National Constitution Day
Educational institutions which receive Federal funding are required to
hold an educational program pertaining to the United States Constitution
on September 17 of each year.
Pub. L.
108–447, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005,/ Dec. 8,2004; 118 Stat.
2809, 3344–45 “Each educational institution that receives Federal funds
for a fiscal year shall hold an educational program on the United States
Constitution on September 17 of such year for the students served by the
educational institution.”
The following is a list of Web sites and resources designed to prepare teachers for National Constitution Day. This is not an all-inclusive list, but a sample of major Web resources provided to educators without cost. Contact these organizations directly for further information about their resources.
The Bill of Rights Institute
- Offers
free educational and programming materials to schools to help teachers
organize events to celebrate Constitution Day, including:
2 Constitution lesson plans (one for high school and one for middle
school); all new Constitution Cube activities;
a biographical essay about George Mason; a Founders Gallery with images of the
Founders; and lesson plans about the Bill of Rights and the First
Amendment.
- New in 2008: Flash-animated, critical thinking activity on Article II and the 2008 President Election; interactive Constitution quiz; student activities on the Constitutional Convention; and a 12-page Celebrate the Constitution activity book
The Center for Civic Education
- Seven
lesson plans are suggested for use at each of the following
grade levels: Kindergarten, Grades 1 - 2, Grades 3 - 4, Grades 5 - 6, Grades
7 - 8, Grades 9 - 10, Grades 11 - 12.
www.civiced.org/byrd2006/
-
Permission to duplicate these lessons is given provided the following
credit line is used: Reprinted with permission from the Center for
Civic Education. Copyright 2005. Center for Civic Education.
www.civiced.org
Constitutional Rights Foundation
- A series
of free online lessons, resources from the CRF catalog, and Internet
links to help educators design their own Constitution Day program.
The Constitution
for Kids
- The
Constitution for Grades K - 3 includes a basic fact sheet with a link for
pictures of the Constitution.
Justice Learning
- Two videos featuring Supreme Court
Justices and selected Justice Talking radio programs will be
available for classroom use and rebroadcast within your schools or
federal agencies.
- Justice Talking, an
award-winning radio program from Penn’s Annenberg Public Policy Center
and National Public Radio, has selected two of its programs for use on
Constitution Day. They will be available on CD, online at
www.justicetalking.org, or can be downloaded for use on an MP3
player.
- Register online for free Constitution
Day materials.
Library of Congress
National Archives
National Constitution Center
The White House
-
Constitution facts, quizzes, videos, and other resources.
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