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I came across this lesson plan through a CUNY link in the optional reading for Session 5. I think it combines excellent primary sources (e.g., James Madison's notes regarding how to establish an electoral process) with incredibly creative activities to help students understand the advantages and disadvantages of the electoral college. I'm excited to try this out with my class this year!

The prompt this week for the ACLU link had to do with how we might use timelines in class to explore voting rights, and that reminded me of this wonderful websites. It allows you to create your own dynamic timeline for students to explore, and it also allows students to create their own timelines. It's easy to use and visually very friendly.

The New York Times has a great map section for the Electoral College. If you type in Electoral Map in the search bar of the New York Times it will be give you various maps of the past few elections (presidential, midterm, governors, etc.). A great visual for students to understand voting patterns, etc.

This link has the famous "remember the ladies" exchange between John Adams and Abigail and also has a letter that Adams wrote justifying the limitation of voting rights to property-holding men, which was brought to mind by this week's topic

Another good resource site and interesting lesson plans that focus on the Chinese experience in America. This could provide more background information for you as you get into the Chinese Exclusion Act and how citizenship was denied to Asian Americans for many years.

If you click on the resource section on the left side of the website there are great timelines and resources regarding the Chinese in America. There is census data and a list of organizations that can help you with resources. There is a lot to dig through on this site, but worth the effort.

Actually a very good museum to visit if you are in the Los Angeles area. This brings a different approach to the Civil Rights Movement by focusing on the music. It might be interesting for students to explore the power of music during the Civil Rights Movement and make it easier to engage in the constitutional and legal aspects. Some good videos and resources.

Companion Guide to the HBO Documentary, "The Loving Story" which tells the story of how the Supreme Court banned all race based restrictions on marriage in 1967. This could be a way to get into marriage equality or basic civil rights.

Great and powerful story of Henrietta Lacks, whose cells were the first to ever grow in culture and be used in countless medical studies without her permission. It's a book that blends science, medicine, race and history. This teacher's guide provides very good reading questions and it's a nice way to discuss the right of privacy, the Constitution and minority rights.

Great video on Creating a Constitution by the same Annenberg Foundation from my earlier post - I believe this has all the segments of the DVD series. Short and sweet segments for the classroom.

This is a resource my colleague and I use often. The ed portal U.S. History 1 course covers the first settlers to the end of the Civil War. This bookmark covers the creation of the U.S. government. Yes, the videos are "cutesy", however because there is a video to watch, a transcript and narration students can access the information on many levels.

I initially had trouble finding the lesson linked to in week 5's session. I searched the website for the title of the lesson mentioned on the syllabus. This is the lesson that came up in my search.

There is a lot to improve on here - but also a lot of great essential questions. A really good starting point for someone new to the course or profession - and interesting food for thought for the veterans!

This is a somewhat scholarly look at how African Americans, artisans and small farmers viewed the Constitution. Great for your own background or to give honors or AP kids something to think about and wrestle with. Not your typical point of view!

Great primary visuals from the time period regarding the Chinese "invasion" of California. The visuals are from various publications. Students could categorize the arguments according to economic, political, cultural reasons as a take home assignment.

Great audio recordings on the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 - they are somewhat hard to hear, but they provide a behind the scenes look on how they passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Students could listen to them and get a sense on how deals are presented, made and discussed behind closed doors.

This City University of New York page explores the history of Puerto Ricans in relation to US citizenship and the right to vote.

This primary source document on the 15h Amendment speaks volumes when it states "Although ratified on February 3, 1870, the promise of the 15th Amendment would not be fully realized for almost a century. There are Historical Collection links as well.

In my search for court cases that would both illustrate the 'enduring legacy' of the Bill of Rights' and be of interest and relevant to younger students, I found this site. Very clear, brief explanations on a timeline of court rulings re: educaction, some of them centering around children's rights.