The iCivics curriculum has always been an easy-to-use supplemental resource for teachers. With
over a semester’s worth of content, we created this scope and sequence document to help you
plan your day, week, or semester without having to curate the collection alone.
Since each state has its own take on sequencing, we organized these units and
individual resources to build on each other. Feel free to mix up the order as you
need!
Lesson Plans: These print-and-go
PDF lessons take between one and
two class periods. They act as the
core product base of the units.
Games: Our Flash-based games
require no downloading and are
designed to be played in under 45
minutes.
Web Quests: Students can
explore internet resources in a
controlled way with these guided
research activities.
Drafting Board: This is our
interactive, online essay-builder for
argumentative writing. Use this 3to 4-day tool to bookend a unit
with a related hot topic.
Mini-lessons: These two-page
reading & activity collections can
be done independently or
combined into larger lessons.
We provide standards matching
for all of our content. Just look for
the search tool in the Teacher
section of the site!
Students examine the purpose, forms, and
limitations on government. They will learn about
key philosophers like John Locke and explore
practical examples of government functions.
Students will gain an understanding of different
forms of government, key influences on American
democratic principles, and distinguishing features
of governments around the world.
Why Government?
Lesson Plan
Sovereign State
Lesson Plan
Who Rules
Lesson Plan
Limiting Government
Lesson Plan
Rule of Law
Lesson Plan
* Occasionally, we find some resources to be beneficial in more than one unit. If you see an
asterisk, this resource will be found elsewhere in the iCivics Scope and Sequence.
This work is licensed for your use by iCivics, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the study of American civics. You may
copy, modify, and share these materials freely for non-commercial purposes. Visit www.iCivics.org for more free teaching resources.
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How did we go from a bunch of British colonies to Colonial Influences
the United States of America? Explore the major
gripes of life under British rule, how the colonists Hey King: Get Off Our Backs
decided to break away, and how they set the path
Wanted: A Just Right Government
for a new government.
Lesson Plan
Students learn how our Constitution was created Anatomy of the Constitution
and what some of its key characteristics are. They
You’ve Got Rights!
will also explore key amendments to the
Constitution and their application in protecting
Do I Have a Right?
citizens' rights.
Do I Have A Right: Bill of Rights Edition
Lesson Plan
Discover the structure, function, and powers of
the legislative branch of government. Students
will explore the legislative process as well as the
influence of citizens and political parties.
Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan
Game
Game
The Constitution: Rules for Running a
Country
Web Quest
Three Branches
Web Quest
Separation of Powers (What's For
Lunch)
Lesson Plan
Federalism
Lesson Plan
Power Play *
Game
Student Expression
Drafting Board
Congress in a FLASH
Lesson Plan
Making Laws
Web Quest
Why Do We Have a House and Senate, Lesson Plan
Anyway?
Voting in Congress: More Than Just Yea Lesson Plan
or Nay
Represent Me
Game
Who Represents Me? *
Web Quest
LawCraft
Game
This work is licensed for your use by iCivics, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the study of American civics. You may
copy, modify, and share these materials freely for non-commercial purposes. Visit www.iCivics.org for more free teaching resources.
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Students will learn about the executive branch,
including the unique role and powers of the
president and the function of executive
departments and agencies.
For the President, All In A Day's Work
Lesson Plan
Being President
Web Quest
A Very Big Branch
Lesson Plan
Executive Roles: Money Doesn't Grow
on Trees?
Lesson Plan
Executive Command
Game
What do the courts do? Students explore the state Judicial Branch in a FLASH
and federal courts’ role in fairly settling disputes
The Courts in a Nutshell
and administering justice as well as the unique
role of the U.S. Supreme Court in interpreting the
Sources of Law
U.S. Constitution.
Trial Court "Go Fish"
Lesson Plan
Web Quest
Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan
James Bond in a Honda: Trial
Simulation
Lesson Plan
We the Jury
Game
CourtQuest
Game
Appellate Courts: Let's Take This Baby
Up!
Lesson Plan
Argument Wars
Game
In the Courts
Web Quest
Supreme Decision
Game
The Supreme in Supreme Decision
Lesson Plan
Interpreting the Constitution: What
Does That Mean?
