SS Mackey

This 5-9 day customizable unit includes an activity for each theme of geography, review activity, and summative assessment. It is designed as a first unit of the year activity and incorporates some "get to know you" activities, as well as offers teachers the opportunity to circulate and offer individual assistance to students. Each lesson includes a warm up, notes, activity, and closure. There are detailed instructions provided to guide teachers through the delivery. Student FAQ, and ideas f

This lesson plan can be used in conjunction with the free 5 Themes of Geography PPT posted in my SS Mackey store. In this activity, students identify places based on the human characteristics and physical characteristics presented. Some assembly required (I didn't want to violate copyright protections by including pictures) but I have posted a list of major places in the US and around the world. This is part of the 5 Themes of Geography unit posted in my store.

Balance skill development and engagement with this lesson bundle for the Declaration of Independence. Empower students to understand the text for themselves with scaffolded questions and a detailed PowerPoint document review. Bring the conversations leading to the Declaration to life through 65 minutes of classroom relevant excerpts of the film 1776. Search no further! This comprehensive bundle includes everything needed to help students understand this pivotal moment in American history. Fi

Are you having trouble finding a lawmaking process diagram that is both thorough and concise? So did I, so I took things into my own hands and created a flow chart that accounts for a variety of scenarios in one resource. This is a great middle ground for secondary students, instead of using a resource that is too basic, or too complex. In addition to a student handout, and answer key, I also include a step by step presentation guide which contains additional commentary to help add context to

When searching for resources to help students understand the schools of thought in interpreting the Constitution, I found some that provided an elementary level description, and many that provided law school level descriptions, but couldn't find any in the middle that would work for my middle school and high school students. This lesson is my attempt to bridge the gap in explaining these philosophies through student friendly diction, a sports analogy, and three Supreme Court case studies. A pr

Help build your students' civic knowledge with this tool kit, which includes a variety of engaging student-friendly lessons and offers support to teachers as they help students navigate US Government history and principles. This bundle includes all the nuts and bolts of teaching about the founding documents, with extra support from a teacher who majored in Political Science to help make it teacher-friendly too! Nine activities are included: - 8 Key Decisions When Creating a Government: An Ap

Help your students learn how to effectively write a persuasive paper on a topic of their choice (or yours) with this versatile packet. The guidance is specific enough to support success, and generic enough to be used with any topic to support engagement. The packet includes an assignment description, scoring rubric, research notes worksheet, outline worksheet, and revision checklist to help students avoid common mistakes. This assignment was born out of my experience as a teaching assistant f

This bundle includes lessons to teach the five major documents that shaped American history: The Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, The Constitution, and Bill of Rights. Cover the content while enhancing students' abilities to interpret primary sources and think critically. Each lesson offers scaffolding to empower students to navigate each original document without resorting to secondary interpretations. Bundle includes the following lessons: 1. Mayflo

This activity can be used as a preview, review, or both. Each student receives a game board and then circulates to learn about their classmates' connections to the themes of geography. Teacher participation is strongly encouraged! This activity is also included in my 5 Themes of Geography unit listed in my SS Mackey store. Check out the FREE 5 Themes of Geography PPT that serves as a foundation for this unit.

Don't just lecture on how a bill becomes a law, help students experience the process with this multi-layered simulation! Empower students to participate in the legislative process by going behind the scenes and expecting them to write and think like a lawmaker. Other skills addressed include collegial collaboration, debating with respect, and crafting persuasive arguments. Students enjoy designing their own district and taking on one of the 9 leadership roles available. Increase content rete

Don't just give students a student-friendly copy of the Constitution, help them create one! Build secondary students' confidence in interpreting primary source documents with this activity that enriches both their content knowledge and literacy skills. Choose from the suggested options to differentiate instruction as you guide students through the seven Articles of the Constitution. Avoid spoon feeding from a PowerPoint by empowering students to explore the Constitution for themselves. Empowe

This presentation uses the five components of a civilization to outline five Chinese dynasties: Shang, Qin, Han, Tang, and Ming. I used this throughout a unit on ancient China and focused on one dynasty each day. By using the five components of a civilization as a baseline, it offers an easy format for students to make comparisons between the dynasties. I have posted a unit assessment for use with these notes in my SS Mackey store.

This lesson is designed to introduce students to major ideas found in the Declaration of Independence. Students analyze the document using guiding questions, and work toward “translating” the main ideas. Students attempt to answer the questions independently, and then review answers in class using the detailed PowerPoint provided, which also shows students where in the text the answers can be found. Also available as a bundle with the 1776 Film Guide Check out these related lessons in my S

This bundle includes the lawmaking flow chart to help students understand how a bill becomes a law, and a three day simulation in which students engage in the process as members of Congress. Lessons included How a Bill becomes a Law Flow Chart Lawmaking Process Simulation Find more US government teaching resources in my SS Mackey store

Students will create a geography autobiography to demonstrate their knowledge of the five themes of geography. There are three versions of the assessment included in this 8 page file - a single session assessment, and two differentiated versions of a full writing sample. Rubrics for writing samples, and instruction techniques for teaching the writing process accompany the assessments. This is part of the 5 Themes of Geography unit posted in my SS Mackey store. Check out the FREE 5 Themes of

Help students to create a student-friendly version of the Constitution while increasing their confidence in interpreting primary source documents. Engage students in exploring the Bill of Rights by using a concise version to address 13 scenarios. Detailed teacher-friendly keys are included. Like what you see? Find more US government lessons in my SS Mackey store Lessons included Abridged Articles of the Constitution Abridged Bill of Rights with 13 Scenarios Find more US government teachin

While there are many ways to teach the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and US Constitution, this resource presents a unique organization to highlight key comparisons and contrasts. As a preliminary activity, students are invited to design their own government to serve as a foundation for comparing those designed by our founders. Differentiated approaches are shared to make this resource relevant and engaging for secondary students at the beginner and novice levels. L

For this activity, students will use atlases to identify the three region types: formal, functional, and vernacular. A list of maps categorized by regions are provided. The list is generic enough to be used with any atlas. This lesson is part of my 5 Themes of Geography unit Check out the FREE 5 Themes of Geography PPT that serves as a foundation for this unit.

I use this lesson each Constitution Day as it ties well with the early settlement unit I teach at that time. Students analyze the text structure and ideas in the Mayflower Compact and US Constitution. It can be completed individually for students in higher grades, or with small groups for students who are less familiar with US history. Follow this link for more US government teaching resources

Still looking for a clear way to present checks and balances? Check this out! (I couldn't resist) Try this lesson which approaches the teaching of checks and balances power by power, instead of the usual branch by branch groupings. Empower students to avoid common mistakes when completing checks and balances assessment tasks. Walk students through their graphic organizers step by step with the accompanying PowerPoint presentation. Find more US government teaching resources in my SS Mackey stor