru concerned Dr. Martínez-Fernández’s father and the family moved to Puerto Rico where they become U.S. Citizens. Dr. Martínez-Fernández moved to the U.S. after graduation from The University of Puerto Rico. He is a Professor of History, an author, and is civically engaged through his nationally syndicated column.

Type: Video/Audio/Animation