Lesson Plan
McCulloch v. Maryland
Lesson Plan
You Be the Judge
Web Quest
Branches of Power*
Game
This work is licensed for your use by iCivics, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the study of American civics. You may
copy, modify, and share these materials freely for non-commercial purposes. Visit www.iCivics.org for more free teaching resources.
4
How do state and local governments work, and
what is their relationship to citizens and the
federal government? In this unit, students learn
about the powers states have as well as the role
of states and smaller units as the governments
closest to citizens. They find out how state
constitutions are similar and different from the
U.S. Constitution, why county governments are
important, and what their Congressional
representatives do for local citizens.
What does it mean to be a U.S. citizen? How do
you become a citizen? Students compare and
contrast personal and political rights with social
responsibilities and personal duties. Students will
explore global citizenship and the rights and
responsibilities of citizens in other countries. They
will also learn about community engagement by
selecting a problem of their own and creating a
plan to solve it.
State Power: Got a Reservation?
Lesson Plan
The Great State
Lesson Plan
The State Governor
Lesson Plan
States Rule
Web Quest
Comparative Constitutions
Lesson Plan
The Capable County
Lesson Plan
County Basics
Web Quest
Counties Work
Game
Who Represents Me? *
Web Quest
Power Play*
Game
Citizen Me
Lesson Plan
Just the Facts
Lesson Plan
Immigration Nation
Game
Immigration
Web Quest
Responsibility Launcher
Game
The Fourth Branch: You!
Lesson Plan
Civic Heroism
Web Quest
Students Engage
Lesson Plan
Activate
Game
The Global You
Lesson Plan
A Trip Around the World
Lesson Plan
Community Service
Drafting Board
This work is licensed for your use by iCivics, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the study of American civics. You may
copy, modify, and share these materials freely for non-commercial purposes. Visit www.iCivics.org for more free teaching resources.
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This unit introduces students to the American
political system. Students learn how our elections
work, what role political parties play in our
system, and how citizens hold a wide range of
political views. Using simulations, presentations,
vocabulary-building activities, and a mock
election, this unit gives students the tools they
need to make informed choices and encourages
them toward civic involvement.
Electoral Process
Lesson Plan
One Big Party
Lesson Plan
The Political Spectrum (Coming Soon!)
Lesson Plan
Candidate Evaluation
Web Quest
Cast Your Vote
Game
Mock Election
Simulation
Got Ballot?
Lesson Plan
Win the White House
Game
Electoral College
Drafting Board
Students learn how the media and interest groups
influence discussions that take place in the “public
sphere” and ultimately influence the government.
They also identify and apply the seven types of
propaganda to see how messages are designed to
influence us individually. The unit challenges
students to take a critical look at all these sources
of constructed messages through a variety of
activities.
The Public Sphere
Lesson Plan
The Role of Media
Lesson Plan
Interest Groups
Lesson Plan
Propaganda: What's the Message?
Lesson Plan
Interest Groups
Drafting Board
Our civil rights curriculum unit covers the early
days of the expansion of slavery in the United
States through the momentous 1950s and 60s
and the modern Civil Rights Movement. Four
lessons use primary documents, readings,
activities, and more to introduce key concepts and
events.
Slavery: No Freedom, No Rights
Lesson Plan
Civil War and Reconstruction
Lesson Plan
Jim Crow
Lesson Plan
The Road to Civil Rights
Lesson Plan
Voting Rights
Lesson Plan
Civic Action (Coming Soon!)
Lesson Plan
This work is licensed for your use by iCivics, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the study of American civics. You may
copy, modify, and share these materials freely for non-commercial purposes. Visit www.iCivics.org for more free teaching resources.
6
Students learn about the complex interactions
that exist in our globalized world. They examine
the evolution of diplomacy and international
interdependence by looking at recent and
historical global events.
In this unit, students learn about the relationship
between the government and the economy.
Starting with the basics of the market economy,
students learn about government regulations on
our market economy, where the government gets
its money and what the government spends it on,
and how banks and lending influence our
economic system. Each lesson is a basic overview
of a very broad topic and includes activities
designed to show students how these topics
affect their own lives.
