February 23rd-February 27th 2026

American History Lesson Plans

Monday:

Complete presentations

WWI Video History channel

Tuesday:

Review for WW I Test

Wednesday:

Test WW I

Thursday:

No School Parent teacher conferences

Friday:

No School

February 23rd-Feburary 27th 2026

American Government 

Monday:

8.5 Activity: Test of Presidential Power

• Student Instructions 

• Teacher Notes

Purpose
There are still many ongoing debates over presidential power. When it comes to presidential power, the core constitutional question often comes down to this: Can the president do that? Over time, the Supreme Court has provided some guidance on how to analyze this important question.

In this activity, you will examine a major test of presidential power, the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952), also known as “The Steel Seizure Case.” 

Process
Begin by reading excerpts from Primary Source: Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952) and reviewing your notes from Activity 8.3 and reference your notes from the Info Brief: Methods of Constitutional Interpretationfrom module one. If you would like to watch the video again, starting at timestamp 12:25. 

This landmark case took place during the Korean War. Steel workers were going on strike and President Truman responded by seizing the steel mills. He argued that a steel strike was a threat to national security because the Army needed steel to conduct the war. Therefore, he had the constitutional authority to act on his own—in other words, without explicit congressional approval—under his Article II commander in chief power.  

After reviewing the primary source and video, complete the Case Brief: Test of Presidential Power worksheet.

Tuesday:

8.6 Activity: Analyzing Executive Orders

·       Student Instructions 

·       Teacher Notes

Purpose
One of the key debates over presidential power today involves the president’s use of executive orders. Defenders of presidential power argue that executive orders are central to the president’s core responsibilities of overseeing the executive branch and enforcing laws already passed by Congress. Critics of presidential power often argue that presidents (of both parties) use executive orders to stretch their powers—using them to command executive-branch officials to promote policies that they can’t get Congress to enact into law. In this activity, you will examine executive orders and how they have evolved over time. 

Process
In your group, review the following resources:

• Executive Orders Data

• Info Brief: Executive Orders

• Interactive Constitution Article II, Section 3 by William Marshall

Record your answer to the following questions and prepare to discuss.

• What is an executive order?

• Where does the president get her authority to issue executive orders?

• Which president used executive orders the most? The least?

• Who are the three that used them the least?

• Has the use of executive orders changed over time? Can you chart the numbers to see a pattern?

• Are there any eras where you see a boost in executive orders? Why do you think that would be the case? What do you know about that time period? 

• How have executive orders changed the role/job of the president? What are some of the benefits of executive orders? What are some of the dangers?

Then, review Activity Guide: Quotes on Visions of Presidential Power. Try to guess which quote belongs to which key historical figure. As a class, compare the different viewpoints on presidential power.

8.7 Test Your Knowledge

·       Student Instructions 

·       Teacher Notes

Purpose 

Congratulations for completing the activities in this module! Now it’s time to apply what you have learned about the basic ideas and concepts covered.

Process

Complete the questions in the following quiz to test your knowledge.

Wednesday:

Learning Objectives 

1. Describe judicial review and explain it is a key component of the American constitutional system.

2. Describe judicial independence and explain why the Founding generation viewed it as an important feature of the federal judiciary.

3. Examine primary source writings on the Supreme Court in Federalist, No. 78.

4. Describe how a case gets to the Supreme Court.

5. Identify how the judicial nomination process works and how a justice ends up on the Supreme Court.

9.1 Activity: Supreme Court “Class Photo”

·       Student Instructions 

·       Teacher Notes

Purpose
Article III of the Constitution establishes the national government’s judicial branch: the federal judiciary, headed by a single Supreme Court. In this activity, you will examine the current justices of the Supreme Court and learn how a Supreme Court nominee gets appointed to the Supreme Court.

Process
As a class, discuss what you know about the Supreme Court and what you want to know by the end of this module.

• What do you know about the Supreme Court justices?  

• What do you want to know about them?

Next, review and discuss the Info Brief: SCOTUS Class Photos presentation.
Finally, read the Info Brief: Supreme Court document and complete the Activity Guide: Supreme Court worksheet.

Thursday:

9.2 Activity: Key Terms

·       Student Instructions 

·       Teacher Notes

Purpose
It is important to remember that Article III is a very short provision and doesn’t lay out many details about the Supreme Court and how it works—or even what the federal judiciary as a whole should look like. For example, it doesn’t set the number of Supreme Court justices, how many lower-court judges there should be in the federal judiciary, or when we should have any lower federal courts below the Supreme Court at all.

