Civics
What is Civics?
A solid civics course covers the founding documents (Declaration, Constitution, Bill of Rights), the structure and powers of the three branches at the federal level, federalism and the division of power between federal, state, and local government, how laws are made, how elections and political parties work, the Bill of Rights and major Supreme Court cases, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens.
It's aimed at roughly grades 7-12. Prerequisites: solid reading comprehension, some US history background (especially the Revolution and founding period), and enough maturity to engage with contested questions without flinching. A good civics course doesn't dodge the hard parts — voting rights, judicial review, the limits of executive power — it teaches students to reason through them.
How to Learn Civics
The best civics learning happens when students connect the framework to real cases. Pair the Constitution with current Supreme Court decisions, follow a bill through Congress in real time, or attend a city council or school board meeting. iCivics' free games and lesson plans (founded by Justice O'Connor) are well-built and used in classrooms across the country.
- Have students read the Constitution itself, not just summaries — it's shorter than they expect
- Use a recurring "news of the week" segment to connect headlines to the structures being studied
- Mock trials, mock elections, and Model Congress make the mechanics stick in a way reading doesn't
- For high schoolers, work toward passing the US Citizenship Test as a baseline benchmark
- Progress looks like a student who can read a news story about a court ruling or a piece of legislation and explain what's actually happening and why it matters
Civics Resources
Notgrass Exploring Government
One-semester high school government course covering the Constitution, three branches, elections, and citizen responsibilities with primary sources and daily lesson plans.
Who Was George Washington?
Illustrated biography of America's first president for grades 2-5, from the popular "Who Was?" series — perfect for introducing young readers to the founding era.
Everything You Need to Ace American History in One Big Fat Notebook
Visual, notebook-style study guide covering all of American history for middle schoolers — from pre-Columbian times to today, with diagrams, timelines, and mnemonics.
Civics
Practice civics skills on IXL, have fun, and win awards!...
Civics
This high-impact program offers students a strong introduction to government, citizenship, and the American economic and legal systems. An accessible narrative and compelling design work hand-in-hand with interactive technology, study guides, and act...
Oyez
Free multimedia Supreme Court archive with synchronised audio of oral arguments and case summaries.
Bill of Rights Institute
Free primary-source civics and American history curriculum, lessons and full textbooks.
Interactive Constitution
A free online U.S. Constitution where, for every clause, scholars from opposite sides first explain what they agree it means, then lay out where they disagree — modeling civil debate instead of a single interpretation.
DocsTeach
A free tool from the U.S. National Archives that turns thousands of real primary sources — documents, photos, maps, and cartoons — into interactive history and civics activities you can use or build yourself.
American civics
Sal compares the possible outcomes of the federal budget negotiations around the “fiscal cliff.”...
iCivics
The success of any democratic system depends on the active participation of its citizens. iCivics gives students the necessary tools to learn about and participate in civic life, and teachers the materials and support to achieve this goal. Our free r...
Securing Digital Democracy
In this course, you'll learn what every citizen should know about the security risks—and future potential — of electronic voting and Internet voting. We'll take a look at the past, present, and future of election technologies and ex...