MsPlu

A great way to introduce students to citing a claim with evidence from a text while teaching the content! Included are different leveled readings, so that you can differentiate according to ability. This way everyone reads the same text, but does something different with it, allowing them to develop their skills while ensuring they understand the content. In addition to citing evidence from a text, students will work on using MLA in-text citations. I have found this to be a great scaffol

This activity asks students to read the original text from the Bill of Rights and construct their own meaning for each amendment. Typically, I divide students into small groups and have them jigsaw their interpretations of each amendment.

As a follow up to learning The Bill of Rights, students must think critically about each of them to evaluate which 5 (and only five!) they NEED the most. It's always interesting to watch students struggle with which rights they need the most. A great way to make this activity lead into a discussion is to post pieces of blank paper with the numbers 1-10 on them and give each student 5 little stickers (gold stars, smiley faces, whatever you have on hand) and have them place the stickers on the

This is a great writing activity as a follow up to my Economics in France Simulation, but can work on it's own, as well. Students write a letter to King Louis XVI on behalf of someone in French society (clergy, nobility, Bourgeoisie, or a peasant), urging him to take action in order to prevent a rebellion. Can be used as a homework assignment, or as an assessment to see if students understand the problems in France and causes of the French Revolution.

This is an activity where students will take a closer look at the US and Illinois Constitutions to compare what they say about each of the legislative branches.