Curriculum

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NH Civics is pleased to share with you a library of civics curricula created by NH teachers between 2015 and 2019 and inspired by a NH Civics teacher professional development opportunity. See below the various topics around which we have organized the curricula; you can search by topic, keyword, or grade level. These curricular resources were edited by NH Civics Trustees, graduate students and a professor from Plymouth State College, and a high school civics teacher. We hope these teacher-created resources are helpful, relevant, and that they make increased quality and quantity of civics instruction in NH possible. We aim to add to this library over time.

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Classes in Freedom of Speech

Constitutional Values - Virtual

Students will be able to examine the U.S. Supreme Court’s power of judicial review and critique the various approaches justices take when interpreting the Constitution. Further, students will understand how the constitutional right to free speech has evolved over time.
Free Speech and Campaign Finance Regulations

The First Amendment to the Constitution prohibits Congress from abridging free speech and the Fourteenth Amendment has been interpreted to extend those prohibitions to state and local governments as well. Over time the Supreme Court has interpreted speech to extend to financial contributions to campaigns, political parties and other political organizations engaged in influencing election results. In addition, the Court has extended some rights of personhood to corporations, including protections of corporate speech against government infringement. Starting after the Watergate scandal, Congress has attempted at several junctions to limit the financial contributions of individuals and corporations to political entities. The Supreme Court, in response, has invalidated an increasing number of those restrictions as unconstitutional restrictions of free speech. Campaign finance regulations and the constitutional protection of free speech raise difficult and essential questions about the role and impact of money in elections and what constitutes an effective democracy.
Free Speech and Campaign Finance Regulations - Virtual

The First Amendment to the Constitution prohibits Congress from abridging free speech and the Fourteenth Amendment has been interpreted to extend those prohibitions to state and local governments as well. Over time the Supreme Court has interpreted speech to extend to financial contributions to campaigns, political parties and other political organizations engaged in influencing election results. In addition, the Court has extended some rights of personhood to corporations, including protections of corporate speech against government infringement. Starting after the Watergate scandal, Congress has attempted at several junctions to limit the financial contributions of individuals and corporations to political entities. The Supreme Court, in response, has invalidated an increasing number of those restrictions as unconstitutional restrictions of free speech. Campaign finance regulations and the constitutional protection of free speech raise difficult and essential questions about the role and impact of money in elections and what constitutes an effective democracy.
Students’ First Amendment Rights in School - Virtual

In this three-part lesson, students will examine the tension between free expression in schools and limits on free speech.
Constitutional Values

Students will be able to examine the U.S. Supreme Court’s power of judicial review and critique the various approaches justices take when interpreting the Constitution. Further, students will understand how the constitutional right to free speech has evolved over time.
Freedom of Speech in Public Schools

Students will understand how the complexity of freedom of speech in schools in the 21^st century.
Students’ First Amendment Rights in School

In this three-part lesson, students will examine the tension between free expression in schools and limits on free speech.

Civil Debate and Deliberation
Our constitutional democracy requires our citizens have the ability to speak, listen, civilly debate, deliberate, and come to a conclusion as a community by vote or consensus. NH's tradition of Town Meeting is the epitome of this democratic process. How can we teach the essential process of having a civil conversation about current and controversial topics?
Community
Participation and investment in one's community is the beginning of civic awareness. How can we teach what community means in our classrooms?
Democracy
Democracy is the form of government we live with in the U.S. We the People are the governed but also the government. We vote on budgets and community issues; we elect representatives and officials at the local, state, and federal levels. How to teach for our constitutional democracy in our schools?
Federal Government
The federal government of the United States is the national and largest-scale level of government our country has. It is composed of three branches: the legislative, the judicial, and the executive. Powers of each branch are described in the Constitution of the United States. The powers of each branch is further defined by acts of Congress. How can we teach about our federal government, its branches, and how they interact with each other, providing checks and balances?
International Government
An international governmental organization (IGO) is an organization composed of nations (referred to as member states), or of other intergovernmental organizations. The United Nations, North American Trade Organization, the World Bank, and the World Health Organization are examples of international governmental organizations. How do we teach about how our country interacts with other countries and with IGO's?
Law and Legislation
The law is a language that lawyers and judges use when they try to prevent or resolve problems—human conflicts—using official rules made by the state as their starting point. These rules come in the form of written constitutions (federal and state), statutes and regulations (laws written by legislatures and administrative agencies), and judicial decisions that interpret these written constitutions, statutes, and regulations. They also come in the form of judicial decisions which fill in gaps in the written law. We call this latter form of gap-filling judicial decision “common law.”
Local Government
Local governments are the governments that oversee towns, cities, and counties. They have different structures depending on the locality. Some localities elect mayors, others elect select persons. Some hold town meetings, other do all decision-making via vote. It is the lowest tier of administration within a state. How to teach our complicated legal system and legislative process? How can we teach about our local government and how to interact with it?
Military
The military is the armed forces of a country. In the United States, the branches of the military are Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The military is a part of the executive branch of the federal government and their commander-in-chief is the U.S. president. How can we teach the powers and the history of the US military?
State Government
State governments in the United States are another levels of government, smaller than the federal government, but larger than the local governments. State Governments also have three branches within them-- legislative, judicial, and executive-- and these three branches check each other and interact with each other. Each state has its own state constitution. States have different powers from the federal government, such as responsibility for overseeing education. How can we teach about state government and how to interact with it?
U.S. Constitution
The U.S. Constitution was ratified by “We the People of the United States of America” in 1788 to serve as the supreme law of the land. It has since been amended 27 times, most recently in 1992. Ultimate power under the Constitution resides in the hands of the People. The Constitution serves three primary functions: (1) to create the three branches of the federal government (Congress, the executive branch, and the federal judiciary) and distribute power among them; (2) to allocate power between these federal governmental institutions and the States; and (3) to specify the extent to which governmental power (federal or state) may encroach on an individual’s liberties.

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- Teacher, 2019

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Curriculum

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Classes in Freedom of Speech

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