We the People Crossword Puzzles -- A Great Way to Preview and Review Material! Looking for a fun way to get students engaged with lesson content and help them zero in on key concepts and important details about U.S. government and the U.S. Constitution? Puzzles work well! This government crossword puzzle set is intended for use with Lesson 22 of We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution. As such, it dives deep into the role of Congress in the American constitutional system -- everything from how a bill becomes a law and how Congress makes decisions to the rules in the House and Senate and Congress' powers of investigation, including impeachment. TWO DIFFERENT CROSSWORD PUZZLE SETS INCLUDED Lesson 22 of We the People has a lot of content and I didn’t want to try to smash it all into a single puzzle. Nor did I want to neglect any important items in the lesson. Easy solution – I decided to just make multiple crossword puzzles for the lesson, and organize them according to logical themes! Here’s what you’ll get in this We the People Worksheets Set for Lesson 22: • Congressional Rules & Lawmaking Worksheet Materials (Covers Pages 152 – 157) o Crossword Puzzle (More challenging) o Crossword Puzzle with Word Bank (For differentiated learning) o Answer Grid (Provides full solution with clues there for convenience) o Answer List (For review, discussion, and vocabulary study) • Congressional Decision-Making & Investigations Worksheet Materials (Covers Page 158 – 160) o Crossword Puzzle (More challenging) o Crossword Puzzle with Word Bank (For differentiated learning) o Answer Grid (Provides full solution with clues there for convenience) o Answer List (For review, discussion, and vocabulary study) Differentiated Learning is Embedded in these We the People Crossword Puzzle Worksheets This We the People Crossword Puzzle Packet contains worksheets with two levels of difficulty to help teachers differentiate the material for their students. The first crossword included features a standard format with just the puzzle grid and the clues list. The second crossword puzzle page, however, is intended for students that need learning aids – it also includes a Word Bank list that will assist students in filling out the puzzle by providing them with all of the possible answers. This “basic” level puzzle still requires students to think critically, though – they have to read each clue and figure out which word bank entry best suits it.

U.S. Government Worksheet Puzzle Focusing on State Governments! These puzzles focus on a key concept of U.S. Government: federalism, or the fact that the U.S. Constitutional system includes both state governments and a national government. These puzzles zero in specifically on the functioning of state governments -- how they are organized and how they perform their duties in the U.S. constitutional system. Differentiated Learning is Embedded in these State Government Crossword Puzzle Worksheets This packet contains worksheets with two levels of difficulty to help teachers differentiate the material for their students. The first crossword included features a standard format with just the puzzle grid and the clues list. The second crossword puzzle page, however, is intended for students that need learning aids – it also includes a Word Bank list that will assist students in filling out the puzzle by providing them with all of the possible answers. This “basic” level puzzle still requires students to think critically, though – they have to read each clue and figure out which word bank entry best suits it. Teacher Convenience Features in these State Government Puzzle Worksheets This packet includes a traditional crossword puzzle answer key that shows the words filled into their correct slots. However, to help teachers who want to conduct a class discussion on the terms, there is also an “Answer List” page that matches up the key words with their clues. This format means that teachers don’t have to hunt for answers on the grid when they are discussing items with the class! 23 Clues & Terms address the following concepts: Bicameral legislatures Biennial legislative sessions Bill of Rights at the state level Boroughs Counties Governors Judges Madison Municipalities Ordinances Parishes Police Powers Representation by population Right to Work laws State senates Special Districts States State Supreme Courts Tenth Amendment Unicameral legislatures

U.S. Government Worksheet Puzzle Focusing on the how the powers of the United States Congress derive from the U.S. Constitution These puzzles focus on helping students understand what the U.S. Constitution has to say about the powers Congress is authorized to exercise. Differentiated Learning is Embedded in these U.S. Congress Crossword Puzzle Worksheets This packet contains worksheets with two levels of difficulty to help teachers differentiate the material for their students. The first crossword included features a standard format with just the puzzle grid and the clues list. The second crossword puzzle page, however, is intended for students that need learning aids – it also includes a Word Bank list that will assist students in filling out the puzzle by providing them with all of the possible answers. This “basic" level puzzle still requires students to think critically, though – they have to read each clue and figure out which word bank entry best suits it. Teacher Convenience Features in these United States Congress Puzzle Worksheets This packet includes a traditional crossword puzzle answer key that shows the words filled into their correct slots. However, to help teachers who want to conduct a class discussion on the terms, there is also an “Answer List” page that matches up the key words with their clues. This format means that teachers don’t have to hunt for answers on the grid when they are discussing items with the class!

