This lesson has students view and analyze clips from each of the 2024 presidential debates. Students will view video clips of specific questions discussed during the debate and evaluate the effectiveness of each candidate’s response. This lesson will be updated to include clips from each of the presidential and vice-presidential debates as they air on C-SPAN.
Lesson Plan: Recognizing Propaganda in Political Speeches & Advertisements
In this lesson, students will learn about different types of propaganda by examining examples presented in the media. Students will then apply that knowledge to past and current presidential campaign speeches and advertisements. The lesson is divided into three sections. Section one introduces students to ten types of propaganda; section two asks students to watch C-SPAN video clips of past speeches and identify the types of propaganda utilized, and section three has students apply their new knowledge to the current election cycle using candidates’ speeches on C-SPAN. The lesson offers flexibility so any section can be revised to meet specific classroom needs and address teacher concerns.
Should the United States Ban TikTok to Preserve National Security?
In this mini simulation, students step into the shoes of the National Security Council to decide if the United States should impose a ban on TikTok to safeguard citizens’ data and the country’s security. Students will learn about the ways that private businesses can intersect with national security and the opportunities and limitations for government regulation of digital technologies.
U.S. History Mini Simulations
In this series of historical mini simulations, students step into the shoes of policymakers to advise the U.S. president on how to respond to major foreign policy moments in U.S. history. These eight historical simulations cover crucial U.S. decisions from the 19th to 21st centuries. Designed with a U.S. history survey course in mind, the simulations can fuel a lively discussion to supplement your curriculum and encourage civic engagement.
Learn How to Volunteer at Your Local Election Center
Who are poll workers? And what do they do? Learn how you can take part in the democratic process as a poll worker!
Take the Political Party Quiz to Find Out Where You Fit!
Have you ever wondered where you fit on the political spectrum? To help you find out, PBS NewsHour partnered with the Pew Research Center to create a simple quiz that helps calculate your partisan status and how you compare with others.
Washington’s Field Headquarters – Virtual Tour
To win the Revolutionary War, General George Washington needed the support of thousands of people with varying skills and perspectives. Using Washington’s sleeping and office tent, which survives at the Museum of the American Revolution, and replicas of this and his other military “equipage” as its starting point, this experience explores the experience at camp
Through Their Eyes – Teacher Resource Guide
Built to support the Through Their Eyes core museum student experience, as well as use of the Virtual Tour of the Museum of the American Revolution, this teacher resource guide features modular activities of varying lengths, types, and purposes to encourage student thinking and discussion. High quality images, worksheets, and more engage students around themes
Virtual Tour of the Museum of the American Revolution
Use this virtual tour of the core galleries of the Museum of the American Revolution to explore the dynamic late 18th century through four guiding questions: How do people become Revolutionaries? How did the Revolution Survive its darkest hour? How Revolutionary was the war? What kind of nation did the Revolution create? Along the way,
Finding Freedom – Interactive Online Storybook
Drawing from historical sources as well as contemporary analysis, Finding Freedom explores the lives and decisions of five real people of African descent living in Virginia in 1781, as the British and American armies battle across the state. Their first-person narratives – supported by classroom resources, including primary sources – feature points of decision-making to