2010 Celebrate the Constitution

Online Activities

iCivics (formerly Our Courts)
iCivics is a web-based education project designed to teach students civics and inspire them to be active participants in our democracy. iCivics is the vision of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is concerned that students are not getting the information and tools they need for civic participation, and that civics teachers need better materials and support.

Now your students can play the 10th US Supreme Court Justice!
Competing against modern media, video games, sports, and cell phones, teachers have a difficult time keeping their students engaged in the classroom. With the recent economic downturn, most school districts are facing limited resources and severe cuts in school programs. In these challenging times, teachers need educational resources that are simple to use, effective, and free.

At the core of the Harlan Institute’s high school education program is an online interactive game, FantasySCOTUS.org. It is a Supreme Court fantasy league in which players predict current case outcomes, and is already a wild hit with law students, attorneys, and judicial chambers across the country. Harlan has partnered with iCivics, an organization founded by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, to help bring our program to students nationwide.

The students learn about fundamental legal principles, make predictions about these cases, compete and collaborate with other classes nationwide, and write analytical blog posts about them. The site is free for all teachers and students to use, and can be used as a classroom exercise, or in extra-curricular clubs like debate teams or Junior Statesmen of America clubs.

C-SPAN Classroom
The U.S. Constitution: Teachable Clips is a virtual U.S. Constitution. It features video clips taken from C-SPAN's Video Library with prominent political figures discussing various parts of the Constitution.

U.S. Constitution Vignette (18 minutes)
A short documentary on the history, meaning, and provisions of the U.S. Constitution, as well as the operation of government within the parameters set forth in the U.S. Constitution. Video footage highlights the operation of the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government by providing footage of several recent events and activities such as presidential inaugurals, impeachment proceedings, legislative events, and Supreme Court oral arguments. Chief Justice Roberts also talked about ways in which the Constitution had been interpreted and its function as a working document. Classroom discussion questions are provided. Watch the video.

How to search the C-SPAN Video Library
A short YouTube video produced by "Howcast" to help you search the C-SPAN Video Library www.c-span.org/videolibrary.

American Institute for History Education
The American Institute for History Education (AIHE) was established to provide engaging historical content and activities for social studies and history teachers to use in their classrooms. AIHE has developed products to dramatically increase students' academic achievements by boosting their comprehension of historical events, personalities and issues. Teaching American History Beyond the Textbook™ with CICERO, and other AIHE tools, improves critical thinking, reading and understanding skills.

AIHE specializes in teaching history, professional development for teachers, curriculum design and teaching history products, school grant writing and more.

AIHE TV
AIHE TV has videos for history teachers, students and history buffs.

60-Second Civics
60-Second Civics is a daily podcast from the Center for Civic Education that provides a quick and convenient way for listeners to learn about our nation's government, the Constitution, and our history. The podcast explores themes related to civics and government, the constitutional issues behind the headlines, and the people and ideas that formed our nation's history and government. The show's content is primarily derived from the Center's education for democracy curricula, including We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution, Project Citizen, Foundations of Democracy, and Elements of Democracy.

Annenberg Classroom
Annenberg Classroom offers a wide array of educational resources under a single umbrella. Educators can find curricula, lesson plans, multimedia programs, and other teaching materials all indexed and in conformance with the educational standards of their state. Search by keyword, by subject area, or by state standard to find one of the richest sets of teaching aids available in a single location.

Which Founder Are You?
Have students take the "Which Founder Are You?" online quiz from the National Constitution Center. Students answer a series of questions that help them learn about themselves and then see which of the drafters of the Constitution they are most like. The quiz helps make the Founding fathers more relatable to students and shows them as "ordinary" men.

Constitution Day Videos feature Supreme Court Justices Talking with Students about the Constitution
Viewers will get firsthand perspectives on how the Supreme Court decides what the Constitution means when they watch a 37-minute conversation with Justices Antonin Scalia, Stephen Breyer and a group of high school students. The taped discussion explores different theories of judicial interpretation and how they affect not only the outcomes of cases but democracy and daily life.