Furthermore, Article III can be a bit hard to understand without some background first. The basic ideas are simple enough, but the language is a bit more technical than other parts of the Constitution. In this activity, you will review the key terms of the module to help deepen your understanding of Article III.

Process
Complete the Activity Guide: Key Terms - Judicial System and Current Cases worksheet.

After your worksheet is complete, your teacher will guide you through a bingo game using the key terms and definitions of Module 9.

Friday:

9.3 Activity: The Federalist No. 78 (Hamilton)

·       Student Instructions 

·       Teacher Notes

Purpose
The founders’ vision of judicial independence grew out of the colonists’ own experience under the British system. Judges were not independent within this system. Instead, colonial judges were seen as officers of the crown, who carried out the orders of the king and could be removed at his whim.

In this activity, you will learn more about the Founding generation’s original vision for the Supreme Court and the federal court system.

Process
Read Federalist No. 78 by Alexander Hamilton and complete the Activity Guide: The Federalist No. 78 worksheet.

February 23rd-February 27th 2026

Current Political Issues Lesson Plans

Monday:

Objective:

Students will identify major stories from the past week and evaluate source credibility.

Activities:

1. Warm-Up (5 min):

   • Quickwrite: “What news story caught your attention recently?”

2. News Briefs (10 min):

   • Teacher shares 3–5 major headlines (local, national, global).

3. Source Evaluation Mini-Lesson (10 min):

   • How to detect bias, credibility, and purpose.

4. Article Hunt (20 min):

   • Students browse approved news sites to find one credible article.

   • Fill out Source Analysis Sheet (bias, evidence, purpose).

5. Exit Ticket (5 min):

   • Rate the article’s reliability and explain why.

Tuesday:

Objective:

Students will summarize and analyze a selected news article.

Activities:

1. Warm-Up (5 min):

   • Vocabulary pull: students define 2–3 key news terms from yesterday.

2. Mini-Lesson (10 min):

   • How to write an effective news summary (5 W’s + significance).

3. Article Summary Work (20 min):

   • Students read their chosen article more closely.

   • Write a 5–7 sentence summary plus Why this event matters.

4. Small-Group Discussion (10 min):

   • Students share summaries; groups compare topics and viewpoints.

5. Exit Ticket (5 min):

   • “What new perspective did you hear today?”

Wednesday:

Objective:

Students will understand a major ongoing issue and its background context.

Activities:

1. Warm-Up (5 min):

   • Prediction: “What might happen next with ___ issue?”

2. Teacher Mini-Lesson (15–20 min):

   • Overview of an ongoing topic (example: elections, conflict zones, economics, climate, Supreme Court decisions).

   • Include maps, timelines, and background information.

3. Guided Discussion (15 min):

   • Students answer guiding questions in pairs.

   • Focus: impact, stakeholders, consequences.

4. Reflection (5 min):

   • One-paragraph response: “What is the most important takeaway?”

Thursday:

Objective:

Students will practice civil discourse using evidence from reliable sources.

Activities:

1. Warm-Up (5 min):

   • Review discussion norms: respect, evidence, no personal attacks.

2. Preparation (10 min):

   • Students gather supporting evidence for a debate topic selected earlier in the week.

3. Structured Debate or Socratic Seminar (25–30 min):

   • Formats can vary weekly:

     • Fishbowl discussion

     • Pro/Con debate

     • Four Corners opinion activity

4. Exit Ticket (5 min):

   • Students write one thing they learned from an opposing viewpoint.

Friday:

Objective:

Students will demonstrate their understanding of current events through writing and assessment.

Activities:

1. News Quiz (10 min):

   • Covers the major stories of the week (multiple choice + short answer).

2. Weekly Reflection (15–20 min):

   • Prompts:

     • What event this week do you think will matter 10 years from now? Why?

     • Which event did you find most confusing and why?

3. Share-Out (10 min):

   • Volunteers read their responses.

4. Preview Next Week (5 min):

   • Teacher gives a teaser topic or major issue to follow.

Materials:

• Quiz, reflection sheet.

February 23rd-Feburary 27th 2026

World History

Monday:

Russia Reaction and Reform to Nationalism

Alexander 2nd

Alexander 3rd

Direct Instruction

Video:

Russian History from Tsars to Revolution

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0Wmc8C0Eq0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYfXWlflaws&t=1503s

Tuesday:

Self test

World War 1- Direct Instruction

Think- Pair-share

Wednesday:

World War 1- Direct Instruction

Think- Pair-share

Thursday:

World War 1- Direct Instruction

Think- Pair-share

Friday:

World War 1- Direct Instruction

Think- Pair-share