Instructions, lesson plan, and easy to use worksheet to help students track information and analyze the proceedings of the Senate during confirmation hearings for cabinet posts and Supreme Court justices. Helps teachers easily use video primary source footage in government, current events, and U.S. history classes! The Nitty-Gritty Here's how this Senate confirmation hearing worksheet works: • Students are asked to fill out the nominee, the position sought, the hearing context (full Senate? Specific committee instead?) and the date of the hearing. • Students wait for a question, then summarize it briefly. • Students determine if the question is fair to the nominee, and also if it is a valid question -- one which is appropriate to ask. They simply check off yes or no to this issue, since minimal writing means more attention can be paid to listening to the video feed. • Students listen to the nominee's answer and decide if they think the nominee should or should not be confirmed based on that single answer. • Students write comments as needed to explain their perspectives about questions or answers. That's all there is to it! A Class Lesson Plan for Watching a Confirmation Hearing My own usage of the worksheet looks approximately like this: • Briefly orient students to activity. Pass out worksheets. • Watch approx. 30 minutes of a confirmation hearing while students view with me and fill out their worksheets. • During the 30 minutes, hit pause or mute on the hearing as needed to clarify points for the class or ask them for feedback. After an interesting Q&A (typically 8 or 10 minutes of coverage), I might debrief with the class before resuming. On the other hand, I might wait until the 30 minutes are over and then debrief the students. • To debrief, I ask questions like this: Who thought the question wasn't fair or valid? Explain why you think that.... Who would confirm the nominee based on the last answer? Why? Who would refuse to confirm? Why? • I've found in my years of teaching that students in government really want to discuss issues and put forth their own views. When we debrief a confirmation hearing, I usually get a lot of participation and engagement, sometimes even from students who don't usually volunteer to speak in class!

U.S. Government Worksheet Puzzle Focusing on the little-studied by highly important topic of the federal bureaucracy -- how the laws passed by Congress are *actually* carried out and enforced! These puzzles focus on helping students understand how the federal bureaucracy made up of government agencies forms a key part of the United States government apparatus! Differentiated Learning is Embedded in these Federal Bureaucracy Crossword Puzzle Worksheets This packet contains worksheets with two levels of difficulty to help teachers differentiate the material for their students. The first crossword included features a standard format with just the puzzle grid and the clues list. The second crossword puzzle page, however, is intended for students that need learning aids – it also includes a Word Bank list that will assist students in filling out the puzzle by providing them with all of the possible answers. This “basic" level puzzle still requires students to think critically, though – they have to read each clue and figure out which word bank entry best suits it. Teacher Convenience Features in these Federal Bureaucracy Congress Puzzle Worksheets This packet includes a traditional crossword puzzle answer key that shows the words filled into their correct slots. However, to help teachers who want to conduct a class discussion on the terms, there is also an “Answer List” page that matches up the key words with their clues. This format means that teachers don’t have to hunt for answers on the grid when they are discussing items with the class!

