The American Civil Liberties Union of Maine is committed to helping educators create dynamic, interactive, and inspiring curricula that encourage students to think beyond their textbooks and into the future of American democracy.
 

Fall Student Conferences
This fall, the ACLU of MAINE hosted three student conferences at different locations around the state. Hundreds of students from 21 different high schools convened on University of Maine campuses in Portland, Farmington, and Belfast to spend an entire day learning about civil liberties and the amendments to the Constitution. Rotating workshops were led by ACLU of MAINE volunteer attorneys, board members, and staff, addressing a range of issues including the 1st, 4th, and 14th Amendments, the rights of students in a public school, the challenges of new technology with respect to privacy, and much more. All our workshops are interactive and invite students to participate and share their thoughts about these important topics.
 

Invite a Speaker to Your Classroom
Now that the fall conferences are over, we will start hitting the road and visiting different schools from all around the state, teaching a wide range of lessons that focus on various civil liberties and civil rights issues. Many of the workshops that were presented at the fall student conferences will be taught throughout the year, and we are always expanding and revising our curriculum to keep it up to date and relevant to the lives of students.

We have visited social studies and American Government classes, civil rights teams, entire grade levels or schools to teach about the Bill of Rights. Work with an ACLU of MAINE staff member to tailor a lesson to the curriculum you are covering currently. Email Education Organizer Jon Gaither at jgaither@aclumaine.org for more information.
 

Curricular Materials
ACLU of MAINE: Privacy and Technology
Students simulate a public hearing for a bill in the Maine State Legislature, and consider difficult questions about privacy and technology, specifically whether the FBI should be allowed to continue to track people using GPS technology in cell phones.

ACLU of MAINE: TLO vs. NJ Mock Trial
Through participating in a mock trial, students learn about their 4th amendment rights in school.

ACLU of MAINE: USA PATRIOT Act
A sample scenario students can use to learn about the USA PATRIOT Act. This lesson is used after reviewing the Bill of Rights Defense Committee's booklet "The War on Terror and the Constitution".

ACLU of MAINE: The Great White Rabbit
Students learn the ins and outs of the First Amendment through this hypothetical scenario based on several First Amendment SCOTUS cases.

ACLU of MAINE: Leveling the Play Field and Breckenridge High School
Title IX, a section of the Civil Rights Act, ensures gender equity for students. From uniforms for sports teams to single-sex classrooms, students study complex issues of gender under Title IX at Breckenridge High School.

ACLU of Michigan's Guide to Teaching the Bill of Rights
Lessons, activities and case overviews of the First and Fourth Amendments