Teacher Resources

Table of Contents

 

Kids Voting Ohio Program Curriculum

​​The Program Curriculum includes lessons and activities for 3rd - 12th grade around voting, civics, government and history. All the provided lessons and activities are aligned with the Ohio's Social Studies Learning Standards and Model Curriculum. The curriculum is FREE to anyone, even if your school is not registered for Kids Voting Ohio.

 
 
 

Kids Voting Ohio Teacher Support 

​We offer various programs, resources, and assistance for our educators. These include monthly teacher training sessions, a teacher support page to submit feedback, questions and suggestions, and assistance in organizing field trips and getting speakers to your classroom. Interested in KVO leadership opportunities? Let us know. Please visit ​our teacher support page for more information. ​

 
 

Book Recommendations

Other Educational Resources​

Sources for civics & government classroom curriculum

Disclaimer: Not all curriculum within the resources below are useful for the mission of Kids Voting Ohio. Please utilize at your own discretion.

  • Annenberg Classroom - Free classroom resources for teaching the constitution including videos, games, lesson plans and timelines as well as our popular Annenberg Guide to the Constitution, which provides the original text and then explains it in plain language. These materials are provided to equip middle and high school teachers with the tools to create informed citizens who understand their rights and responsibilities as outlined in the Constitution. 

  • Center for Civic Education - The Center provides research-backed curricular programs that have been trusted by teachers for decades. CCE offers the following Teaching Resources: text books, e-books, free lesson plans, free course, and a 60-second daily civics quiz.

  • Constitutional Rights Foundation - CRF seeks to instill in our nation's youth a deeper understanding of citizenship through values expressed in our Constitution and its Bill of Rights, and to educate young people to become active and responsible participants in our society. CRF is dedicated to assuring our country's future by investing in our youth today.

  • Facing History and Ourselves - Facing History helps students connect choices made in the past to those they will confront in their own lives. Our resources address racism, antisemitism, and prejudice at pivotal moments in history. 

  • iCivics - iCivics works to ensure every student in America receives a quality and engaging civic education and graduates from high school well-prepared and enthusiastic for citizenship

  • Judicial Branch Education Resources - The Supreme Court of Ohio's Civic Education Department provides lesson plans, learning videos, teacher and student resources and programs, tour information, and school transportation grants. 

  • Learning For Justice - Learning for Justice provides free resources to educators—teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners—who work with children from kindergarten through high school. Educators use our materials to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create civil and inclusive school communities where children are respected, valued and welcome participants.

  • Ohio Center for Law Related Education - The Ohio Center for Law-Related Education (OCLRE) provides Ohio’s students and teachers with exciting academic programs and resources, designed to engage students in learning about government, law, and the importance of active citizenship. OCLRE offers resources and lesson plans for students and teachers.

  • Scholastic's Election Collection: Grades 3-12 - Lesson Plans, Book Resources, Articles, Games, and activities to teach students about the importance of democracy and elections

  • TeachRock -  TeachRock is a standards-aligned, arts integration curriculum that uses the history of popular music and culture to help teachers engage students.

  • Under Advisement: Ohio Supreme Court Cases On Demand - an engaging new program created by the Supreme Court of Ohio in an effort to reach high school students across Ohio and strengthen their understanding of Ohio’s court system.

  • Voting & Civics: Know Your Ohio Government  - Created by the Ohio League of Women Voters Education Fund. Includes textbook chapters, lesson summaries, lesson plans and activities. Built for Middle School, High School, and College. 

 

Diversity and Inclusion Resources 

Disclaimer: Voter participation in Ohio is lowest among people of color and people with disabilities. These are optional resources for educators. 

 

Project-Based Learning Opportunities​

Civic Action Project - Brought to you by the Constitutional Rights Foundation

  • ​CAP is a free project-based learning curriculum for civics and government from the Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF). Think of it as a culmination of students’ social studies education, a chance for them to apply what they have learned to the real world and impact an issue that matters to them. Students could select issues related to school, community, or even national or global issues. CAP students identify an issue or problem that matters to them, connect it to public policy, then take “civic actions” to try to impact their selected issue/problem. 

  • There are two versions of CAP one for middle school and one for high school students and classrooms.

  • To learn more and access the program curriculum, visit their website or contact Laura Wesley with any questions. 

Erase the Space 

  • ​Erase the Space is a non-profit organization formed by Derek Burtch, an English teacher at Olentangy Liberty High School in Powell, Ohio, and Amelia Gordon, a former English teacher at Columbus South High School in Columbus, Ohio.

  • This program facilitates a year-long writing exchange between respective classrooms in order to help repair public discourse. Students write letters and opinion pieces, communicate via Twitter and gChat, and ultimately meet in person. Working in teams, students develop an idea to get teenagers from different backgrounds and areas of our city together authentically to have a discourse on problems facing their community. Their focus for the past two years has been the segregation of Columbus.

  • Erase the Space is designed for high school students and classrooms but has recently expanded to elementary and middle school levels.

  • To learn more, visit their website or contact their co-founder Derek Burtch 

Middle School Civility Project - Brought to you by the Ohio Center for Law Related Education (OCLRE)

  • These lessons and activities are designed to help students to gain knowledge and skills to start a Service Learning Project in their school or community. Students will document research, guest speaker notes, field trip notes. Students/classes that use these lessons are strongly encouraged to utilize OCLRE's  Youth For Justice Program to showcase the work they have done to benefit the community. 

  • This project is designed for middle school students and classrooms.

  • For more information, visit the OCLRE website.