Kentucky Department of Education

Civic Education - Standards-Based Units of Study and Lesson Plans

This page was created to provide K-12 teachers and schools with resources for the implementation of Constitution Day activities and lessons.

The Federalism unit consists of 5 lessons organized around the question, “How does federalism support a democracy”?

The Kentucky Department of Education has created this web page to provide resources to all schools in Kentucky concerning financial literacy and personal finance. Financial literacy is incorporated in the Practical Living/Vocational Studies program, beginning at the primary level and continuing all the way through high school. It is also important to make connections between financial literacy and the economics subdomain of the social studies standards where possible and appropriate.

The Forms and Powers of Government is a unit consisting of 3 lessons (two lessons and a third optional lesson) organized around the big idea, “Students will understand that the structure and purposes of governments influence how governments respond to protect their existence and needs of their citizens”.

Based on legislation passed by the Kentucky General Assembly in 2008 (HJR 6), the Kentucky commissioner of education convened a work group (the Kentucky Social Studies Teacher Network) to review Holocaust curricula and the Kentucky standards to develop a High School Holocaust Curriculum Guide.

The International Relations unit consists of 4 lessons organized around the question, “How can I contribute to living in a just world”?

The Kentucky Department of Education has compiled a list of resources for teachers to use in their instruction about the Kentucky State Capitol Centennial Celebration.

The Kentucky General Assembly per KRS 158.175 (http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/krs/158-00/175.pdf) has required that the Kentucky Department of Education create instructional materials related to the appropriate display of the the flag. This webquest was created for teachers to use in response to that legislative mandate.

Several links to organizations of interest to Social Studies teachers may be found at this location.

In May 2000, after receiving a small grant of $1200.00 from the PERK committee, a group of educators created lesson plans over the summer that would be helpful for social studies teachers in grades eight through twelve, mostly in U.S. history or government.

Rights, Responsibilities, and Duties of Individuals, a unit consisting of 3 lessons, is organized around the question, “How are the rights, responsibilities, and duties of individuals critical to the preservation of American representative democracy”?

Three credits for social studies are required for high school graduation. These credits must incorporate the five social studies disciplines of U.S. history, economics, government, world geography, and world civilization. Districts and schools can arrange the essential content within the three-credit requirement to best meet their need.

Several links to organizations of interest to Social Studies teachers may be found at this location.

​Middle level social studies uses the five subdomains of social studies (historical perspective, geography, economics, government and civics, and cultures and societies) in an integrated program which focuses on a different grade-level context each year.

Links to the Program of Studies, Core Content for Assessment 4.1, Combined Curriculum Document, Depth of Knowledge Support Materials, and Annotated Released Items.

Beginning in February 2008, Kentucky, as the birthplace of Lincoln, kicked-off the bicentennial celebration.

The KDE Social Studies Newsletter is a quarterly publication with publication dates in August, November, February, and May.

This document aligns the ACT Quality Core U.S. History End of Course standards with the Kentucky Social Studies Program of Studies for high school. This document is a draft and may be subject to revision.

The passage of Senate Bill 47 in 2006 changed the Veterans Day requirements for schools in Kentucky. Formerly, all High Schools in Kentucky were required to devote one class period to the observance of Veterans Day. With this new legislation, all public schools are required to:

The Kentucky Department of Education has provided this information to support schools in teaching students the importance of voting. These resources will allow teachers easy access to downloadable voter registration cards, election ballots and lesson plans that will shape Kentucky students into actively engaged citizens to support the Commonwealth.