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This page will give ideas for lesson plans and activities for students as they learn about the history and workings of the Constitution of the United States.
President George W. Bush signed public law 108-447 in December 2004 requiring all educational institutions that receive federal funds to teach the United States Constitution on September 17 (or the closest school day if it falls on a weekend).
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
These famous words established our government and the core principles on which this nation was founded. Three branches – the Legislative, consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives; the Executive, with a president; and the Judiciary, headed by the Supreme Court, were created, each having its own role in how laws are made and used.
The Constitution of the United States was signed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 17. 1787. On this date, the core principles on which this nation was founded were laid out in the Constitution. This important document was ratified months later in 1788 by the necessary nine states (out of thirteen) to officially establish our nation’s new system of government.
Today all educational institutions that receive federal funds are required to teach the United States Constitution on September 17 (or the closest school day if it falls on a weekend).
There are many excellent resources available to facilitate the teaching of the U.S. Constitution and to help educators to guide their students to gain a greater understanding of the importance of this historical document. Included below are websites and ideas for lesson plans. |
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The Constitution for Kids
From U.S. Constitution Online
The Constitution for Kids site is an excellent source for Kindergarten through 3rd Grade, 4th through 7th Grade, and 8th through 12th Grade. It contains the “basics” for each of these three levels. |
Constitution Facts
From Constitution Facts
Information on the U.S. Constitution, the Supreme Court, and the Founding Fathers can be found on this site.
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Constitution Day
From Constitution Day
This site provides a great deal of background information, as well as educational materials for study.
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Lesson Plans on Constitution Day and More!
From the National Archives
This site contains links to numerous sources of information, activities, simulations, and lessons concerning the Constitution. This page can also be linked to a Spanish translation. It's at the bottom of the web page. |
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Constitution Day Lessons
From Junior Achievement
This site comes highly recommended. It contains lesson plans for K-2, 3-4, 5-8, and 9-12, each designed to take only a class period.
“That’s My Property” is designed for elementary grades K-2. Students will learn how the Constitution of the United States and its amendments provide certain rights pertaining to personal property. Using a scenario about classroom rules, students demonstrate the importance of having individual rights.
“No Time for Tea” has been created for elementary grades 3-5. Students will learn how the U.S. Constitution provided the framework for our country’s democratic form of government and the representation within our government.
“It’s My Right” is directed to the middle grades 6-8. Students work in representative groups and analyze the Bill of Rights, ranking each amendment based on its significance to the group.
“Business and the Bill of Rights” is for high school grades 9-13. Students will better understand the U.S Constitution by exploring the Bill of Rights. Through the eyes of business owners, student groups review and discuss the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution. |
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The Story of We the People
From the National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center includes an Interactive Constitution, a Constitutional Timeline, Fast Facts, Basic Governing Principles, Founding Fathers, Founding Documents, Constitutional Links, Three Perspectives on the Constitution, and a For Kids! Section. |
Teaching With Documents: Observing Constitution Day
From the National Archives
This site contains links to numerous sources of information, activities, simulations, and lessons concerning the Constitution.
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The Constitution for Kids
From U.S. Constitution.net
This is an excellent source for Kindergarten through 3rd Grade, 4th through 7th Grade, and 8th through 12th Grade. It contains the “basics” for each of these three levels. |
Constitutional Timeline
From the Constitution Center
An online experience highlighting some of the key dates and events that mark more than 200 years of our constitutional history.
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Information and Quiz
From ConstitutionFacts.com
Find information about the U.S. Constitution and the Amendments, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Founding Fathers, the Supreme Court, and a Constitution Quiz on this website. |
Conversations on the Constitution
From the American Bar Association
This site from the American Bar Association contains Conversations about the Constitution and other interactive features.
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Constitution Day and Citizenship Day
From the Center for Civic Education
From the Center for Civic Education, these lesson plans for grades K-12 even contain audio recordings! "The Center for Civic Education, in collaboration with the American Association of School Administrators, prepared these lessons in response to legislation passed by the U.S. Congress requiring educational institutions receiving federal funding to present a program pertaining to the U. S. Constitution." |
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To Sign or Not to Sign: The Ultimate Constitution Day Lesson Plan
From the National Consitution Center
"From the moment students enter the room, they will begin to examine and understand the role of the people of the Constitution." This lesson plan is for grades 7-12. |
Signers of the Declaration of Independence
I Have, Who Has? Activity
Please email CassioK@rps205.com if you would like this same activity with pictures of 16 of the signers.
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Constitution Day
From the National Endowment for the Humanities
"This website from EDSITEment and the National Endowment for the Humanities provides Constitutional documents, background essays, and a bibliography to help educators celebrate Constitution Day, and deepen their understanding of the United States Constitution.” |
Charting the Constitution
From EconEdLink
"This student interactive, from an EconEdLink lesson, has students fill in a chart with information about each of the promises made in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution. They identify the meaning of each phrase and the benefits they propose to U.S. citizens.” |
Need More Links?
