Website
Digital History

Digital History: Writing a Constitution [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
This site is from a unit called 'Writing the US Constitution.' It looks at the documents that preceded the Constitution, and the major issues that were debated while the Constitution was being created.
Website
Digital History

Digital History: Completing a Final Draft

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the committee that produced a final draft of the Constitution to present to the entire Constitutional Convention. Find out what the delegates to the convention kept in the final draft and what they changed.
Primary
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Constitutional Principles

For Students 9th - 10th
James Madison knew that a key challenge of maintaining just government was framing it in such a way that the government would be forced to control itself. How does a system of separated powers-and the checks and balances built into those...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Branching Out

For Teachers 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read about three branches of government and their system of checks and balances. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in classifying and categorizing.
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Constitutional Principles

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The Founding Fathers created a government based on a set of fundamental principles carefully designed to guarantee liberty. This lesson lets students look at the Constitution from the perspective of its foundational principles and make...
eBook
OpenStax

Open Stax: Debating Democracy

For Students 11th - 12th Standards
By the end of this section of a chapter on "Creating Republican Governments," students will be able to explain the development of state constitutions, describe the features of the Articles of Confederation, and analyze the causes and...
Lesson Plan
US National Archives

National Archives: The Constitution in Action: Article Ii

For Teachers 6th - 8th
This activity can be used during a unit on the U.S. Constitution. Students will analyze the Senate Journal of the First Congress and identify how the document demonstrates content contained within Article II of the Constitution in...
Activity
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: The Legislative Branch: The Reach of Congress

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This well-written and well-organized site from The Legislative Branch provides a thorough overview of congressional powers, inherent checks and balances, as well as links to related information.
Whiteboard
ClassFlow

Class Flow: Challenges Faced by the New Nation

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This unit covers the content area featuring the challenges faced by the new nation including the writing of the Constitution, government powers, the Bill of Rights and the War of 1812.
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Montesquieu Mini Lesson

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Meet the Baron de Montesquieu, one of the great thinkers of the 18th century. He spent a lot of time thinking about how governments should be created and maintained. These ideas guided the Founding Fathers when they wrote the...
Whiteboard
ClassFlow

Class Flow: A New Nation

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart reviews the 3 main branches of government and its system of checks and balances. Web links and 3tudent assessment items are included.
Article
Social Studies for Kids

Social Studies for Kids: The Presidential Veto

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
The President of the United States has extraordinary power over the shaping of federal laws. He or she can veto any law passed by Congress.

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