Diplomacy
Lesson Plan
Conflict and Cooperation
Lesson Plan
International Influence
Lesson Plan
International Organizations
Lesson Plan
Crisis of Nations (retired 2013)
Game
Military Intervention
Drafting Board
The Market Economy
Lesson Plan
Government and the Economy
Lesson Plan
Taxation
Lesson Plan
Government Spending
Lesson Plan
People's Pie
Game
Banks, Credit, and the Economy
Lesson Plan
Kids and Credit
Drafting Board
act as the core set of curriculum for iCivics. The following four units are unique in
that they can be placed anywhere in the sequence. They focus on specific skills or provide different delivery
methods.
This work is licensed for your use by iCivics, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the study of American civics. You may
copy, modify, and share these materials freely for non-commercial purposes. Visit www.iCivics.org for more free teaching resources.
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Persuasive Writing and County Solutions, were created with a specific end result,
or product in mind. Each lesson builds on what the class accomplished in the previous class.
In this language arts unit, students learn how to
“argue on paper” using a fictional case about a
school dress code rule against band t-shirts. The
lessons take them through the process of writing
two persuasive essays: one supporting the rule
and one opposing it. After the essays, we suggest
having your class play the game Supreme
Decision to see how these arguments relate to
issues of freedom of speech in schools.
Note: This unit is based on the same fictional
scenario as the “Student Expression” module of
our essay builder Drafting Board. Because of
some basic content differences, we suggest you
teach one or the other but not both.
County Solutions is our solution to encouraging
civic engagement without leaving the classroom.
This simple, nine-lesson unit walks your class
through the process of creating an action plan to
resolve a community issue. Students learn about
current events, the role of local government, and
the variety of outreach methods available to
average citizens working to influence public
policy.
Lesson 1: So You Think You Can Argue Lesson Plan
Lesson 2: I Can't Wear What??
Lesson Plan
Lesson 3: Lookin' For Evidence
Lesson Plan
Lesson 4: No Rambling Allowed
Lesson Plan
Lesson 5: Yeah, But…
Lesson Plan
Lesson 6: The Dreaded Outline
Lesson Plan
Lesson 7: Emphasize, Minimize
Lesson Plan
Lesson 8: From Outline To Essay
Lesson Plan
County Solutions: Project Overview
Overview
Step One: We’ve Got Issues
Lesson Plan
Step Two: The News and You
Lesson Plan
Step Three: Who You Gonna Call?
Lesson Plan
Step Four: Working with Websites
Lesson Plan
Step Five: All About Public Policy
Lesson Plan
Step Six: Real World Policies
Lesson Plan
Step Seven: Brainstorm-a-Brewin’
Lesson Plan
Step Eight: Positions, Please!
Lesson Plan
Step Nine: Action Campaign
Lesson Plan
This work is licensed for your use by iCivics, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the study of American civics. You may
copy, modify, and share these materials freely for non-commercial purposes. Visit www.iCivics.org for more free teaching resources.
8
give you the chance to fill the gaps in your existing curriculum or dive a little
deeper into topics that are often glossed over in textbooks. The readings and activities can be done
independently, but they also give many opportunities to discuss, debate, and think critically with your
students.
Each mini-lesson includes a one-page reading and a one-page activity, and is appropriate for a variety of
uses. Unlike the iCivics lesson plans, these mini-lessons are designed for students to complete independently
without the need for teacher direction. However, they also make great teacher-directed lessons or even class
conversation-starters, and multiple mini-lessons can be combined to make a longer lesson.
Cradle of Democracy
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Niccolo Machiavelli
Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)
The Enlightenment
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
Thomas Hobbes
Korematsu v. United States (1944)
John Locke
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Baron de Montesquieu
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
Jean-Jaques Rousseau
Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
Founding Mothers
in re Gault (1967)
Benjamin Franklin
U.S. v. Nixon (1974)
George Mason
Texas v. Johnson (1989)
George Washington
Tip: Design a lesson to meet your specific needs.
Here are a few possible combinations:
Thomas Jefferson
James Madison
Federalist & Anti-Federalists
Constitutional Convention
Get Enlightened: The Enlightenment, John Locke,
Baron de Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau
The Founders: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas
Jefferson, James Madison, George Mason, George
Washington, and The Founding Mothers
Early Rebellions
This work is licensed for your use by iCivics, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the study of American civics. You may
copy, modify, and share these materials freely for non-commercial purposes. Visit www.iCivics.org for more free teaching resources.