27-problem cloze viewing worksheet, crossword puzzle review designed for differentiated learning, and helpful teaching aids to assist you as you lead your students through a fun and engaging review of U.S. history as told through key Supreme Court cases that clearly show the various eras the nation has experienced! This video activity packet is intended for use with the excellent PBS series The Supreme Court. The series consists of four episodes, each lasting an hour. Through watching all four episodes, students will be explore in chronological order the entire history of the Supreme Court up through the early 21st century. The program first aired on PBS in 2007 but will remain relevant for many, many years to come! What This PBS The Supreme Court Episode 3 Worksheet Packet Includes: • Comprehensive fill-in worksheet with 27 problems: All problems are presented in video order so that students can follow along. Doing the worksheet as they watch requires students to pay close attention to all narration so they can “catch” the next problem coming up. This leads to higher student engagement with the video and more learning! • Student answer sheet: The student worksheet is formatted to discourage students from writing directly on their copies. This way, teachers can make one class set and use it for years, saving them both time and paper! Students can write on their own paper, of course, but using the included answer sheet will facilitate super-fast grading since it will guarantee that student answers “line up” perfectly with the answer key. • Answer key for fast grading: This key perfectly matches the student answer sheet so that teachers can correct 3, 5, or even more papers at once should they choose – just spread them out carefully so all student pages line up with the key, and you’ll be able to correct student work in nothing flat! • Answer key for going over answers with the class: Instead of grading the papers yourself, you can have students grade themselves or each other with this key. Instead of just reading out the right answer, you can make the “correcting phase” a learning/review experience by reading students the whole sentence they were looking at during viewing, pausing when the answer appears to let the class or selected students supply the correct answer. This lets students hear the key sentences again, helping to reinforce key concepts and information! • Teacher reference materials: Included is a list of all the laws and court cases discussed during the episode, as well as a full transcript of the episode’s narration in case you want to quickly review what the program had to say on a particular topic. • Crossword puzzle activity: Differentiated for basic and advanced learners; 25 words & clues!

TEACH WITH HUMOR USING U.S. HISTORY CRASH COURSE! Few classroom strategies are as successful as this simple approach: make learning fun! That, or course, is easier said than done, but when it comes to teaching American history content, the YouTube series Crash Course U.S. History is a fantastic place to start. QUESTION TYPES INCLUDED ON THESE Crash Course U.S. History Worksheets Some worksheets are free answer. Some are true/false -- and in the answer key, all false answers are annotated to give additional information. Some are fill-in-the-blank or cloze format. The worksheets cycle through these formats in order to keep student interest high, so using the worksheets is a varied experience for them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EPISODES INCLUDED IN THESE CRASH COURSE U.S. HISTORY WORKSHEETS This resource includes a worksheet, a time-stamped worksheet, and a detailed answer key for each episode 1-5 of Crash Course U.S. History: • The Black Legend, Native Americans, and Spaniards • When is Thanksgiving? • The Native Americans and the English • The Quakers, the Dutch, and the Ladies • The Seven Years War and the Great Awakening --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TEACH WITH HUMOR USING U.S. HISTORY CRASH COURSE! Few classroom strategies are as successful as this simple approach: make learning fun! That, or course, is easier said than done, but when it comes to teaching American history content, the YouTube series Crash Course U.S. History is a fantastic place to start. ABOUT THESE CRASH COURSE U.S. HISTORY WORKSHEETS Time stamps are provided for each and every question to help students zero in on the answers. If you do not care to provide your students with time stamp information, however, the packet also includes a "questions only" worksheet for each episode. Each worksheet focuses on a single episode of Crash Course U.S. History and typically contains between 10 and 20 items for students to complete. Worksheets are formatted to fit on one page for easy copying and a detailed answer key is provided for each episode! QUESTION TYPES INCLUDED: Some worksheets are free answer. Some are true/false -- and in the answer key, all false answers are annotated to give additional information. Some are fill-in-the-blank or cloze format. The worksheets cycle through these formats in order to keep student interest high, so using the worksheets is a varied experience for them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EPISODES INCLUDED IN THESE CRASH COURSE U.S. HISTORY WORKSHEETS This resource includes a worksheet, a time-stamped worksheet, and a detailed answer key for episodes 6-10 of Crash Course U.S. History: • Taxes and Smuggling: A Prelude to Revolution • Who Won the American Revolution • The Constitution, the Articles of Confederation, and Federalism • Where Did U.S. Politics Come From? -- Federalists and Democratic-Republicans • Thomas Jefferson and His Democracy --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

U.S. Government Worksheet Puzzle Focusing on how a bill becomes a law, as well as the rules that govern activities in the House of Representatives and the Senate! These puzzles focus on helping students gain a better understanding of the U.S. Congresss. Differentiated Learning is Embedded in these U.S. Congress Crossword Puzzle Worksheets This packet contains worksheets with two levels of difficulty to help teachers differentiate the material for their students. The first crossword included features a standard format with just the puzzle grid and the clues list. The second crossword puzzle page, however, is intended for students that need learning aids – it also includes a Word Bank list that will assist students in filling out the puzzle by providing them with all of the possible answers. This “basic" level puzzle still requires students to think critically, though – they have to read each clue and figure out which word bank entry best suits it. Teacher Convenience Features in these United States Congress Puzzle Worksheets This packet includes a traditional crossword puzzle answer key that shows the words filled into their correct slots. However, to help teachers who want to conduct a class discussion on the terms, there is also an “Answer List” page that matches up the key words with their clues. This format means that teachers don’t have to hunt for answers on the grid when they are discussing items with the class!

