Briefly reviews the history surrounding the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Presents a facsimile of Delaware's 200 year-old ratification document and suggests six activities for its use with secondary level students. (JDH)

Notes that lesson plans in English classes are unlike those in many disciplines, because the human factors involved often cause unpredictable elements. Points out that fantasy and spiritual inspiration often come into play when teachers put together language arts lesson plans. (SKC)

This lesson provides a simulation in which upper elementary and middle school students establish classroom routines, participate in decision-making activities, improve their understanding of the Constitutional Convention, and differentiate among the three branches of government. (BSR)

Presents a lesson plan which uses "Water," by Iri and Toshi Maruki, to provide students in grades 4-6 with an approach to artwork which deals with devastating current events. Students explore artistic collaboration, Japanese beliefs, contemporary conflicts, and contradictory meanings in images. Includes background information,…

Presents a lesson plan which analyzes and discusses the U.S. Constitution in relation to the constitutions of other countries. States that this international approach offers a deeper understanding of the document and promotes a greater appreciation of it as students examine the values that underlie their rights and responsibilities. (GEA)

Presents a lesson for grades 4-12 which examines the attorney's role in court. Provides presentation guidelines for a visiting attorney and includes a classroom role play which can help students understand a lawyer's role in a trial and the way in which questions are used to prove a case. (GEA)

Reviews a Document Reading Activity Packet (DRAP) revolving around the "Fort Washington Incident" of the War of 1812 and the resulting court martial of Captain Samuel T. Dyson. Explains this exercise is designed to stimulate students' interest in their own state histories as well as stimulate their curiosity for further research. (BSR)

Offers an instructional unit about city-states in Ancient Greece and provides an instructional design model that may be used in similar efforts. Appropriate for grades 6-12, this unit acquaints students with Greek city-states, their locations, main characteristics, social and political structures, origins, and evolution. (GEA)

Presents a lesson plan which uses role playing to teach secondary students about sectionalism and its effects on a nation. Set during the Constitutional Convention, students, as participants, learn about the three main areas of conflict, the viewpoints of each section of the country, and the importance of compromise as they argue and defend their…

Presents a six-day lesson in which two different classes role play the U.S. House and U.S. Senate to simulate the bicameral nature of the U.S. government. Students use actual federal or state legislation or write their own bills, and then work through the process of passing them into law or rejecting them. (GEA)

Presents a three-day lesson, which requires students to evaluate selected Supreme Court cases and determine how they think the cases were decided and which amendments were applicable. Includes eighteen cases for student deliberation, followed by the actual Supreme Court decisions. (GEA)

Provides a lesson plan for high school students which addresses how the electoral college elects the President and Vice President of the United States. The content of the lesson is divided into five interrelated parts which are distributed to separate groups of students. The students must share their group work to complete the lesson. (JDH)

Describes a lesson plan used to introduce K-3 students to a Canadian Inuit artist, to the personal and cultural context of the artwork, and to a simple printmaking technique. Includes background information on the artist, instructional strategies, and a print of the artist's "Young Owl Takes a Ride." (GEA)

Uses a print of Homer's painting, "The Fox Hunt," to introduce students in grades 4-6 to paintings of wildlife as both factual record and as a storytelling medium. Includes learning objectives, instructional strategies, and background information on the artist. (GEA)

Describes three pairs of lessons in which the same skill taught to the same kinds of students by identically trained teachers result in noticeable differences in what students remember following instruction. Focuses on how student understanding of lesson content is influenced by relatively subtle differences in what a teacher says. (HOD)