From Thinkfinity
Thinkfinity provides a wealth of information on lessons (over 800 sites) for teaching about the Constitution. |
Events Affecting the Constitution
From U.S. Constitution Online
"Through history, certain events have shaped how the Constitution has been interpreted or viewed by the public. This page will provide an overview of these events, most of which are Supreme Court cases, and provide a starting-point for further research." |
Spanish Constitutional Information
From the National Archives
This site, in Spanish, contains links to numerous sources of information, activities, simulations, and lessons concerning the Constitution. |
The Magna Carta
From U.S. Constitution Online
"Of all the documents that make up the ancestry of the Constitution, one of the oldest is the Magna Carta (also known as the Magna Charta or the Great Charter). It was created in 1215 in England. It was an agreement between King John and the nobility of the day. The King's barons were unhappy with recent defeats at the hands of the French, and an unfavorable peace with the French. To assure the loyalty of the barons, John agreed to certain civil rights for the barons. These rights were encoded in the Magna Carta. These rights were not new or unique - most of the text of the Magna Carta came from the Charter of Liberties, another agreement between King Henry I and his nobility in 1100." |
Other Historical American Documents
From U.S. Constitution Online
"There are some very important documents that are related to the Constitution in much the same way as the Declaration of Independence or the Articles of Confederation are. This select number of documents are listed below. Images of some of these documents are also available." |
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What About Our Rights Under the Constitution?
From the Center for the Teaching of American History – Peer Review Conference
This lesson plan was created by Anne T. Staiger of Candor Middle School for her 8th grade students. "The primary purpose of this lesson was to engage students critical thinking skills by using primary documents to focus on how our governmental documents and ideas do not always guarantee the fair treatment of all individuals. The focus was on five groups: women, Native Americans, Japanese Americans, immigrants and African Americans." |
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Sign the Constitution
From the American Bar Association
"The American Bar Association invites you to publically acknowledge your support of the U.S. Constitution by signing your name along side those of our founding fathers." This is a very interesting website with a plethora of resources. |
How A Bill Becomes A Law
From the Arbor Day Foundation
This informative flowchart will help you understand the process of legislation in the United States.
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The Liberty Bill Act
From S. 2056 H.R. 2878 (109th Congress)
“A bill before Congress – begun by students and teachers to place an abridged U.S. Constitution on the back of U.S. Currency: Imagine seven billion one-dollar bills exchanging hands each day among the six billion people in the world… …the democracy, freedom and goodwill of the Constitution – America’s pride – on every one.” |
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Teaching With Documents: U.S. Constitution Workshop
The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
"What does the light bulb have to do with the U. S. Constitution? Or the board game 'Monopoly'? How about the letter you wrote to the president when you were in elementary school? The answer to all three questions is: plenty—if you know your Constitution. The education team of the National Archives and Records Administration is pleased to present, for the first time, a self-service online version of our popular U. S. Constitution Workshop! This activity is:
•Suitable for grades 4 through 12
•Fully self-contained, requiring little advance prep time
•Correlated to the National History Standards and the National Standards for Civics and Government."
Students will have the "unique opportunity to learn, through analysis of primary source documents, about the content, impact, and perpetual relevance of the U. S. Constitution to the daily lives of American citizens." |
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The Three Branches of Government
From Think Quest
Ths site was developed by the Palese Web Team, part of the ThinkQuest Junior Competition. Despite being developed during President George W. Bush's administration, this site contains some interesting features.
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Branches of the Federal Government Game
From the Texas State Bar
To play this games you will need Adobe Flash Player 9 or higher. |
The Pick Twelve Game (Jury Selection)
From the Texas State Bar
To play this games you will need Adobe Flash Player 9 or higher. |
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Kids in the House
From the U.S. House of Representatives
"The Kids in the House Web site is a public service provided by the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. Our mission is to provide educational and entertaining information about the legislative branch of the United States government to students of all age levels. Topics covered include the role of the U.S. House of Representatives, the legislative process, and House history." This is an outstanding resource for both students and teachers of all grade levels!
• Young Learners
• Grade School
• Middle School
• High School |
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Other Ideas for Consideration:
• What connection does the Preamble to the Constitution have to the disaster in the South caused by Hurricane Katrina? To the recent terrorist plots/threats? To acts of piracy? To a pandemic like swine flu?
• Relate the U.S. Constitution to the formation of an Iraqi Constitution.
• Compare the U.S. Constitution to those of other countries.
• Constitutionalism is a form of government in which a nation follows a written constitution. No one person has all power in a constitutional government. Each of the three branches (legislative, executive, and judiciary) of the U.S. government has independent powers, but each is also limited by the others. How do the first three words of the Preamble ("We the People") reflect the idea of constitutionalism? |
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Constitution Review Test
From Discovery Education
50 questions about both the Illinois State Constitution and the Federal Constitution can be found here. |
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