U.S. Government Worksheet Puzzle Focusing on the Presidency of the United States! These puzzles will help students explore the ways in which the U.S. presidency differs from the leadership of prime minister, helping them to identify key distinctions between a parliamentary system and the U.S. federal government. Differentiated Learning is Embedded in these U.S. Presidency Crossword Puzzle Worksheets This packet contains worksheets with two levels of difficulty to help teachers differentiate the material for their students. The first crossword included features a standard format with just the puzzle grid and the clues list. The second crossword puzzle page, however, is intended for students that need learning aids – it also includes a Word Bank list that will assist students in filling out the puzzle by providing them with all of the possible answers. This “basic" level puzzle still requires students to think critically, though – they have to read each clue and figure out which word bank entry best suits it. Teacher Convenience Features in these United States President Puzzle Worksheets This packet includes a traditional crossword puzzle answer key that shows the words filled into their correct slots. However, to help teachers who want to conduct a class discussion on the terms, there is also an “Answer List” page that matches up the key words with their clues. This format means that teachers don’t have to hunt for answers on the grid when they are discussing items with the class!

U.S. Government Worksheet Puzzle Focusing on the Congress of the United States! These puzzles dive into the weighty issues of how Congress goes about making its decisions, and how it uses its investigative and oversight authority to "police" the other two branches of the U.S. government. Differentiated Learning is Embedded in these U.S. Congress Crossword Puzzle Worksheets This packet contains worksheets with two levels of difficulty to help teachers differentiate the material for their students. The first crossword included features a standard format with just the puzzle grid and the clues list. The second crossword puzzle page, however, is intended for students that need learning aids – it also includes a Word Bank list that will assist students in filling out the puzzle by providing them with all of the possible answers. This “basic" level puzzle still requires students to think critically, though – they have to read each clue and figure out which word bank entry best suits it. Teacher Convenience Features in these United States Congress Puzzle Worksheets This packet includes a traditional crossword puzzle answer key that shows the words filled into their correct slots. However, to help teachers who want to conduct a class discussion on the terms, there is also an “Answer List” page that matches up the key words with their clues. This format means that teachers don’t have to hunt for answers on the grid when they are discussing items with the class!

U.S. Government Worksheet Puzzle Focusing on the Presidency of the United States! These puzzles dive into the ways in which presidential powers have expanded over the nation's history, as well as the various means by which the president and his powers can be limited in the context of federalism, as well as the checks and balances that make up a three branch government. Differentiated Learning is Embedded in these U.S. Presidency Crossword Puzzle Worksheets This packet contains worksheets with two levels of difficulty to help teachers differentiate the material for their students. The first crossword included features a standard format with just the puzzle grid and the clues list. The second crossword puzzle page, however, is intended for students that need learning aids – it also includes a Word Bank list that will assist students in filling out the puzzle by providing them with all of the possible answers. This “basic" level puzzle still requires students to think critically, though – they have to read each clue and figure out which word bank entry best suits it. Teacher Convenience Features in these United States President Puzzle Worksheets This packet includes a traditional crossword puzzle answer key that shows the words filled into their correct slots. However, to help teachers who want to conduct a class discussion on the terms, there is also an “Answer List” page that matches up the key words with their clues. This format means that teachers don’t have to hunt for answers on the grid when they are discussing items with the class!

