Civic Education Webpages | Service Learning & Civic Engagement

American Bar Association Teacher’s Portal

Lesson plans developed by the ABA Division for Public Education. Topics include civic engagement, the Constitution, due process, human rights, and much more. Some free materials.

California Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools

High-quality lessons on topics related to the historical and contemporary significance of our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Free

Center for Civic Education

The Center’s curricula include We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution; Project Citizen; the School Violence Prevention Demonstration Program; Representative Democracy in America; Citizens, Not Spectators; and Foundations of Democracy. Some free materials.

Civics and Government Lesson Plans – Library of Congress

Find Library of Congress lesson plans and primary sources that enrich learning of the meet Common Core State Standards. Free

Constitution Center – We the Civics Kids

Civics in Literature initiative is a brand new program designed to enhance and build upon current civic education curriculum through children’s literature and other famous historical texts. Free

Constitutional Rights Foundation

CRF provides classroom teachers and students with high-quality content and thought-provoking questioning strategies to promote critical-thinking development, open discussion of issues, and interactive activities to heighten learning. Some free materials.

Courts in the Classroom

Created by the State of California’s judicial branch and the Constitutional Rights Foundation, this site uses animated story videos and quizzes to teach students about Big Ideas, such as due process, free expression and checks and balances through Landmark Cases and the first fourth and fourteenth amendments. Teacher’s guide. Free

iCivics

iCivics promotes civics education and encourages students to become active citizens through video games. iCivics was founded by retired Supreme Court Justice of the United States, Sandra Day O’Connor. Free

If They Can Argue Well, They Can Write Well, Dr. Bill McBride

Book written to encourage students to think logically and critically and to ta structure arguments into powerful convincing essays.

Judicial Council of California Civics Education for Teachers and Other Educators

Resources include a mix of materials developed by the Judicial Council of California, local courts, the California Bar Association, and other non-profit civic education organizations. The resources may be useful in conducting court/community dialogue and educating students about the role of an independent judiciary in our democracy.

Kids in the House

Looking to bring the U.S. House of Representatives into your classroom? These resources, activities, and lesson plans complement the material on this site. Free

www.procon.org

Free resource for promoting critical thinking by presenting controversial issues in a primarily pro-con format. Includes lesson plans.

Stand Up! Speak Out! , The Social Action Curriculum for Building 21st Century Skills, Drayton, Bernhart, and Sebek

This interdisciplinary book is designed to help teachers bring students together and help them develop as socially responsible citizens. Offers unit plans.

Street Law

This site provides resources that help educators bring the study of law, democracy, and human rights into their classrooms. Helpful book, Classroom Guide to Mock Trials and Moot Courts. Some free materials.

Teaching Civics

Lessons for civic education and law-related education in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms. Includes simulations, discussions, mock trials, case studies and other research based materials.

Teaching Argument Writing, George Hillocks Jr.

Excellent ideas for writing arguments (6-12) that could be incorporated into full mock trials, such as chapter 1, Whodunit?

They Broke the Law – You Be the Judge, Tom Jacobs

True Cases of teen crime are offered, for which arguments and trials can be presented. A brief look at the juvenile justice system is provided.