Below are lesson plans that effectively teach students the knowledge and skills of citizenship. Each lesson plan can be downloaded for your use. If you know of other lesson plans that would be useful please let us know.
Lesson One: Campaign Simulation
Key Concepts:
- structure and function of state, county and local government in NH
- the relationships between the three branches of government on the state, county and local levels
- the structures, roles and responsibilities of each branch of NH state government
- the structure, roles and responsibilities of county and local government
Description:This simulation organizes an interactive and inter-disciplinary way for students to take part directly in national, state and local elections, and can be applied to school elections as well. This simulation allows for elementary or in depth interactive student participation. A by-product of this simulation is the “Issues Board”, which once organized, can be used to showcase the unit and inform the public. A political rally-style assembly and mock election is included and encouraged.
Word of caution: This unit works well in a two- two and one-half week time frame, culminating with the rally the day before the election and ending on Election Day itself. The excitement can be inspiring, but usually wears off if you begin too soon.
Download detailed outline here.
Download lesson plan in Word or PDF.
Lesson Two: NH State Departments and Agencies
Key Concepts:
- How State and Local Government function
- How to effect change through government and non-government agencies
Description: This unit is designed with three assignments/challenges with the goal of introducing students to the idea of government departments/agencies and their functions in a central government with specifics towards the state of NH. In addition this is a good unit to introduce the term bureaucracy and to debate the merits of a federal system.
Download detailed outline here.
Download lesson plan in Word or PDF.
Key Concepts:
- citizen involvement and protection of individual liberty
- Core democratic values
Description: This activity involves students researching and presenting warrant articles found in a mock or real town report culminating in a “Town Meeting”. This activity works best in schools whose towns still have town meetings. Town meetings are unique only to New England and generally to smaller towns and municipalities.
Download detailed outline here.
Download lesson plan in Word or PDF.
Lesson Four: Law, Justice and the NH Courts
Key Concepts:
- structures, roles, and responsibilities of each branch of N. H. state government.
- Power, duties, qualifications, and impact of the governor, legislature, and Supreme Court
- Current issues facing each branch of government
- Key court cases in N. H. judicial history
Description: Studies of the judicial branch sometimes mention the N. H. Supreme Court, without focusing on its processes and procedures, which are significantly different from those in the Superior or District courts. Through WebCASTS available on the N. H. court system website, students are able to observe sessions of the N. H. Supreme Court. Using the slip opinions, also available online, students are able to evaluate the decisions of the Supreme Court. In so doing, students can understand how the individual rights articulated in Part First, the Bill of Rights, of the N. H. Constitution are applied by the justices in a given case, moving the issue of individual rights from the realm of the abstract to a real life scenario.
Download detailed outline here.
Download lesson plan in Word or PDF.
Lesson Five: Political Connections
Key Concepts:
- Nature and fundamental beliefs of New Hampshire government (ideology).
- Core democratic values and how they are reflected in the structure and function of New Hampshire state and local government.
- Citizen involvement and individual liberty
Description: Students are familiar with the concept of connections between and among political figures, political parties, and various interest groups today. The fact that there are philosophical parallels between the N. H. Constitution and European philosophers may be less familiar. To address that gap, students will in this exercise be asked to note similarities and differences between the ideas of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, John Jacques Rousseau, and Charles Louis de la Brede et de Montesquieu and the ideas in the N. H. Constitution. Students will evaluate the consistency or changes in ideas over time, applying their knowledge to possible amendments for the N. H. Constitution.
Download detailed outline here.
Download lesson plan in Word or PDF.
Lesson Six: Identifying and Contacting your Local Representatives
Key Concepts:
- Branches and levels of state government
- Contacting representatives
Description:This lesson would be a web based lesson that can be used as a worksheet or as a scavenger hunt by the students. The students will get a sheet (Appendix I) and use websites to identify their state and local officials. The worksheet can be altered by the teacher to fit relevant instruction or pedagogy. The student will then have an understanding of the structure of state and local government, as well as a means of communicating if necessary.
Download detailed outline here.
Download lesson plan in Word or PDF.
Lesson Seven: Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire and the Right to Freedom of Speech
Key Concepts:
- Bill of Rights
- “Implied” rights
- Freedom of Speech
- First Amendment
Description:This lesson focuses on the US Supreme Court case of Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire. Students will receive the ‘facts of the case’ as well as the ‘essential question’ of each case. However, they will not receive the opinion. They will then write a short paragraph identifying what their particular stance on the issue is. After they identify their beliefs, they will partner in small groups and share their thoughts. When this is done, they will come together as a class for a directed debate on First Amendment Freedoms.
Download detailed outline here.
Download lesson plan in Word or PDF.
Lesson Eight: Your Voice Counts!: How to Write a Letter to the Editor on a Local Issue
Key Concepts:
- Navigating through state and local government to promote social and political change.
- Using both government and non-government organizations to effect social change.
Description: Undoubtedly, students feel a sense of empowerment when their voice is heard and respected. This lesson challenges students to identify a problem facing their local community and provide a well-educated and persuasive response. This skill is particularly important in a state like New Hampshire due to the fact that many community issues are addressed at a local level.
Download detailed outline here.
Download lesson plan in Word or PDF.
