TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Feb 23, 2025
Here are this week's features. Clicking the tags in the description area of each listing will present a list of other resources with this topic. | Click here to return to the Featured Sites Archive
Watch Live House of Representatives Proceedings - United States House of Representatives
Grades
6 to 12
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Visit this site to view live proceedings of the United States House of Representatives as legislators discuss and vote on legislative topics. Adjust the video portion of the site to...more
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Visit this site to view live proceedings of the United States House of Representatives as legislators discuss and vote on legislative topics. Adjust the video portion of the site to fit the entire screen for better viewing. Additional settings offer options for adjusting the video quality, viewing captions, and a link to view the floor schedule.
tag(s): branches of government (64), house of representatives (8), politics (116)
In the Classroom
Students can watch House of Representatives proceedings during civics and government lessons to see how voting and discussion occur. They can also take advantage of the other features to view the upcoming legislative schedule and legislative action filed during the previous week. Find additional ideas and lessons for teaching about the legislative process at the Education 4 Democaracy, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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United States Senate Floor Proceedings - United States Senate
Grades
6 to 12
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This site is a section of the more extensive U.S. Senate website, reviewed here that provides live video of sessions from the floor of the United States...more
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This site is a section of the more extensive U.S. Senate website, reviewed here that provides live video of sessions from the floor of the United States Senate. The Floor Schedule below the video feed provides information on the daily schedule of proceedings. Other information on this page shares links to congressional records with transcripts of previous Senate sessions.
tag(s): branches of government (64), debate (42), politics (116), senate (10)
In the Classroom
Save this link as a favorite when teaching lessons on government and the legislative branch. Use FigJam, reviewed here for students to share observations by adding sticky notes with their thoughts during the viewing session. Use a widget in Figjam to create a poll and ask students how they would vote on a specific issue discussed during their viewing session. Extend learning by setting up a classroom debate or mock session on a similar or current topic. Ask students to role-play as senators, then draft and debate their mini-bills while using this lesson as an opportunity to teach students how to debate respectfully. When prepared, have students create a podcast to share their points of view individually or as a podcast of the class debate. Free podcast creation tools include Buzzsprout, reviewed here and Spotify for PodCastors, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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US Government and Politics - Crash Course
Grades
5 to 12
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Crash Course U.S. Government and Politics is a free digital tool that contains fifty U.S. Government and Politics videos. This series of videos explores the separation of church and...more
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Crash Course U.S. Government and Politics is a free digital tool that contains fifty U.S. Government and Politics videos. This series of videos explores the separation of church and state, how a bill becomes law, how presidents govern, judicial review, election basics, and more. Videos range from nine to eleven minutes. This site uses YouTube and has commercials before each video.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): branches of government (64), politics (116), presidents (135)
In the Classroom
After watching the video series, students can flip the classroom by teaching others about the content in the video. Students can research specific people who were influential from the video's time period. Finally, students can create a government with students having elections for Congress and President and set up a judicial branch of government that hears cases for review of laws.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Education 4 Democracy - Civics - Civic Engagement Research Group, University of CA, Riverside
Grades
6 to 12
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Ed ucation 4 Democracy provides videos and resources for educators who want to teach their students about democracy. The website includes lesson plans, articles, and videos on various...more
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Ed ucation 4 Democracy provides videos and resources for educators who want to teach their students about democracy. The website includes lesson plans, articles, and videos on various topics related to democracy, such as Civic Investigation and Research (analyzing evidence), civic engagement (discussion and deliberation), government, and social justice. The website's resources are engaging and informative and can be used to help students develop a deeper understanding of this critical topic.
