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Fostering students’ civic knowledge gives them context for world news and ultimately turns young people into informed and engaged citizens who will effectively elicit change in their communities and beyond. Current events provide the opportunity for students to see the real-world applications of topics covered in class, but a great high school civics curriculum also covers civic history. 

Whether you’re looking for politics and government lesson plans for high school, activities to supplement your high school civics curriculum, or current events projects to encourage student discussion, these resources will help you teach our future changemakers. 

Resources on the U.S. Constitution and Government Functions

From lessons on the structures and processes of the U.S. government to high school debates on the U.S. Constitution, spark student engagement in civics with these resources. These are great topics to cover as part of Constitution Day activities, too! 

United States Civics and Government Pre-Test
By Samantha in Secondary
Grades: 6th-10th

Use this pre-assessment on the branches of government, the U.S. Constitution, governmental organization, and basic government functions to check student understanding of the content before you begin teaching.

Crash Course: Government & Politics-Viewing Guides for All Episodes (Bundle)
By William Pulgarin
Grades: 8th-12th

These graphic organizers will help your students capture essential information while viewing videos on government and politics.

Civics First Day Activity – What is Government
By Let’s Cultivate Greatness
Grades: 9th-12th

Challenge your students to illustrate foundational concepts in civics and government in this activity that opens up deeper discussion on their understandings, misconceptions, and values. 

Resources on Elections, Voting, and Being Engaged Citizens

Help students understand what it means to be an active citizen, so they’ll be prepared to take part in elections, if they choose to, once they turn 18. Be sure to include civic engagement examples for students to really illustrate the concepts. 

American Government and Civics: Running for Office and Engaged Citizens Bundle
By Ms. Social Studies Teacher
Grades: 5th-12th

This bundle includes activities on elections, campaigns, and being engaged citizens. Students will learn about bias, symbolism, and propaganda, and participate in a mock election activity. 

Redistricting & Gerrymandering Activity with M&M
By Save our Social Studies
Grades: 9th-12th

Use this activity for any government, civics, or human geography class to visually introduce redistricting and gerrymandering to students.

The Political System and Election Process PowerPoint and Guided Notes
By History Gal
Grades: 9th-12th

From political parties and the electoral college to discussing what shapes public opinion, this lesson covers many aspects of the political system and election process.

U.S. Elections | Presidential Election Process | U.S. Government U.S. Election Process
By Holly’s Social Studies Store
Grades: 9th-12th

This resource includes a warmup, lecture slides, cloze notes, and activity ideas that will help your U.S. government or AP U.S. government students understand the process and timeline of U.S. elections.  

Resources to Engage Students in Politics and Current Events

Covering current events with high school students is an essential part of any civics curriculum. It gives students a chance to see the government and citizenship issues in action through relevant, relatable stories. 

AP Language/Composition – What’s Up Wednesdays – Current Events
By Schooled by Stultz
Grades: 9th-12th

Help your high schoolers develop a breadth of knowledge on current events with this weekly activity that has students present an article on a current event and discuss the topic with the class. 

What to Include in a High School Civics Curriculum

The NCSS National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies cover 10 thematic strands, and a few of those specifically address civics. This is a good framework to start from when creating or choosing a high school civics curriculum. 

Topics to cover include:

• Exercising political power ethically
• Scope and limits of authority
• Purposes and functions of government
• Rights and responsibilities of citizens in a constitutional democracy
• Managing science and technology advances in ways to benefit all people
• Protection of privacy
• Basic freedoms and rights of citizens in a democracy
• Civic participation
• Civic ideals and practices in other countries

Civics and Government Pacing Guide, Scope and Sequence FREE, Civics Curriculum
By Learned Lessons LLC
Grades: 6th-12th

This mega bundle breaks down key topics for the entire year or by semester for teaching civics and government classes. It includes dozens of lesson planning guides for civics, world geography, American history, and world history.  

Customize your high school civics curriculum with TPT

Depending on where you live and what standards and regulations are set by your local and state authorities, it may be hard to find an out-of-the-box curriculum that works for your high school civics classes. With high school civics resources, you can customize your class to feel relevant and engaging to your students.