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BRI's free, online Middle School resource for civics and U.S. History

Learn to Sustain a Self-Governing, Free Society

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Resource Overview

Building a Self-Governing People is designed to be flexible, teacher-friendly, and embedded with rich with educator supports. Each lesson is classroom-ready and includes guidance for differentiation and adaptation from the Colonial World to Reconstruction. The resource utilizes deconstructed Document-Based Question (DBQ) assessments to build critical student skills that analyze key events, people, and ideas while practicing historical thinking and civic reasoning. Each unit of the resource includes a mini lesson that explores one component of a deconstructed DBQ accompanied by a video that examines the DBQ skills component from the unit using paintings and images.  Our goal is that students gradually build toward a summative DBQ in each unit with structured skill development.

   
 

Middle School Interactive Timelines



Our timelines for middle school classrooms utilize interactive elements to showcase a summary of events through primary sources, videos, and images. The American Revolution timeline visits the British and colonial perspectives on taxation, representation, and self-governance from the end of the French and Indian War in 1763 and the Stamp Act in 1765 through the Battle of Yorktown in 1781 and the Northwest Ordinance in 1787.

Open the Timelines
Browse the Units
Browse the Lessons
Browse the Deconstructed DBQs

Branch Battle Whole Class Game



A whole-group classroom game that challenges students to successfully navigate the policy-making process by passing laws, executing orders, and reviewing actions - while maintaining the balance of power among the three branches of government. The branch with the most points wins.