Civics & Government · 9th Grade

Active learning ideas

Gerrymandering and Redistricting

Active learning works for gerrymandering because the topic blends abstract political theory with concrete spatial reasoning. When students physically draw districts or role-play commission hearings, they confront the human choices behind seemingly neutral lines, making fairness debates tangible rather than abstract.

• Common Core State Standards
• C3: D2.Civ.2.9-12
• C3: D2.Geo.5.9-12

• 25–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Case Study Analysis
• 35 min · Small Groups

Map Drawing Challenge: Draw Your Own District

Using a simplified grid with voter distribution data, student teams receive three different instructions: draw the fairest possible map; draw a map that favors Party A; draw a map that favors Party B. Teams compare maps and discuss what specific choices produced different electoral outcomes.

Justify who should decide the boundaries of political districts.

Facilitation Tip

During the Map Drawing Challenge, circulate with a timer visible so students experience the pressure of 'just one more tweak' that could lock in an advantage.

What to look for

Provide students with a simplified map of a fictional state divided into 5 districts. Give them a scenario: 'Your goal is to maximize the number of seats won by Party A.' Ask them to redraw the district lines on the map and write one sentence explaining how their drawing achieves the goal, using either 'packing' or 'cracking'.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 40 min · Whole Class

Role Play: Redistricting Commission Hearing

One group represents a partisan legislature defending their maps; another represents a citizens' advocacy group challenging them; a third panel plays state court judges. The class evaluates arguments using explicit criteria: compactness, community preservation, partisan fairness, and racial equity.

Analyze the rights in tension when political parties draw their own maps.

Facilitation Tip

For the Role Play hearing, assign specific roles (e.g., incumbent, community advocate, neutral chair) with brief role sheets to prevent vague statements.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Given that the Supreme Court has ruled partisan gerrymandering is a political question, what role, if any, should citizens play in ensuring fair district maps?' Facilitate a debate where students must cite at least one real-world example of citizen action or inaction related to redistricting.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 25 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Infamous Gerrymanders in History

Post five to six historical examples of notorious districts with maps and context (the original Gerry salamander, North Carolina's 12th Congressional District, Illinois's 4th, Texas's 2003 re-redistricting). Students annotate: What technique was used? Who benefited? What was the legal outcome?

Explain how redistricting impacts the accountability of elected officials.

Facilitation Tip

In the Gallery Walk, post a large sheet at each map with T-chart headings 'Fair' and 'Unfair' so students physically categorize examples before discussing.

What to look for

Ask students to define 'gerrymandering' in their own words and then explain one specific way it can impact the accountability of an elected official to their constituents.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Case Study Analysis
• 30 min · Small Groups

Data Analysis: The Efficiency Gap

Introduce students to the efficiency gap metric (wasted votes formula). Provide a simplified dataset for two hypothetical states. Students calculate efficiency gaps and decide whether either state's map should be challenged in court, presenting their reasoning.

Justify who should decide the boundaries of political districts.

What to look for

Provide students with a simplified map of a fictional state divided into 5 districts. Give them a scenario: 'Your goal is to maximize the number of seats won by Party A.' Ask them to redraw the district lines on the map and write one sentence explaining how their drawing achieves the goal, using either 'packing' or 'cracking'.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should treat redistricting as a design problem with constraints, not a morality tale. Research shows students grasp gerrymandering best when they manipulate variables themselves (e.g., changing district shapes to see how seat shares change) rather than reading case studies. Avoid framing it as 'one side is bad'—instead highlight that both parties face identical incentives under current rules, which is why reform is so difficult.

Students will demonstrate understanding by identifying partisan strategies in district maps, justifying their own redistricting decisions with fairness criteria, and connecting procedural choices to real-world electoral outcomes. Success looks like clear articulation of trade-offs between competitiveness, geographic integrity, and partisan advantage.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Role Play: Redistricting Commission Hearing, watch for students who assume the hearing will produce fair maps because 'experts are in charge.'

  Use the hearing’s final vote tally to show that nonpartisan commissioners still face pressure to prioritize party loyalty. Have students tally how often fairness criteria (compactness, community of interest) are invoked versus partisan goals in their testimonies.

• During the Gallery Walk: Infamous Gerrymanders in History, watch for students who conflate odd shapes with gerrymandering.

  Point to Maryland’s 3rd district map and ask students to trace how the shape connects distant communities while excluding nearby ones. Have them highlight the 'bacon strip' corridor that links two urban centers—an example of packing that serves partisan goals despite regular geometry.

• During the Data Analysis: The Efficiency Gap activity, watch for students who assume compact districts are automatically fair.

  Use the efficiency gap calculator to show how a compact district can 'crack' a demographic group by slicing through three urban neighborhoods. Provide a side-by-side comparison: one compact district that splits a 60% blue area into three districts with 45%, 25%, and 20% blue votes.

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Methods used in this brief

• Case Study Analysis
• Role Play
• Gallery Walk