Essential Question: Why should you care about power, politics, and government?

In an Experiential Exercise, students participate in a trading game to explore how people gain and exercise power.

Essential Question: How should political and economic power be distributed in a society?

In a Response Group activity, students participate as representatives at a constitutional convention charged with creating a stable government and economic system for a fictitious country that has just achieved independence.

Essential Question: What ideas gave birth to the world's first modern democratic nation?

In an Experiential Exercise, groups walk through the Capitol's National Statuary Hall to interview historical figures about key ideas that influenced democratic government in the United States.

Essential Question: How and why did the framers distribute power in the Constitution?

In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students delve into the Constitution during three engaging challenges that require them to examine specific provisions of the document as well as its overarching principles.

Why Teach This Lesson?

Essential Question: How are your rights defined and protected under the Constitution?

In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, students simulate a Supreme Court hearing on a first amendment case that focuses on a conflict of rights.

Essential Question: How does power flow through our federal system of government?

In a Response Group activity, students discuss three case studies illustrating the challenge to define national and state powers in the federal system.

Essential Question: How can you make a difference in a democracy?

In a Visual Discovery activity, students examine case studies to identify the forms of civic participation which individuals or groups have used to effect change on the local, national, or international level.

Essential Question: Political parties and interest groups: How do they influence our political decisions?

In an Experiential Exercise, groups create informational websites about presidential candidates and interest groups before participating in a "meet and greet" to learn about the relationship between politicians and interest groups.

Essential Question: To what extent do the media influence your political views?

In an Experiential Exercise, students work in groups to analyze persuasive techniques and then create and evaluate campaign commercials for presidential candidates.

Why Teach This Lesson?

Essential Question: Elections and voting: Why should they matter to you?

In an Experiential Exercise, students participate in various parts of the presidential electoral process from state primaries to the electoral college.

Essential Question: What makes an effective legislator?

In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students act as staff members for a newly elected member of Congress and learn important aspects of being an effective legislator.

Why Teach This Lesson?

Essential Question: How do laws really get made?

In an Experiential Exercise, students create a mock House of Representatives, learning about key steps in the legislative process and the factors that influence the law-making process.

Essential Question: What qualities do modern presidents need to fulfill their many roles?

In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, groups create interactive exhibits on "a day in the life of" a modern president for four presidential libraries and museums.

Why Teach This Lesson?

Essential Question: Does the federal government budget and spend your tax dollars wisely?

In a Social Studies Skill Builder, students recommend a spending plan for the president to submit to Congress.

Essential Question: How is the U.S. judicial system organized to ensure justice?

In a Response Group activity, students carefully analyze sets of primary source documents and images to determine which courts produced them.

Essential Question: From doing the crime to doing time: How just is our criminal justice system?

In a Writing for Understanding activity, students review the criminal case of a death row inmate and write an amicus brief supporting or opposing the inmate's claim that his constitutional rights were denied.

Why Teach This Lesson?

Essential Question: How should the United States conduct foreign policy?

In a Response Group activity, students assume the roles of members of the National Security Council to advise the president on three foreign policy issues.

Essential Question: How effective are international organizations in responding to global issues?

In an Experiential Exercise, students assume the role of delegates to the United Nations to debate a resolution on global climate change.