tag(s): branches of government (64), politics (116), social media (53), video (263)
In the Classroom
Use the resources at this site to teach your students about democracy. The website's lesson plans and videos are highly engaging and encourage active learning about democracy. Share the lesson plans that include active student participation, investigation, dialogue, voice, action, and background information for the teacher. Lessons provide an opportunity for students to explore face-to-face as well as online communities to identify relevant civic issues. Challenge your students to reflect on how their digital lives shape interests and how digital tools can be used for civic purposes.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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C-Span Classroom - C-Span
Grades
6 to 12
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C-Span Classroom offers free, video-based classroom materials for teachers. Browse the links on the site to find Bell Ringers, Lesson Plans, and additional teaching resources. Under...more
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C-Span Classroom offers free, video-based classroom materials for teachers. Browse the links on the site to find Bell Ringers, Lesson Plans, and additional teaching resources. Under Topics (on the far right top menu) are other tools including a Constitutional Clips video series, Classroom Deliberations based upon current issues, and On This Day in History featuring significant historical events using video clips.
tag(s): branches of government (64), civil rights (201), constitution (93), declaration of independence (15), elections (83), electoral college (23), environment (246), journalism (72), nasa (30), STEM (288), supreme court (27), video (263)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site to access many video resources and lessons to teach social studies topics. Include lessons and activities as part of interactive lessons created with Microsoft PowerPoint Online, reviewed here. Include quizzes, videos, links to documents, and more to create flipped or blended learning lessons on Microsoft PowerPoint Online that differentiate student abilities and interests and a resource for students to complete lessons individually at their own pace. As a final learning activity and to enhance learning, ask students to share their understanding of the content by creating short video clips made with FlexClip, reviewed here. Modify templates provided by FlexClip to create a short but content-rich overview of the lesson that shares student understanding of the information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Civics Renewal Network - The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the Univ of Pennsylvania
Grades
1 to 12
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This site is provided by an alliance of thirty-seven non-profit, non-partisan organizations to offer free online civics resources to classrooms. Under the dropdown box Collections find...more
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This site is provided by an alliance of thirty-seven non-profit, non-partisan organizations to offer free online civics resources to classrooms. Under the dropdown box Collections find voting and elections, media literacy, subjects to learn at home, teaching the 19th Amendment, controversial topics, and a Constitution Day toolkit. In addition to selecting topics, you can view the information by choosing from narrower topics, including citizenship, history, branches of government, and more. Use the dropdown box for Collections at the top of the page to find resources correlated to Common Core, NCSS, and National Standards for Civics and Government. Links to resources include videos, free online courses, classroom presentations, and many other tools for classroom civics lessons. Note: the vast majority of items included are free; however, a few link to resources require payment.
tag(s): branches of government (64), constitution (93), democracy (21), elections (83), electoral college (23), media literacy (109), politics (116), supreme court (27)
In the Classroom
Include the Civics Renewal Network with your other resources for teaching civics content. Include activities on this site as part of self-guided lessons created using Microsoft PowerPoint Online, reviewed here, or add to classroom lessons created with NearPod, reviewed here. Extend student learning by asking them to become creators using a digital storytelling tool such as Elementari, reviewed here. Elementari includes features that bring students' stories to life, such as animations, font choices, and drag-and-drop text.
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60-Second Civics - Center for Civic Education
Grades
5 to 12
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Listen to daily 60-second podcasts to learn about the United States government. Themes explored include constitutional issues related to today's headlines, presidential powers, and...more
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Listen to daily 60-second podcasts to learn about the United States government. Themes explored include constitutional issues related to today's headlines, presidential powers, and more--most episodes pertain to current events topics. In addition to the podcast, there is a daily quiz to check your knowledge of civics-related issues. Scroll down the page to find archives of recent topics, or use the keyword search to find podcasts related to any subject.
