Outlines a two-day lesson for upper elementary and middle school students to help them define democracy and learn about types of world governments. Describes political features of five mythical countries and provides a chart of democracy's characteristics that students use to judge each country's democratic status. Includes background information…

Presents a lesson to help students understand the development and controversy surrounding the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution. Examines constitutional amendment suggestions presented by four states represented at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Includes two sets of student questions and four primary source readings. (CFR)

Describes the annual Moot Court Competition held each year in Sacramento, California and supported by the Citizenship and Law-Related Education Center. The program gives high school students the opportunity to learn about the nation's justice system using a role-playing scenario of an appellate-level court argument. (MJP)

Identifies and discusses recent decisions and upcoming cases of the Supreme Court that are likely to be of interest to teachers. Educational issues addressed include Internet access and censorship, affirmative action, sexual harassment, drug testing, and the separation of church and state. Includes a brief description Supreme Court duties. (MJP)

To celebrate the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution, this curriculum illustrates the concepts of the Constitution and Bill of Rights through events and issues of the Pacific Northwest. The eight units of the curriculum include constitutional visions, the trial of Hershel C. Lyon: an environmental dilemma, comparison of rights around…

Designed to provide students and adults with a learning experience related to the jury system, this game focuses on the jury selection process. In doing so, the game examines an important element of a fair trial--the right of the accused to be judged by an impartial jury. The game is designed for four class periods and can be used with a class of…

This teacher's guide is designed to accompany the videotape "Democracy and Right's: One Citizen's Challenge." The videotape takes a case-study approach toward understanding rights. It examines the story of Ernest Green, one of nine black students who helped integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957. Green's case…

This teacher's guide is designed to accompany the five-part videotape, "We the People: The President and the Constitution." The videotape draws on interviews with four of the five most recent presidents: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan. The videotape examines issues including: (1) the criteria each president…

This document consists of the first 16 volumes (47 issues) of a serial devoted to law-related education (LRE) that offers background information on a wide range of legal issues as well as teaching strategies for LRE. Issues of the magazine focus on the law as it affects schools and young people, with articles on school discipline, juvenile…

This publication is the result of a project in New York State to increase public awareness of themes related to the U.S. Constitution using the medium of the arts. Designed as a photo essay, the volume reflects the activities of thousands of students in the Statewide Mini-Imagination Celebration Program. In efforts to understand the impact of…

This paper proposes that U.S. teachers are mostly uninformed and misinformed about the appropriate place of religion on the school campus and in the classroom. Four critical questions are addressed; (1) What does the U.S. Constitution say about education and/or religion? (2) What are the current court decisions regarding specific religious…

This resource guide has been designed to assist teachers and students in the study of key U.S. Supreme Court cases. Each of the 93 cases listed includes a presentation of the facts, issue, and decision of the Court. Twenty-five commonly used textbooks were analyzed to determine the extent to which they cited the Supreme Court cases. No text cited…

In recent years a number of political and educational leaders and groups have urged the nation's public schools to place a greater emphasis on teaching civic values and on educating students to become citizens. This book puts forth the civic values and ideas that schools should be teaching. The volume is not a handbook or curriculum guide, but is…

This book contains nine lessons focusing on legal issues raised by the illegal use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs and efforts by the criminal justice system to curb that use and abuse. The lessons are interactive and sequential, although individual lessons can stand alone. The lessons are designed to be presented to middle and high school…

Presented is a list of resources on the U.S. Constitution for elementary and secondary schools. Listed alphabetically and topically, the resources include organizations which provide classroom materials, teacher training, and other services. Included are special sections on the cultural and political contexts of the bicentennial, women and the…