With Liberty and Justice for All

On this day in 1870 (June 22), the Department of Justice was formed. Today's freebie is a lesson plan that helps students learn more about the application of justice in many situations, not just legal ones.

Title: Justice, Is It Fair?
Description: Presents a hypothethical problem which students will try to solve through critical thinking skills.
Suggested Grade: 5
Format: Online Lesson Plan
Availability: Available to all requesters
Source: Phyllis Muranaka
http//www.col-ed.org/cur/sst/sst10.txt

Show Me the Money

On October 20, 1996, Congress signed into law the "Commemorative Coin Act of 1996." This law was responsible for the commemorative quarters so many people collect today. Coins were released five coins per year, in the order in which the States were admitted to the Union. In today's freebie, students explore the relationship between pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters and learn more about US currency.

Title: Number Cents
Description: Six lessons about money.
Suggested Grade: 1-4
Format: Online Lesson Plans
Availability: Available to all requesters
Source: Grace M. Burton
http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?ID=U67

Snakes Alive

My local newspaper reported yesterday that a python snake was found under a porch at a nearby residence. I live in the state of Wisconsin and snakes are not a common sight. It turns out it was someone's pet who left home about a month ago to "see the sights." This freebie will help you teach students more about this often scary, always fascinating reptiles.

Title: Snake Lesson Plans
Description: Lesson plans to educate about these slithery critters.
Suggested Grade: 5
Format: Online Lesson Plans
Availability: Available to all requesters
Source: David Wines
http://www.uoregon.edu/~titus/herp_old/wines.htm#

U. S. Constitution Freebie

On this day in 1788, Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the United States Constitution. The following freebie allows students to access primary documents, identify arguments for and against the ratification of the Constitution, and produce a broadside in which they take a position on whether their state should ratify the Constitution. Would they have agreed with Maryland?

Title: The Constitution: Counter Revolution or National Salvation?
Suggested Grade: 11
Format: Online Lesson Plan
Availability: Available to all requesters
Source: Claudia Argyres and Jim Smith
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/broad/intro.html