In this comparative case study, the purpose was to describe how teacher language works during political lessons in order to understand it in one case and compare it to cases in different contexts. Three Macomb County, Michigan teachers were interviewed about their planning and then observed teaching a civics lesson to high school students. In analyzing the language of the participating teachers from both the interviews and lesson observations, the main question under consideration was: What types of things do teachers do with language? Analysis of the teacher language used around students and while discussing their lessons and schools reveals that the participating teachers share a common focus of providing the type of balanced civics education that will benefit students in their futures. Specifically, the three participating teachers used language in ways that allowed them to project a specifically crafted identity, to add significance to chosen concepts, and to help students make connections between concepts. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]