Curated OER
Teaching Six Big Ideas in the Constitution
Students debate the constitutional principles of the United States. In this U.S. government activity, students examine the meaning of the text of the U.S. Constitution and analyze other primary documents of the era. Students prepare for...
Judicial Learning Center
Article III and the Courts
What's the best way to make sense of the Constitution? A helpful lesson contains both the text of Article III and annotation of each of its sections, breaking it down into easy-to-understand parts. It also includes links to a...
Curated OER
How a Bill Becomes a Law
Students examine Article I, Sections 1, 7, and 8, of the U.S. Constitution and discuss the authority and restrictions placed on the Congress in making laws.
Curated OER
It's In Your Pocket
Students examine federal powers. In this U.S. Constitution instructional activity, students explore the powers of Congress to coin money. Students also study the meaning of the symbols on U.S. coins.
Curated OER
Foundations of the U.S. Constitution
Eighth graders use information found in their textbooks to create flip charts containing information about Articles of Confederation, U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, English Bill of Rights, House of Burgesses, Magna Carta, and...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Naturalized Citizens and the Presidency
Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution takes center stage in a lesson that asks class members to assume the role of state senators, debate a resolution to amend the U. S. Constitution to permit naturalized citizens to run for...
Curated OER
The Constitution: Counter Revolution or National Salvation?
Students take a close look at the foundations of American government. In this U.S. Constitution lesson, students analyze the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution. Students participate in a...
Curated OER
Naturalized Citizens and the Presidency
Learners consider the presidential requirements. In this U.S. Constitution lesson, students participate in a role play that requires them to act as senators and debate an amendment to allow naturalized citizens to run for the presidency.
Curated OER
Why Does Congress Work That Way?
Students discover the powers of Congress. In this legislative branch lesson, students examine the legislative process as they analyze Article I of the U.S. Constitution. Students consider the powers of Congress as they define the role of...
Curated OER
US Government: The Constitution
Students explore the branches of government. In this U. S. Constitution lesson, students examine the system of checks and balances in the U.S. plan of government as they read the document and define vocabulary words.
Curated OER
Constitution Worksheet
In this U.S. Constitution worksheet, students respond to 63 short answer questions about Articles I-VII of the American plan for government.
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Preamble to the Constitution: A Close Reading Lesson
"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union..." These familiar lines begin the Preamble to the Constitution, but do learners know what they mean? A close reading exercise takes a look at the language of the...
Curated OER
Paving the Road to the Constitution
Eighth graders argue for or against the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. In this U.S. government lesson, 8th graders complete four activities that encourage them to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of...
Curated OER
Constitution Lesson Plan
Third graders identify roles of Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution in establishing new country, create posters with their ideas about each part of Constitution, and explain three branches of government, including their...
NPR
Civil Rights of Japanese-American Internees
Prompted by a viewing of Emiko and Chizu Omori’s Rabbit in the Moon, a documentary about the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, high schoolers examine a series of documents, including the Bill of Rights and the UN’s...
Curated OER
The U.S. Constitution Power Grab Game
Learners study the powers and limitations of the three branches of the American government. They explain how the system of "checks and balances" protects the individual citizens. They explain how the amendments to the Constitution...
Read Works
A Constitution for Kids
What better day to celebrate the US Constitution than on Constitution Day! After reading a short passage about the different understandings of habeas corpus and ex post facto, sixth graders respond to 10 multiple choice and short...
American Constitution Society
Constitution in the Classroom: The Right to Vote
The system of checks and balances is integral to the functionality of the United States government. Learn more about the ways the three branches of the government work together—and about the limitations of their power—with an informative...
Curated OER
Constitutional Convention Simulation
Why did the Founders make it so challenging to amend the US Constitution? To gain an understanding of why the process is so difficult, class members engage in a Constitutional Convention simulation. Groups draft, propose, and debate...
iCivics
Constitution Day
Celebrate Constitution Day, September 17, with an activity that asks class members to identify the responsibilities of the three branches of the U.S. government.
Curated OER
How to Become a Member of Congress
High schoolers identify requirements for becoming a U.S. Representative or a U.S. Senator, explain procedure for running for representative or senator, and create an informational brochure.
Curated OER
Documents and Symbols and American Freedom
Students complete a unit of lessons on the documents, symbols, and famous people involved in the founding of the U.S. government. They create a personal bill of rights, write a found poem, design a flag, conduct research, and role-play...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Alabama's 1901 Constitution: What Was at Stake?
Who should be able to vote? As part of a study of the 1901 Alabama Constitution, class members examine primary source document that reveal the reasons the authors gave to support their positions on this question and their assumptions in...
Bill of Rights Institute
Interstate Commerce and the Constitution
Who had power over trade in the early days of the United States? Who has power now? Viewers investigate the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution. Using an AP Exam review video, learners examine issues surrounding authority...