U.S. Constitution Resources for Constitution Day
U.S. Constitution Resources for Constitution Day
NCSS has selected the following articles on the U.S. Constitution from Social Education, Middle Level Learning, and Social Studies and the Young Learner. Also included are selected online resources.
Social Education
We the People: Exploring Early American Identity through the First Federal Census
Investigating the featured 1790 Census in the classroom can spark important discussions on who could be included in the original count as well as the role that population count plays with regard to taxation and representation.
Prompting Student Curiosity About George Washington’s Decision to Participate in the Constitutional Convention
The featured correspondence between George Washington and Major General Henry Knox can launch an engaging lesson on the Constitutional Convention and spur student research into Washington’s extensive papers.
Encouraging Student Understanding of Negotiation and the Value of Notetaking during the 1787 Constitutional Convention
The two featured pages of James Madison’s handwritten notes from the Constitutional Convention can spark an engaging lesson on the different plans originally presented for structuring the U.S. government.
Teaching the Constitution…Virtually!
The National Archives has several programs to help teach about the Constitution, including an online archive for accessing and downloading countless primary documents, and also virtual classroom visits from an Archives educator.
Motivating Student Appreciation of the Federalist Papers with a Handwritten Note by Thomas Jefferson
An annotation by Thomas Jefferson in his copy of The Federalist can fuel intriguing questions for student exploration on The Federalist Papers and the meaning of the term federalist.
Questions that Compel and Support
Successful inquiries using the C3 Framework depend on compelling questions that structure an inquiry and supporting questions that allow the inquiry to unfold coherently.
The Constitutional Amendment Process
Why have only 27 amendments out of 10,000 been passed? Why did Congressional pay raises take 203 years to be ratified? What sparked the repeal of Prohibition? A close-up look at the 18th, 21st, and 27th amendments sheds light on the intricate amendment process.
Lesson Plans on the Constitution: Private v. Public Rights (High School)
Lesson Plan on the Constitution
Students will learn how the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution relates to private property and how the power of eminent domain was defined in a recent Supreme Court case. Students will review summaries from Kelo v. New London to gain a better understanding of the case, which dealt with the limits of a government’s right of eminent domain. They will also have the opportunity to defend one of the two viewpoints contained in this court decision.
It's My Right (Middle Grades)
Working in representative groups, students analyze the Bill of Rights and rank each amendment based on its significance to the group.
No Time for Teas (Elementary Grades 3–5)
Students will learn how the Constitution of the United States provided the framework for the country’s democratic form of government. Students also will learn how the Constitution provided for representation within the government. A short story about the Boston Tea Party gives the background related to the catchphrase “taxation without representation” and how that changed with the advent of the new nation and later the Constitution.
Living Democracy: How Constitution High School Molds Better Citizens
One school's experiment in social education illustrates what can happen when students are encouraged not only to study democracy, but to practice it.