U.S. Government Worksheet Puzzle Focusing on the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution! These puzzles focus on the 4th Amendment, delving into matters of what makes a search and seizure legal or illegal under the U.S. Constitution as well as court decisions such as Mapp v. Ohio. The puzzles cover key concepts such as warrants, probable cause, and the exclusionary rule. Differentiated Learning is Embedded in these U.S. Constitution Crossword Puzzle Worksheets This packet contains worksheets with two levels of difficulty to help teachers differentiate the material for their students. The first crossword included features a standard format with just the puzzle grid and the clues list. The second crossword puzzle page, however, is intended for students that need learning aids – it also includes a Word Bank list that will assist students in filling out the puzzle by providing them with all of the possible answers. This “basic" level puzzle still requires students to think critically, though – they have to read each clue and figure out which word bank entry best suits it. Teacher Convenience Features in these United States Constitution Puzzle Worksheets This packet includes a traditional crossword puzzle answer key that shows the words filled into their correct slots. However, to help teachers who want to conduct a class discussion on the terms, there is also an “Answer List” page that matches up the key words with their clues. This format means that teachers don’t have to hunt for answers on the grid when they are discussing items with the class!

U.S. Government Worksheet Puzzle Focusing on the ways in which people in the United States band together in cooperative associations to improve their local communities, states, nation, and the world! These puzzles focus on the civic engagement, exploring a key facet of United States culture identified by Alexis de Tocqueville: the tendency of Americans to participate in groups, working together to identify problems and reform society. Differentiated Learning is Embedded in these Civic Engagement Crossword Puzzle Worksheets This packet contains worksheets with two levels of difficulty to help teachers differentiate the material for their students. The first crossword included features a standard format with just the puzzle grid and the clues list. The second crossword puzzle page, however, is intended for students that need learning aids – it also includes a Word Bank list that will assist students in filling out the puzzle by providing them with all of the possible answers. This “basic" level puzzle still requires students to think critically, though – they have to read each clue and figure out which word bank entry best suits it. Teacher Convenience Features in these Civic Engagement Puzzle Worksheets This packet includes a traditional crossword puzzle answer key that shows the words filled into their correct slots. However, to help teachers who want to conduct a class discussion on the terms, there is also an “Answer List” page that matches up the key words with their clues. This format means that teachers don’t have to hunt for answers on the grid when they are discussing items with the class!

U.S. Government Worksheet Puzzle Focusing on the Presidency of the United States! These puzzles focus on the various roles of the U.S. president, including his role in defining and carrying out U.S. foreign policy. Differentiated Learning is Embedded in these U.S. Presidency Crossword Puzzle Worksheets This packet contains worksheets with two levels of difficulty to help teachers differentiate the material for their students. The first crossword included features a standard format with just the puzzle grid and the clues list. The second crossword puzzle page, however, is intended for students that need learning aids – it also includes a Word Bank list that will assist students in filling out the puzzle by providing them with all of the possible answers. This “basic" level puzzle still requires students to think critically, though – they have to read each clue and figure out which word bank entry best suits it. Teacher Convenience Features in these United States President Puzzle Worksheets This packet includes a traditional crossword puzzle answer key that shows the words filled into their correct slots. However, to help teachers who want to conduct a class discussion on the terms, there is also an “Answer List” page that matches up the key words with their clues. This format means that teachers don’t have to hunt for answers on the grid when they are discussing items with the class!

U.S. Government Worksheet Puzzle Focusing on what it means to be a citizen! These puzzles focus on the history and meaning of citizenship in the U.S., including the various ways in which diverse groups have been granted citizenship, as well as the rights and responsibilities that are part and parcel of being a citizen. Differentiated Learning is Embedded in these U.S. Citizenship Crossword Puzzle Worksheets This packet contains worksheets with two levels of difficulty to help teachers differentiate the material for their students. The first crossword included features a standard format with just the puzzle grid and the clues list. The second crossword puzzle page, however, is intended for students that need learning aids – it also includes a Word Bank list that will assist students in filling out the puzzle by providing them with all of the possible answers. This “basic" level puzzle still requires students to think critically, though – they have to read each clue and figure out which word bank entry best suits it. Teacher Convenience Features in these United States Citizenship Puzzle Worksheets This packet includes a traditional crossword puzzle answer key that shows the words filled into their correct slots. However, to help teachers who want to conduct a class discussion on the terms, there is also an “Answer List” page that matches up the key words with their clues. This format means that teachers don’t have to hunt for answers on the grid when they are discussing items with the class!

