Economics and Civics

Does my vote count? Teaching the electoral college

Students will learn about the electoral process and its history through reading, research, and discussion. They will then convene a constitutional convention to debate altering this process.

Format: lesson plan (grade 10 Social Studies)

By David Walbert.

Liberation and Deliberation: The North Carolina Ratification Debates of 1788

This lesson focuses on the deliberations over ratification of the US Constitution by the North Carolina legislators. In particular it traces the arguments of the Federalists and Anti-federalists found in the primary sources digitized in the Documenting the American South collection.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 and 10–12 Social Studies)

By Mark Laskowski.

Lesson plans on the web

Congressional committees and the legislative process

Introduces students to the pivotal role that Congressional committees play in the legislative process, focusing on how their own Congressional representatives influence legislation through their committee appointments. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 10 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities

The Great Depression and the 1990s

Students will use the American Memory Project's American Life Histories and other government resources to explore the origins of the welfare state and will then evaluate the need for such programs in the present. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 10–12 Social Studies and English Language Arts)

Provider: Library of Congress/American Memory Project