Welcome back to another school year, teachers!
As August draws to a close, summer has officially ended. The backpacks are packed, the school supplies unwrapped, and your lesson plans are waiting for you, whether the end of break has found you well-rested and refreshed or not! As September rolls in, the temperatures (hopefully!) drop, and all things pumpkin spiced begin to scent the air, I thought I would make a little Teaching with Happy Teacher Resources post breaking down the resources you might find useful here in the beginning of the Fall Semester. So if you’re teaching Civics or American Government, buckle in! Let’s take a look at how Happy Teacher Resources can make your trip through the first weeks of school a little bit smoother. 🙂
Back to School Activities
I have two Back to School activities available on TPT! The All About Me Student Survey and Vote For Me! First Day Activity both provide a chance to get to know your students. (The Vote for Me! is especially fitting for civics and government classes as we approach the election season!)
Civics Bell-Ringers
If you’re looking for bell work to begin your classes, my Standards Based Bell-Ringers for Civics & American Government cover an entire year’s worth of curriculum! You can match the topic with your curriculum for the week for extra review and reinforcement of your lessons’ big ideas!
Quarter One’s Bell Ringers cover topics like Civics & Citizenship, Civic Duties & Responsibilities, Types & Systems of Government, Influential Documents & Origins of Government, John Locke and the Social Contract, the American Revolution, and the Declaration of Independence!
These bell ringers provide 5-10 minutes of review, reflection, and good ol’ test prep questions that help reinforce those big ideas and tricky vocabulary. Snag the freebie on TPT to give them a test run!
Now, let’s get into what is the likely topic of your first few weeks in Civics class: Civics & Citizenship! Happy Teacher Resources has plenty of products that’ll help you teach the fundamentals of Citizenship, Civic Duties, and Civic Responsibilities to your students. I’ve got reading passages, station activities, a board game, and plenty of opportunities for students to be creative!
Happy Teacher Resources Civics and Citizenship Resources:
Civics & Citizenship
- Who is a Citizen? Article & Review & Who is a Citizen? Matching Response. This engaging article introduces Civics and Citizenship, and the matching activity reinforces four key concepts: naturalization, the 14th Amendment, Law of Blood, and Law of Soil.
- Becoming a Citizen Video & Article Response. In this web-based activity, students read a primary source account of the naturalization process, and watch a video of natural-born citizens trying to take a citizenship test. Includes comprehension and reflection questions.
- Passport to Citizenship Scenarios. Students review the requirements of the naturalization process by gauging whether fictional profiles are eligible for United States citizenship!
- Pathway to Citizenship Board Game. Students simulate the citizenship process by playing through the steps of naturalization in this fun board game.
Passport to Citizenship Scenarios Activity
Civic Duties and Responsibilities
- Duties & Responsibilities of Citizenship Article & Picture Match. This short article covers all the duties and responsibilities of citizenship, and the picture match reviews specific civic duties.
- Civic Duty Folder Pass. This station activity reviews each Civic Duty. Includes photos and video links, plus a comprehension review.
- Civic Duties Matching & Response. Scenario Match for extra practice!
- Obligations of Citizenship PSA. Creative culminating activity for your Civic Obligations unit! Students create a PSA poster based on a civic duty or responsibility. Rubric & samples included.
- Citizenship Review. Four levels of comprehension check: vocabulary, scenarios, creative illustration, and reflection.
- Citizenship Study Guide. An extra, eye-catching study guide that’s useful for exam review!
Civics, Citizenship, & Civic Duties Review
- Civics & Citizenship Task Cards. 32 task cards reviewing key concepts and vocabulary related to citizenship!
- Civics & Citizenship Review Activities. 4 puzzle games reviewing citizenship, including emoji riddles!
Citizenship Task Cards
I hope this post helped provide an overview of the products I have available for you on Happy Teacher Resources!! I know we probably all wish it could be summer forever, but Fall is here whether we like it or not! And if you’re ever feeling daunted by the demands of the new school year, know that 1) you’ve GOT this! and 2) if you ever need help figuring out what you’re going to do tomorrow, throwing together last-minute sub plans, finding extra enrichment for your learners, or are ever just looking for something fun and easy to add to your lesson, Happy Teacher Resources is here to help!!
Here’s to a great, productive, relatively stress-free September! Happy teaching!
Christina @ Happy Teacher Resources
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