United States Government Thematic Units

A few years ago, I completely changed how I taught my 7th grade social studies class.  I used to teach my Constitution unit as just one part of a course about early American history.  They often crammed for the test, but then wouldn’t remember ideas from the Constitution when I mentioned them later in the school year.  Because I had success teaching thematically in my other courses, I wondered if teaching the Constitution thematically would help students understand how big of an impact the Constitution has had on American History and our lives today.

Here is how I organize my U.S. Government Thematic Units:

Theme 1: Principles of Government 

Topics: Enlightenment, American Revolution, Constitutional Convention

Essential Question: What principles were most important to the founding fathers when creating the Constitution?

Project: Causes of the American Revolution Menu Project

Theme 2: Legislative Branch

Topics: How Congress Works, Article I of the Constitution

Essential Question: What legislative actions have impacted Americans most significantly?

Project: Landmark Acts of Legislation Research Project

Theme 3: Executive Branch

Topics: Powers of the President, Article II of the Constitution

Essential Question:  How should ______________’s presidential administration be remembered?

Project: Presidents Research Project

Theme 4: Judicial Branch

Topics: The Supreme Court, Article III of the Constitution

Essential Question:  How do Supreme Court decisions shape the United States?

Project: Landmark Supreme Court Cases Research Project

Theme 5: Individual Rights

Topics:  Bill of Rights, Amendments

Essential Question: What rights are protected by the United States government?

Project: Protest Movements Research Project

Theme 6: Federalism

Topics: Illinois Constitution, Slavery, Civil War

Essential Question: How does the federal government share power with state and local governments?

Project: Causes of the Civil War Menu Project

7th Grade Social Studies

U.S. Government Thematic Units

Social Studies Skills

Why I love teaching U.S. Government thematically:

• Students understand that the government has a huge impact on history and their lives. When the Constitution is taught as a solitary unit, it can feel like a lot of information that doesn’t matter.  When it is taught alongside the actions that were taken by the three branches that had a direct impact on the lives of Americans, student see how their world has been shaped by the government.  They can see that someday (not that far away), their vote will actually have implications.

• It is easy to incorporate current events.  When students hear news stories and want to talk about them, especially in an election year, they seamlessly fit into the curriculum.  Students want to talk about what is going on in politics because they are connecting with this material in class every day.

• It lends itself well to creative projects.  During each unit, students work independently or in small groups to become an expert on an act of legislation, a presidential administration, a Supreme Court Cases, or a protest movement.  They use graphic organizers to organize their research and then create a project or presentation to share what they have learned with the class.

• The same topics pop up multiple times, so students can really understand checks and balances and have a fuller understanding of the topic.  Time periods aren’t just mentioned once in a year.  They come up over and over again and it is easy to spiral content.  For example, the Trail of Tears is brought up three different times.  One student researched about it for their act of legislation, another student researched it as a part of their project about the Andrew Jackson Administration, and another student learned about Worcester v. Georgia when they did a project about landmark Supreme Court Cases.  This part of history doesn’t just get mentioned as a one-and-done.  It is brought up again and again as an example of how checks and balances work (or don’t work in this particular tragic case)

• It helps students make connections when they take my U.S. History Course a year later.  So far in my 8th grade class, we have covered Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Movement.  Acts of Legislation like the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Acts were discussed last year during our Legislative Branch Unit.  Supreme Court Cases like Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board were studied during our Judicial Branch Unit.  Andrew Johnson, JFK, and LBJ were already introduced last year as a part of our Executive Branch Unit.  Last year, they were briefly mentioned as examples of how Checks and Balances work.  This year, they are taught in historical context.  By revisiting each of these topics, students really start to understand their place in history and the impact that they have had on this country.  Instead of each of these actions being covered just once, they are taught over time in multiple different ways.  This really helps them understand the concepts. 

By making the Constitution the focus of the entire school year, students really see the impact that the document has on both history and current events. 

Want to learn more about how I teach history thematically? Check out my Instagram Page, where I share ideas all year long.  

If you are ready to have students start research projects about acts of legislation, presidential administrations, and Supreme Court Cases, these graphic organizers are available for purchase in my TpT shop.

If you want resources to help you teach the United States Constitution, check out this bundle of great resources, which includes editable Google Slides guided notes presentations, word walls, study guides, posters, and more!