Lesson Nine:What is the Makeup of the ‘Live Free or Die’ State?
Key Concepts:
- NH Demographics
- Relationship between demographics and culture
- Challenges NH faces
Description: Without question, the State of New Hampshire is changing rapidly. Due to this evolution, traditional assumptions about New Hampshire’s social, political, and economic landscape is often misunderstood. In this lesson students will engage in an interactive exploration of the demography of New Hampshire in order to better identify its unique characteristics. Based on their findings, students will uncover and wrestle with the major future challenges facing the State.
Download detailed outline here.
Download lesson plan in Word or PDF.
Lesson Ten: Jeopardy-New Hampshire Style Government 101: How is N.H. Structured?
Key Concepts:
- Structure and function of state, county and local government in N.H.
- Relationship between the three branches of government on the state, county and local levels.
Description: In order to get into the details of how government works, it is often helpful to gain a panoramic view of how it is structured. In this lesson, students will be offered a snapshot of how New Hampshire government is structured on a state, county and local level. They will accumulate their knowledge of N.H. government in preparation for a N.H. Jeopardy game competition.
Download detailed outline here.
Download lesson plan in Word or PDF.
Download Powerpoint here.
Lesson Eleven: Using Non-Government Agencies to promote Change
Key Concepts:
- Non-government agencies
- Affecting community change
Description:The purpose of this lesson is to make students familiar with non-government organizations that can help them influence government. Students will research various agencies available in their county. Their finished product will help citizens who don’t know the appropriate contacts to deal with particular issues they are facing.
Download detailed outline here.
Download lesson plan in Word or PDF.
Lesson Twelve: Current Legislative Issues in NH
Key Concepts:
- Roles and responsibilities of NH state government
- Current issues facing NH’s legislature
Description: In this lesson students will be asked to research controversial issues currently impacting our state. This will follow a unit on NH legislature so students will already understand what types of issues with which our legislative branch deals and what they can do for citizens of our state. Students will be introduced to various issues, and will be asked to form an opinion. They will write their concerns and solutions to the appropriate legislators.
Download detailed outline here.
Download lesson plan in Word or PDF.
Lesson Thirteen: The New Hampshire Advantage- does it work?
Key Concepts:
- limited government and the consent of the governed in NH’s state government.
- the NH advantage
Description: This lesson allows students to understand and appreciate the New Hampshire Advantage, the unique way we do things in our state. Students will read an article on a proposed Constitutional amendment. They will research our state’s tax system. They will form an opinion based on their research and will debate the value of the NH advantage.
Download detailed outline here.
Download lesson plan in Word or PDF.
Lesson Fourteen: Mock Budget Simulation: How Does New Hampshire Create a State Budget
Key Concepts:
- Structure and function of state, county and local government in NH
- Relationship between branches of government in NH as pertains to budgeting
- Bipartisanship
Description: If you want to find out what a person truly values, find out what they spend their money on. Similarly, when the State of New Hampshire formulates its biennial budget, it has to prioritize spending within the revenue existing revenue constraints. Figuring out what is most important to fund inevitably becomes a major issue that politicians competitively wrestle out. In this lesson, students will act as democrat and republican politicians who serve on the N.H. Senate Budget Committee and have to agree upon a budget draft to be presented to the full Senate. The politicians have a limited amount of time to create a budget that reflects their priorities using an online budget simulator. Even though the budget simulator is designed for the State of Minnesota and focuses on an annual budget rather than a biennial budget, students will get a taste of what representatives in our New Hampshire government experience in hacking out budget priorities for our state.
Download detailed outline here.
Download lesson plan in Word or PDF.
Lesson Fifteen: Tourism in Your Community: How State Agencies, Local Government, and Non-Government Organizations Serve Citizens
Key Concepts:
- How state and local government work for the citizen.
- Use of both government and non-government organizations to effect social change.
- Contacting elected officials
Description: Tourism is the number one industry in New Hampshire. Students will investigate the resources available for promoting tourism through the Department of Resources and Economic Development, Division of Travel and Tourism Development. Using DRED’s work as a model, students will create a project to promote tourism within their own community, city, town or county. Working with local citizens and non-governmental organizations, they will construct a brochure and display about their local town or community for presentation to town officials and possible distribution at the local information booth for tourist use. In completing this project, students will understand the work of state agencies, local officials, and non-government organizations that can work together with citizens to promote the common good.
Download detailed outline here.
Download lesson plan in Word or PDF.
Lesson Sixteen: Alexis de Tocqueville and Citizen Participation
Key Concepts:
- Active Citizenship
- Community
Description: Students will receive block quotes from Tocqueville’s Democracy in America. Working in small groups, they will decipher and identify in their own words what the quotes mean to them and how they apply to modern America. The central theme of all the quotes focuses around citizenship and the community. There will be one recording secretary to take down the group’s official responses to the quotes. When they are finished, the class will come together to share their ideas about the quotes. At the end of the class, the teacher may decide to assign a writing assignment for homework, or if time permits, to work on in class. The assignment should focus on which quote the student believes to be most true, and why. The student should include at least 2 relevant examples to support his/her position.
Download detailed outline here.
Download lesson plan in Word or PDF.