Lesson Plans
Civics, Civility, and Collaboration in the Courtroom: What Makes a Good Judge?
This lesson introduces young students to what a judge is and what they do in court settings. Then it explores what qualities and skills a judge must possess and use in order to be effective. This discussion may be scaled up or down depending on students’ understanding. To facilitate discussion there are three prompts that may be used in any combination appropriate for students’ understanding.
The First Amendment, Protests, Community Safety, and Civility
During this lesson, students will explore various protests and public rallies and then review Supreme Court cases dealing with protests, civil rights, community safety and the First Amendment. Students then have an option to view a video on the power of protests for civil rights movements.
Should adults in our democracy participate in one year of mandatory national service?
This is a Structured Academic Deliberation that considers the question about mandatory national service. Students read a background report that draws from several sources, including the 2020 report, “Inspired to Serve,” from the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service, and then consider arguments related to the question.