American Government for Teachers

For American Government: Free Use lesson plans, classroom activities, interactive activities, simulations, debates, mock trial, primary documents, learning modules for kids, review activities, concluding activities, and projects written by us and by other teachers for American government.

61 terrific lesson plans with handouts for American Government - most set up for discussion and debate

Government UNITS and Lesson Plans from iCivic

Library of Congress - American Government Lesson Plans

Center for Civic Education - Lesson Plans

Projects and Classroom Activities

Donn, Projects and Classroom Activities for American Government

Forms of Government, What is Government?

What is government? Types of government lesson plan

First and Second Continental Congress

Lost Hero: The "To Do" List of the Continental Congress

The Continental Congress - Complain, Complain

Colonial C-Span - 1st and 2nd Continental Congress

Articles of Confederation

To Form a More Perfect Union - Identifying Defeats in the Confederation (Articles of Confederation)

EDSITEment - search for Articles of Confederation

Declaration of Independence

Donn, The Declaration of Independence - Rewrite the Declaration

Donn, Declaration of Independence Lesson Plan (from our American Revolution Unit)

“An Expression of the American Mind”: Understanding the Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Independence lesson plan

July 4th Lesson Plans & Activities

Sources of Law (iCivics)

US Constitution

Donn, Things that are NOT in the Constitution (some may surprise you!) - We like to start with what IS NOT in the Constitution, and then move to WHAT IS in the Constitution.

Teaching the Constitution - videos, lesson plans, and games (excellent source of what is in the Constitution)

Constitutional Community (35 lesson plans)

Preamble and the Constitution

The Constitutional Convention of 1787

What are my rights? Exploring and Writing about the constitution (lesson plan)

The Constitution: Principles & Structures of American Democracy

Bill of Rights, Amendments

Bill of Rights Day (Dec 15)

Amendments 1-27 - list (amendments that passed)

Bill of Rights (lesson #2 of Constitution unit)

Donn, Give examples of what you can do today in your everyday life that are protected by the Bill of Rights.

Donn, Write an amendment to the Constitution about which you feel strongly today. Use the language of the existing Constitution.

The Language of Deception, lesson plan, Free Speech

Civil Liberties as expressed in the Bill of Rights, reinforced with the 14th amendment - videos, handouts, lesson plans

Donn, Interactive Quiz about the Bill of Rights

3 Branches, Checks and Balances

Checks and Balances, lesson plan

Congress Link lesson plans

Balancing 3 Branches of Government (lesson)

Sortify: 3 Branches of Government, who does what game

How does a bill become a law?

How a Bill Becomes a Law (lesson plan)

US Congress - House and Senate

Congress Link

Supreme Court

Lesson Plans for FDR and the Supreme Court

Donn, Plessy vs. Ferguson

That's Not Fair! Examining Civil Liberties With the U.S. Supreme Court

ALEX Lesson Plan- Read All About It! Supreme Court Case Makes Headlines

Thurgood Marshall was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967 (lesson plan)

Mock Trials

Guidelines for Conducting a Mock Trial in the Classroom

Mock Trial: Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf

Political Parties

Donn, Mr. Donn's Lesson Plan: Comparing two political platforms - Populist Party vs. Tea Party

Gallopade for Teachers (lesson plans, free downloads and materials)

Democrat or Republican

Media and Influence Groups

iCivic lesson plan, media and influence groups

Elections and Voting

Could Lincoln be elected today? Critical thinking lesson plan

Improving Elections, lesson plan

The Election Collection (pbs)

Voting, What's it all about? lesson plan

Voting Matters, activity

Project Vote Smart

Voting - 22 resources

Electoral College

What is the Electoral College? Why do we have it?

Lesson on the Electoral College

State and Local Government

iCivics - several

Suffrage Movement

Women's Suffrage lesson plan (EDSITEment)

Cultural Change - Debate, Woman's Suffrage

19th Amendment - Woman's Suffrage

Free Use Video Clips

Free Use Video Clips

For Kids - Free Interactive Online Games and Quizzes

Donn, American Government for Kids (short learning modules)

Games: Online Interactive Games about American Government - flash games have been removed

Quiz with answers: Quiz about the US Constitution and other important documents (mrdonn)

Ben's Guides to Government