The following lesson plans have been prepared by Vote Smart as a resource for teachers of government and social studies.
Lessons for Grades K-2
- Lesson 1 - What is a Representative?
- Lesson 2 - Why Are Representatives Important?
- Lesson 3 - What Should We Ask Our Representative?
- Lesson 4 - Writing a Letter to Our Representatives
Lessons for Grades 3-5
- Lesson 1 - Who is in Charge? The 3 Levels of Government
- Lesson 2 - What Makes a Speech?
- Lesson 3 - Respecting Opinions
- Lesson 4 - Let's Take a Vote
Lessons for Grades 6-8
- Lesson 1 - The Three Branches of Government
- Lesson 2 - The Legislative Branch
- Lesson 3 - How a Bill Becomes a Law
- Lesson 4 - Three Levels of Government
- Lesson 5 - Finding and Writing Representatives
- Lesson 6 - Unit Wrap Up
Lessons for Grades 9-10
- Lesson 1 - What is a Special Interest Group?
- Lesson 2 - The Role of Special Interest Groups
- Lesson 3 - Politicians and Special Interest Groups
- Lesson 4 - Special Interest Group Ratings
Lessons for Grades 11-12
- Intro Lesson
- Lesson 1 - The Political Spectrum
- Lesson 2 - Special Interest Groups (SIGs) Jeopardy
- Lesson 3 - Creating a Campaign Website
- Lesson 4 - Unbiased Research Writing
- Lesson 5 - Finding Your Political Match
The K-12 civics curriculum 'Civics Matters' was written by teachers for teachers.
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