LESSON PLANS FOR MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL
All of our lesson plans and videos are appropriate for grades 6-12. Our videos are available on our website as well as on our YouTube channel. Each video is under 10 minutes, and is complemented by discussion questions and activities. These lesson plans are shared via Google Docs, which are fully customizable for what the classroom needs. Each lesson plan has a Teacher Guide, a Student Notebook, and a video. To edit for use in the classroom, make a copy of the document. The time commitment for each lesson is generally about 45 to 90 minutes.
Education Standards
All of our videos and lesson plans address the Washington State K-12 Learning Standards for Social Studies in Civics, with an emphasis on the following standards in Middle and High School.
- C2: Understands the purposes, organization, and function of governments, laws, and political systems.
- C2.6-8. 4 Use knowledge of the function of government to analyze and address a political issue.
- C2.11-12.1 Analyze citizens’ and institutions’ effectiveness in addressing social and political problems at the local, state, tribal, national and/or international level.
- C4: Understands civic involvement
- C4.6-8.3 Employ strategies for civic involvement that address a state or local issue.
- C4.11-12.2 Analyze and evaluate ways of influencing local, state, and national governments and international organizations to establish or preserve individual rights and/or promote the common good.
Who We Are
Teach with TVW (TWT) is the Education Department of TVW. We are a non-partisan, non-profit organization that focuses on teaching state government to the students of Washington State.
See About Us to learn more…
Non-Partisan Coverage
Teach with TVW is firmly committed to non-partisan coverage of the Washington State government. All of our resources contain links to TVW’s gavel to gavel coverage of legislative, executive, and judicial action. Teach with TVW are not the gatekeepers of democracy. Instead we help students understand how democracy works in Washington by demonstrating to them how to navigate Washington’s transparent government. In our Explained series, we teach how the Washington State Legislative, Executive, and the Judicial branches work. In our On the Issues series, we provide students a forum to look at issues traveling through the legislature, hearing from legislators from both sides of the aisle. Students who use our resources learn how the government works and how to navigate a path to engagement.
Preparing students to be engaged and informed citizens is the mission of Teach with TVW and educating on the legislative process is a cornerstone of what we do. You will find a variety of Lesson Plans supported by short explainer videos breaking down everything from how to find your legislator and district – to how to follow a bill through the legislative process and prepare an impactful public testimony. The Teacher’s Guides and Student Notebooks introduce students to the resources to be an activated and informed citizen.
What do you really know about Washington’s courts? Teach with TVW brings you The Judicial Branch EXPLAINED — our latest video series that explains the levels of the Washington Courts system — from District Courts to the State Supreme Court, and tackles the most common misconceptions about the courts.
From “What does the judicial branch do?” to “How does bail work?”, our short 5–7 minute episodes break down the structure and key concepts with real judges and courtroom insights. The Rule of Law lesson plan brings it all together in 4 class periods.
Follow the Election process through the 2024 cycle. This short explainer series showcases all aspects of how elections work in Washington State, from the floors of the state conventions to the final counting of votes in November. Each video can stand alone, or they can be viewed as a series. Students will learn how election rules influence strategy and ultimately voter choices. The Teacher’s Guides and Student Notebooks introduce students to the resources to be an informed voter.
Each Legislative Session, Legislative Pages, students 14-16 years old, research important issues and bring questions to Democratic and Republican leadership, getting you both sides of the issues. From Climate Change to Transportation, each 5-7 minute video is accompanied by short, 20 min lesson plans (EXAMPLE) that include discussion questions, activities, and further research opportunities. Engage your students with information about issues they care about while also learning about the role legislators play in the State.