tag(s): branches of government (64), constitution (93), democracy (21), elections (83), electoral college (23), house of representatives (8), politics (116), senate (10), supreme court (27)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this podcast to use as a quick class-starter to review and discuss civics topics. If you don't have time to listen daily, consider setting aside 15-20 minutes a week to listen to podcasts from the week and to discuss the daily questions. Engage students in any topic by creating a IdeaBoardz, reviewed here that contains any of the daily questions. Ask students to share their thoughts and response using the sticky note tool. Extend learning by asking students to choose a topic of interest to research. Ask them to share their findings using one of the multimedia tools found at Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here. Options found at Adobe Express include creating graphics, webpages, and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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United States Courts Educational Resources - Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
Grades
8 to 12
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Discover a wide variety of educational resources and interactive lessons teaching about the United States court system and Constitution. Choose the Educational Activities section from...more
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Discover a wide variety of educational resources and interactive lessons teaching about the United States court system and Constitution. Choose the Educational Activities section from the left menu to find lessons based on Constitutional Amendments and the U.S. Court of Appeals. Within each of the different areas of this section are several activities that include a downloadable activity package for educators. Explore landmark Supreme Court cases and participate in interactive activities including a simulation of the Supreme Court decision making process.
tag(s): branches of government (64), constitution (93), supreme court (27)
In the Classroom
Include these free resources and activities to use in your social studies classroom when teaching about the U.S. Constitution. Instead of asking students to take individual notes throughout your lessons, use Google documents to create shared notes. Ask students to highlight and annotate important information shared. Use Wakelet, reviewed here, to create "wakes" for students to organize information. Add websites, documents, videos, and more to any wake for students to access information in one site. As a final project, enhance student learning by challenging them to use a video explanation tool like Clipchamp, reviewed here to share the background and information learned about Supreme Court cases and decisions.
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Engaging Congress - Indiana University
Grades
5 to 12
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Engaging Congress is an interactive game that uses primary sources to help students evaluate information as they learn about the United States government. You will be requested to use...more
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Engaging Congress is an interactive game that uses primary sources to help students evaluate information as they learn about the United States government. You will be requested to use Google Chrome or Mozilla FireFox to play on the web. Begin play by choosing a story, primary source, or pick a trivia challenge or practice. Use the Teacher Toolbox to find documents by era or topic, learning objectives matched to Common Core Standards, and compelling questions for use with each issue and story. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the home page to find the link to request classroom giveaways to encourage play!
tag(s): branches of government (64), congress (39), DAT device agnostic tool (146), evaluating sources (28), primary sources (119)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free games and materials on this site to use as a supplement to your current resources for teaching history and government. Instead of written notes, strengthen learning by having students use an online tool such as Holt Interactive Graphic Organizers, reviewed here to create diagrams, mindmaps, and other visual graphic organizers. To compare and contrast information found in different primary sources, create a Venn Diagram. As students prepare to share their findings and summarize their learning, have them modify their learning by creating infographics using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here to visually represent facts and information. As a final assessment for your unit using these materials, ask students to form teams to debate different sides of the issues presented. Share their debates as a podcast using Spotify for Podcasters, reviewed here. Spotify for Podcasters is a simple to use podcasting tool offering several free options for creating, hosting, and sharing podcasts. As an alternative, ask other students redefine their learning and to create multimedia presentations using Sway, reviewed here to share text, videos, images, and more.
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That's Your Right - Annenberg Classroom
Grades
5 to 12
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Learn about the Bill of Rights by playing this challenging card game. Click start to view the tutorial and choose to play from the single or multiplayer options. Choose from ...more
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Learn about the Bill of Rights by playing this challenging card game. Click start to view the tutorial and choose to play from the single or multiplayer options. Choose from three different levels of difficulty to begin play. Watch videos of Amendments 1-10 as you play. The goal of the game is to gain freedom by collecting and matching scenario cards to features of the Bill of Rights as you play. There is background music that can be turned off.