The video is available on the Educational Outreach pages of the federal courts' Internet site at http://www.uscourts.gov/outreach/index.html and can be shown on a large screen. Courts have found it easy to host high school students to watch the program in a courtroom. A judge facilitates the follow-up discussion of the issues using an optional, prepared discussion guide found at http://www.uscourts.gov/outreach/resources/constitutionday.html#discussion

The Living Room Candidate: Presidential Campaign Commercials 1952 - 2008
This is a great resource for teachers! The site has presidential election campaign commercials from 1952-2008 and includes lesson plans.

Lessons

What are my Rights?
High School 9 - 12
Time: Three 1-hour sessions
Author: Leslie Harper Blatteau New Haven, Connecticut

Studying the Constitution can seem less than vital to students who are most interested in issues that directly affect them. This lesson engages students in a study of the First Amendment by using it to explore youth curfews, demonstrating the impact that the law can have on their everyday lives. Using the text of the First Amendment as a starting point, students discuss whether youth curfews are constitutional. They then use a case study to closely examine both sides of the issue, debate the issue with their peers, hypothesize about the possibility of a youth curfew in their own community, and create a blog about the issue.

Bill of Rights Institute
Celebrate Constitution Day, September 17, with these activities provided by the Bill of Rights Institute.

A Classroom Lesson on Developing the Federal Budget
Grade level 11-12
Time required: 2 class periods
During the Dirksen Congressional Center's annual Congress in the Classroom workshop participants are asked to introduce the lesson plans, resources, and techniques that have proven successful in teaching about Congress in their classrooms. A 2005 participant, Lori Dumerer, R.L. Turner High School, Carrollton, TX, presented a lesson entitled, "The Saga of the Money Trail: Developing the Federal Budget." In this lesson, students trace the steps in the federal budget-making process. They will recognize the complexity involved in the budget process, including the competing demands for funds. Students will analyze how compromise leads to the final budget.

We the People
This lesson from Scholastic helps students in grades 5-8 recognize the different parts of the U.S. Constitution and understand the significance of each part. Students will build their reading and interpretive skills by working with newspaper articles and drawing conclusions based on the information presented. They will summarize their conclusions through persuasive writing.

Orb and Effy Learn about Authority
A complete lesson on authority from the Orb and Effy Learn about Authority book. In this lesson, young children learn that when people have a right to tell others what to do in certain situations, they are exercising authority. When they do not have that right, they are exercising power without authority. Children learn some ways in which people earn the right to exercise authority. The lesson also illustrates problems that are likely to arise in the absence of effective authority. Children learn how and why authority is useful in society.

Classroom Discussions and Activities

Right to Jury Trial
Ask students to describe what it would be like if there were no jury. Who would decide the outcome of a case if there were no jury? Would this be more fair? Is a judge better able to decide the law, facts and truth than citizens? What are some benefits to a jury system? Why did we decide to have a jury system? Are there other alternatives besides a judge or a jury?

Develop a Student Bill of Rights

Ask students to create a comic strip or cartoon about...
· Most important right
· Student making a difference in the school

Children's Literature with Social Studies Themes
The Delaware Center for Teacher Education, Delaware Social Studies Education Project at the University of Delaware has developed an excellent web resource illustrating how children's books can be used to teach social studies themes. Books are listed for grades K-2, 3-4 and 5-6 in the categories of History, Geography, Economics and Civics. Civics books are further categorized into Government, Rules and Laws, Values and Principles, Citizen's Rights and Privileges and Participation in Civic Life.

"America's Legislators Back to School Program" from the National Conference of State Legislatures
The program kicks off in September and runs throughout the school year giving legislators and teachers flexibility in scheduling classroom visits. Information is available on the NCSL Web site and includes lesson plans that outline for students the importance of representative democracy, the message that their voice counts and the valid role of special interest groups in the process. The plans complement the NCSL publication "Your Ideas Count," a student booklet used by legislators as a "leave behind" resource after their classroom visit. Teachers are invited to download the lesson plans and use them as appropriate in their classrooms. There are lesson plans for high school, middle school and elementary school classes. Many other resources are available on NCSL's America's Legislators Back to School Program Web page.

