The preamble is the introduction to the Constitution. It outlines the general goals of the framers: to create a just government and to ensure peace, adequate national defense, and a healthy, free nation. With its first three words, "We...

Annenberg Classroom resource on the 10th Amendment which attempts to create a balance of power between federal and state government. With links to related news articles and resources.

Check out these free video-based materials for social studies teachers. Includes videos on current event issues, lesson plans on a variety of topics, and bell ringers. Engage your class with video clips that make the Constitution come...

Travel back to 1787 and become a delegate to the convention in Philadelphia. As the Founding Fathers struggle to decide how the young nation will be governed, explore how very different men representing their states' conflicting...

Provides the text and meaning of the 17th Amendment. Includes link to a timeline for it.

A brief discussion of the relevance and importance of Marian Anderson to American history, as well as a lesson plan based on her contribution. Provides lessons, web links, and a bibliography, and includes a scanned version of Eleanor...

A lesson in understanding the significance of the U.S. Constitution revolving around an editorial that explains two modes of interpreting the constitution: "living document" versus "original intent."

This book uses historical case studies to explore the rights in the Constitution. Supreme Court cases are used to demonstrate how a right received its modern interpretation, how the right applies today, and how courts and other...

This website contains a timeline of establishing the District of Columbia.

This unit is focused on helping students understand resources for solving and preventing crime. They compare crime prevention methods of today and in the past, take part in simulation exercises, and participate in a service learning...

A PowerPoint presentation created by a history teacher that teachers can use in their classroom. This presentation focuses on the emergence of the English constitution.

The Dirksen Congressional Center provides abundant lesson plans on all aspects of the US Congress and the US Constitution. All lessons contain time frames, objectives, and links to material, and are built around Bloom's taxonomy.

This instructional activity explores the structure of Congress and the legislative process. There is an introduction, a research activity, an assessment, and a role play activity.

Discussion lesson plan that introduces and examines the concept of government by consent of the governed. Includes a reading for class distribution and references to primary source documents.

Scholastic offers a series of printable panels and classroom activities in PDF format that focus on a U.S. citizen's right to express his- or herself. Content focuses on the Bill of Rights and its provisions for freedom of religion,...

Activities for the classroom in which students apply landmark Supreme Court cases to contemporary scenarios related to the right to counsel and right to a fair trial. With plan for teachers, word bank, and links to related resources.

CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each story or article is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see...

A lesson that considers how the American founders answered the question, What is government? Examines why, from the point of view of the founders, government is not only necessary, but good for human beings.

Contains plans for four lessons that use "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. to engage students in a discussion about what constitutes equality. Lessons use re-writes, persuasive essays, computer activities, and informal class...

A comprehensive approach inducible defenses and how they function differently than constitutive defenses. A discussion of immunological system, the immune responses and acquired immunity, complete with bold-face vocabulary terms. A...

In this classroom lab, students will investigate the characteristics of a chemical change. Students will also provide a definition of what constitutes a physical change through observation of several examples. Students will use/create...