tag(s): bill of rights (31), branches of government (64), constitution (93), game based learning (186)
In the Classroom
Include this game with any lessons on the Bill of Rights. Challenge students to compete against each other and move up through the different levels of difficulty. Include the site with your other resources on a bookmarking site like Papaly, reviewed here. Papaly includes the option to add and share notes with bookmarks, add teaching notes for your future use or if sharing with students, ask them to add tips into the comments section. Upon completion of your unit, enhance learning by having students create animated videos using Powtoon, reviewed here, to share their understanding of the Bill of Rights.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Civics Connection - Lou Frey Institute
Grades
10 to 12
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The Civics Connection provides a series of lessons and classroom materials aligned to AP Government and Politics curriculum. It features former members of Congress for high school students...more
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The Civics Connection provides a series of lessons and classroom materials aligned to AP Government and Politics curriculum. It features former members of Congress for high school students to understand issues faced by Congress. Begin with Resources from the top menu to find grade level topics, to access the teacher's manual, and all other teaching resources. "Students Explore Congress" features further video conversations discussing issues facing Congress. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.
tag(s): advanced placement (26), branches of government (64), congress (39)
In the Classroom
Include resources from this site as part of your AP Government curriculum or any unit on government. Share videos on your class webpage and ask students to view them before discussing in class. Instead of providing written questions for student response, use a tool like edPuzzle, reviewed here, to add questions directly to any portion of the video. Ask students to research and find other videos and add their own questions using EdPuzzle. At the end of your unit, ask students to share their thoughts using Gravity, reviewed here . Gravity allows students to share video responses through collaborative comments and discussions.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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What So Proudly We Hail - University of Pennsylvania, Amy Kass, and Leon Kass
Grades
K to 12
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What So Proudly We Hail offers several free, interesting civics resources and lessons based on short stories, songs, and speeches. Choosing the Curriculum link on the top menu will...more
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What So Proudly We Hail offers several free, interesting civics resources and lessons based on short stories, songs, and speeches. Choosing the Curriculum link on the top menu will give you access to units such as The Meaning of America, Songs for Free Men and Women, Lincoln and the Constitution and a others. Each unit has several "sessions," a Curriculum Overview, a Discussion Guide, and some with links to video clips and music or pertinent information about the topic. Click the library tab at the top to find many famous early Americans Authors, Videos, Texts, Study Guides, Songs, and Art.
tag(s): branches of government (64), constitution (93), environment (246), ethics (21), immigration (68), primary sources (119)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many resources on this site for use with civics lessons, Constitution Day activities, and teaching about primary resources. Share documents found on this site on your interactive whiteboard and use the tools found in your software to highlight and explore specific parts of any document. Alternatively, enhance student learning and classroom technology use by having students use eMargin, reviewed here to highlight and comment on the document. Instead of reading documents in class, have students use an online voice recording tool like Vocaroo, reviewed here to share important portions on your class website. Have students create an annotated image sharing information about primary sources or civics lessons including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Google Drawings, reviewed here. Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here. Instead of writing a book report, extend student learning and transform classroom technology use by asking students to create an animated video slide show using a tool like Powtoon, reviewed here to recreate or discuss historical events.
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Branches of Power - Annenberg Classroom
Grades
4 to 12
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Annenberg Classroom Civics Games offer a small but excellent selection of games about the Constitution and related topics. Topics include Death Penalty, Citizenship, Discrimination,...more
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Annenberg Classroom Civics Games offer a small but excellent selection of games about the Constitution and related topics. Topics include Death Penalty, Citizenship, Discrimination, Immigration, Freedom of the Press, Free Speech, Guns, and many others. You can try to be the leader of the Legislative Branch. Choose three main issues and the most productive way to succeed in your cause. Most activities begin with a short video followed by questions. Most activities also include a glossary of terms used.
tag(s): bill of rights (31), branches of government (64), constitution (93), game based learning (186), supreme court (27)
In the Classroom
Use the Annenberg Classroom Civics Games to introduce Constitution-related topics to your class using an interactive whiteboard or projector. View videos together and pause as needed to discuss information. Challenge students to try the interactive activities on individual computers or at home. Enhance learning by having students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about Americans described in the games. Modify classroom technology use and enhance learning by having students create interactive timelines (with photos, text, and more) using Sutori, reviewed here, to trace the path of a bill or the writing of the Constitution.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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