The Dirksen Congressional Center
Lesson Plans about Congress on the Web

Justice by the People
These easy-to-use, turnkey lesson plans and student reproducibles are designed to help you teach students about the Sixth and Seventh Amendments to the United States Constitution and the critical importance of the right to trial by jury.

Landmark Cases
This site was developed to provide teachers with a full range of resources and activities to support the teaching of landmark Supreme Court cases, helping students explore the key issues of each case.

Education World Lesson Planning for Constitution Day
Education World has gathered dozens of lesson ideas and other resources to help you recognize Constitution Day, whether you teach kindergarten or college.

Arlin M. Adams Center for Law and Society at Susquehanna University
The Arlin M. Adams Center for Law and Society at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA engages in a number of community outreach programs including projects to support social studies teachers interested in enriching their students' understanding of the justice system. In June 2008 they held their first summer institute for teachers. They are already planning another institute for the summer of 2009 (watch their Web site for more information). During the 2008 institute, Nancy Peterson, an Iowa educator, focused on both justice system learning and how to present a lesson to students with diverse learning styles. The Adams Center has developed a lesson plan for Constitution Day and is planning to look for other ways to support social studies teachers interested in enriching their students' understanding of the justice system. Be sure to visit their "Upcoming Events" page for some excellent professional development opportunities for teachers, lawyers and the public.

PBS - Public Broadcasting Service
Why Celebrate Constitution Day?
A lesson Plan for grades 9-12 from PBS.
George Washington and the Rule of Law
George Washington and Civic Virtue
And there are others on topics like slavery, religious liberty, equal protection of law, government by consent, constitution and idea of compromise, and more.
Inside the Voting Booth
What a difference one vote makes - an historical look at how elections would have been changed by one vote.
Step into a voting time machine - would you have been able to vote in another time in history?
You Make the Rules
Small groups of students form their own clubs then determine their mission and common goals, a name for their club, and a logo. Then each group writes a charter which specifies their goals, decision-making procedures, meeting times, and so on. Upon completion, each group member signs the charter.
The Online NewsHour Extra-designed for teachers and students
Supreme Court Watch

Coloring Pages
Below are some links to coloring pages for you to evaluate for your use in teaching about the Constitution and other U.S. history, government and civics lessons. We welcome resources and ideas from you that you would like to share with your colleagues. http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/presidentsday/color/ (For "Celebrate the Constitution" you could use George Washington and James Madison the only two presidents to sign the Constitution)
http://www.freekidscoloring.com/american/presidents
http://www.usconstitution.net/constpix.html#color
http://www.freekidscoloring.com/famous_people_benjamin_franklin-612.php (Benjamin Franklin)
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/coloring-pages/famous-americans-in-history/ben-franklin.html
http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/learn/leaders/
http://www.illinoisfirstamendmentcenter.com/pdf/CB_2ND_ENG.pdf
http://www.abcteach.com/USA/unit/proudcolor.htm
http://www.lawforkids.org/Teachers/Lessons/LessonsPage.cfm?ID=445

Resources
PennCORD
Pennsylvania Bar Foundation
LEAP-Kids (Law, Education & Peace for Children)
American Bar Association
American Institute for History Education
Arlin M. Adams Center for Law and Society at Susquehanna University
Center for Civic Education
C-SPAN Classroom
Bill of Rights Institute
National Constitution Center
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago
Youth for Justice
Landmark Cases
Scholastic
StreetLaw

Archives of past PBA Celebrate the Constitution Programs and Lesson Guides

2007      Lesson Guide      Program Overview
2006      Lesson Guide      Program Overview
2005      Lesson Guide      Program Overview
2004      Lesson Guide      Program Overview
2003      Lesson Guide      Program Overview
2002      Lesson Guide      Program Overview
2001      Lesson Guide      Program Overview
2000      Lesson Guide      Program Overview
1999      Lesson Guide      Program Overview
1999      PBA Wins National Outreach Award