U.S. Government Worksheet Puzzle Focusing on the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution! These puzzles focus on the 5th Amendment, targeting the U.S. Constitution's protection against self-incrimination as well as the way the courts have enforced this protection through the development of Miranda rights. Differentiated Learning is Embedded in these U.S. Constitution Crossword Puzzle Worksheets This packet contains worksheets with two levels of difficulty to help teachers differentiate the material for their students. The first crossword included features a standard format with just the puzzle grid and the clues list. The second crossword puzzle page, however, is intended for students that need learning aids – it also includes a Word Bank list that will assist students in filling out the puzzle by providing them with all of the possible answers. This “basic" level puzzle still requires students to think critically, though – they have to read each clue and figure out which word bank entry best suits it. Teacher Convenience Features in these United States Constitution Puzzle Worksheets This packet includes a traditional crossword puzzle answer key that shows the words filled into their correct slots. However, to help teachers who want to conduct a class discussion on the terms, there is also an “Answer List” page that matches up the key words with their clues. This format means that teachers don’t have to hunt for answers on the grid when they are discussing items with the class!

What better way to teach, review, and encourage broad learning than to use interactive games in your class? These games are super fun, improved based on student input, and can be played on a Smart Board using Smart Notebook software. WHAT THESE INTERACTIVE SMART BOARD HISTORY GAMES COVER About the games -- they all cover the topics of World War I and the Russian Revolution. These games are based on the material in Chapter 8 of Glencoe's World History: Modern Times but of course history is history. These games include the relevant vocabulary such as propaganda, armistice, militarism, etc. You can use these games to teach about Triple Alliance, Triple Entente, Lawrence of Arabia, Czar Nicolas II Lenin, Trotsky, and many other topics no matter what textbook you use! However, if you ARE using the Glencoe text, these games will perfectly coordinate with the chapter listed and really make your lesson planning a snap! All the games are interactive and many of them are self-checking! HOW TO USE THESE WWI AND RUSSIAN REVOLUTION HISTORY GAMES I like to use the games on the Smart Board with a few students at the board at at time while the other watch, and then follow that with a trip to the computer lab where EVERY student can play on an individual computer at his/her own pace. The students learn and retain more via games than via other types of review activities, and they enjoy history and tell others how fun your class is -- it's a win/win teaching strategy. Some of the games are also very appropriate as "teachable moments" -- the answer is "reparations," so who can tell me more about that? Let's look at that in a little more detail before we continue to the next slide... you get the idea. The file contains 7 slides full of games. All the games are locked, but people who purchase the file can email me to request the password that will unlock the slides and let you edit the games, customizing them further to your own content, to your heart's content.

A simple one-page PDF of play money for you to print out and use in games or simulations. One-dollar bills only, but for history simulations, there's no reason not to tell students that each bill represents $100 or $1000 or even $10,000 -- whatever would most suit the price levels of the time under study!

Have you ever looked at catalogs and wished that you could find some classroom display materials that would stimulate a lot of thought and discussion about the nature of history itself -- instead of only about a limited topic such as the French Revolution? Have you wanted to find more mature display materials that would help your high school students feel that they are being treated as reasoning individuals nearing adulthood? If you are like me, you have decided that a lot of classroom displays for social studies are just too "elementary"-looking for high school students to appreciate. You have probably also longed for some permanent displays that could stay up all year and still be relevant every single day. The answer: Great Quotes about History These 48 famous quotations will stimulate thought and discussion even as they challenge students' preconceptions about what history really is, how it gets written, and why it can be interpreted so differently! I find my students looking up at them and studying them during pauses in instruction or when they have seat work to do. They also work as fantastic sponge and transition activities -- particularly if you print them out on a variety of different colors of paper. A great class starter is to challenge students to "find the orange quotation that most closely matches your view, and be prepared to explain why you agree with it." They can also be used as essay and debate topics, encouraging students all the while to do more than simply learn historical facts, but to reach a deeper understanding as to the role and purpose of history itself. Apart from any other instructional use, however, they make for a beautiful, relevant, and timeless set of classroom display materials -- these quotations are "evergreen" and will work well with any historical topic. WHAT YOU WILL GET IN THE ZIP DOWNLOAD FILE: Since teacher convenience and accessibility is a part of my whole philosophy, the full set contains: --a .pdf file to make sure that the pages will display as designed even if you lack the font I used --an editable .rtf file you can customize to suit yourself. I include this since you might want to add to the quotes as you see fit, change the font to an alternate you prefer, or switch away from black text if you have a color printer.