Middle School Civics Curriculum for Long-Term Subs and Leave Cover
Covering a middle school civics class through a teacher's leave? This grades 6–8 curriculum has 50+ ready-to-teach resources on rights and responsibilities, founding documents, separation of powers, checks and balances, and federal, state and local government. Students analyze constitutions, court cases, charts and political cartoons, so you deliver real civic instruction instead of copying vocabulary from a glossary.
See the civics curriculum →Civics Complete – Middle School is a digital grades 6–8 civics curriculum with 50+ resources, from $149.90. A long-term substitute can teach the purpose of government, democracy and the rule of law, founding documents, separation of powers, checks and balances, and the levels of government. Students work with constitutions, laws, court cases, infographics and political cartoons and write civic arguments using evidence.
The curriculum
Civics Complete – Middle School, Grades 6–8
Start with the full curriculum. The other resources below are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
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The real problem
Why civics is harder to sub than it looks
Civics sounds straightforward until you are standing in front of eighth graders who want to talk about the news. Some will bring up current political fights, others will repeat what they heard at home, and a sub has to keep the class focused on how government works without taking sides. That takes material built around structure and evidence. The content is also abstract for this age. Separation of powers and checks and balances are easy to define and hard to make real. Students can memorize three branches and still not understand why a court can overturn a law. A sub who only has definitions will lose the room within days. Then there are the source skills. Reading a founding document, interpreting a political cartoon, or working out what a court case decided are core civics skills, and they need careful scaffolding for middle schoolers. A long leave means you are responsible for more than a review packet; you need a sequence that gets students from the purpose of government to how federal, state and local levels share power, with arguments based on evidence along the way.
Why it fits
What makes it suited to civics cover
The curriculum treats civics as a skills subject as much as a content one, which matters when you inherit a room mid-year.
- Lessons on checks and balances make the branches interact rather than sit in three boxes.
- Political cartoon and infographic analysis gives students a structured way into current topics.
- Work with constitutions, laws and court cases teaches students to read the sources themselves.
- Civic argument tasks require evidence, which keeps discussions grounded instead of personal.
- Federal, state and local government lessons connect the content to the students' own community.
- Rights and responsibilities lessons give a clear starting point if the class is new to civics.
Getting started
A practical start for your civics leave
A suggested two-week opening. It is not a calendar from the product, just one way to sequence the material.
- Set discussion norms firstOn day one, agree on how the class will discuss government: claims need evidence, and people are not the target. Civic argument lessons later in the curriculum build on that habit.
- Start with the purpose of governmentEven if the class has covered it, a short lesson on why governments exist and what the rule of law means gives everyone a base to build on in the weeks ahead.
- Teach one founding document closelyPick a constitution or founding document lesson and read part of it with the class. Students see where the structure of government actually comes from, not just a summary.
- Make checks and balances concreteUse the separation of powers lessons with a court case or a chart that shows one branch limiting another. Students remember a specific example far longer than a diagram of three branches.
- Grade a short civic argumentAt the end of week two, have students write a brief argument on a civic question using a source. It is a fair grade and shows the returning teacher their reasoning.
Which version
Choosing the right civics option
The $149.90 version includes the full 50+ resources and fits most leaves. The $189.90 version adds the Teach-Life-Balance course, a separate planner and template set for organizing your own workload, without additional civics lessons. Middle school social studies positions often combine civics and world history, and if yours does, adding World History Complete – Middle School is sensible; TEACHMORE15 gives 15% off when you buy two curricula. If you want an ethics strand for discussion days, the XXL Ethics Bundle Grades 7–10 is listed in the store.
Honest limits
Where the curriculum stops
It does not cover your state's specific constitution or local government in detail, so state-level material may need to be added from your own sources. It does not include current events coverage; if you bring in news, you choose and frame it. Check the content against your state's civics requirements, which can include specific tests or topics. Before sharing it with other teachers, send Teach Lessons a short message. If it is not the right fit, exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does it meet my state's civics requirements?
We do not claim that it is approved by or aligned to any state's civics standards or tests. It is written for U.S. middle school civics and covers civic thinking, government and democracy. Some states have specific civics requirements or assessments, so compare the curriculum with yours and fill any gaps from state resources.
How do I handle political discussions as a sub?
Keep the focus on structure and evidence. The curriculum's lessons on civic arguments ask students to support claims with sources, which gives you a fair standard to hold every viewpoint to. Agreeing on norms early and using political cartoons as analysis rather than opinion prompts also helps.
Does it include state and local government?
Yes, it covers federal, state and local government as part of how power is shared. It does not go into the details of your particular state's constitution, so if your course requires that, add material from your state's official sources. The local government lessons are a good place to ask students who runs their own town or county and how decisions get made there.
Is 50+ resources enough for a semester leave?
It depends on how often you meet and how long you spend on each topic. Civics in middle school is often a semester course, and the curriculum covers civic thinking and the main topics of government and democracy. Pairing lessons with discussion and writing stretches each one usefully.
Can students with weaker reading skills keep up?
Founding documents and court cases are demanding texts. The worksheets are differentiated, and charts, infographics and cartoons offer alternative entry points. For students with accommodations, check their plans with the school and adapt reading load as usual. Reading a short excerpt aloud together before students analyze it also helps more of the class keep up.
How quickly can I start?
You get a download link by email right after purchase, and the files are also in your account under Orders. Nothing ships, so you can prepare your first lesson the same day. A sensible first lesson to print is the one on the purpose of government, since it works for any class regardless of where the absent teacher stopped.
Teach how government works, all leave long
Check the product page for a full list of what the civics curriculum includes.
See the civics curriculum →