Constitution Day, September 17, is still required!
In 2005, Congress established September 17 as Constitution Day. As schools, federal and state
agencies, and others that receive federal funding are required to provide educational programs related to
the United States Constitution on that day. The Federal Register Notice of Implementation is available at
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/2005-2/052405b.html. Many organizations provide
resources to support schools’ activities on that day:
Annenberg Media
 The Constitution: That Delicate Balance: features a panel discussion on constitutional
issues by distinguished personalities in government, media, and law.
http://www.learner.org/resources/series72.html
 See how key figures in law, media, government, religion, military, health care, and
business puzzle through controversies introduced through hypothetical cases and the
Socratic method in Ethics in America http://www.learner.org/resources/series81.html and
Ethics in America II. http://www.learner.org/series/ethics2/
 Hear leading historians recount American history illustrated by historical footage in
Democracy in America. http://www.learner.org/courses/democracyinamerica/ The course
Web site has downloadable readings that include the writings of Frederick Douglass,
Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Niccolo Machiavelli, Thomas Paine, and Alexis de
Tocqueville.
 Making Civics Real: A Workshop for Teachers presents effective high school lessons and
access Web-based materials including student and teacher perspectives, essential
readings, and primary source documents.
http://www.learner.org/workshops/civics/
 For middle and high school teachers, America's History in the Making looks at the early
development of the U.S. system of government.
http://www.learner.org/courses/amerhistory/ See unit 4, "Revolutionary Perspectives,"
and click on OAH Talking History to listen to the radio programs "Revolutionary Mothers"
and "Washington's Slaves." Then see unit 20, “Egalitarian America,” for a look at more
recent constitutional issues.
 Learn about the beginnings of the U.S. Constitution in "A New System of Government,"
program 5 of A Biography of America. http://www.learner.org/biographyofamerica/
 Programs in The Western Tradition relevant to the Constitution include program 5, "The
Rise of Greek Civilization," program 6, "Greek Thought," program 37, "The American
Revolution," and 38, "The American Republic."
http://www.learner.org/resources/series58.html
 Search for historical artifacts –- images and documents -- related to the Constitution in
the American Passages archive.
http://www.learner.org/amerpass/slideshow/archive_search.php Our special slideshow
tool also allows you to create one or more presentations using items from the archive.
Classroom Law Project
“Visitor from Outer Space”: Great with all age groups. The U.S. is overtaken by space aliens and
learners are asked to ponder which rights are most important.
http://www.classroomlaw.org/files/postspages/resources/lesson_plans/constitution_day_lesson.pdf
Bill of Rights Institute
The Bill of Rights Institute has developed materials to help students and other observers
understand the significance of the U.S. Constitution in observance of Constitution Day. Free
materials are available to download from the web site. There are Constitution Day lessons for
middle school and high school as well as a Constitution Cube lesson with activities for all levels.
"Champions of Freedom" is a middle school activity that includes images of the Founding
Fathers.
http://billofrightsinstitute.org/resources/educator-resources/constitution-day-resources/
Center for Civic Education
The Center for Civic Education has lesson topics for all grade levels:
 Kindergarten: Introduction to the term authority
 Grades 1 and 2: Introduction to the terms authority, limited government and law
 Grades 3 and 4: Introduction to the Preamble's ideas and importance
 Grades 5 and 6: Explore terms in the Preamble
 Grades 7 and 8: The federal system and the role of federal vs. state governments
 Grades 9 and 10: Introduction to the first Congress, establishing the executive and judicial
branches, and drafting of the Bill of Rights
 Grades 11 and 12: Major conflicts and the Bill of Rights
http://www.civiced.org/byrd/
Constitutional Rights Foundation
The Constitutional Rights Foundation provides resources to educate young people about the
responsibilities of "civic participation in a democratic society." Among the resources are lessons
with the following titles: "A Visitor for Outer Space (V.O.I.C.E.)," "Diversity and Equality (The
Challenge of Diversity)," "The Constitution and Governance (The Challenges of Governance),"
"The Tired King (Adventures in Law and History, Vol. II)" and other titles.
http://www.crf-usa.org/constitution-day/
Dirksen Congressional Center
The Dirksen Congressional Center promotes an understanding of the U.S. Congress and its
leaders through archives, research and educational programs. On the Historical Documents
page under "Constitution" are a number of links to other resources.
http://www.dirksencongressionalcenter.org/
First Amendment Center
The First Amendment Center provided information about the First Amendment freedoms to
protect and preserve the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The center is housed at
Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and Arlington, Virginia. Materials are organized
according to the five freedoms in the First Amendment. Lesson plans are also included.
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
The Gilder Lehrman Institute has a module on the U.S. Constitution under "For Teachers and
Students." Resources include primary sources, a bibliography of books, films and additional web
sites. Lesson plans illustrate how to put all of the resources together.
http://www.gilderlehrman.org/
History Channel
"This Day in History" for September 17 provides information about the U.S. Constitution.
http://www.historychannel.com/
Law Focused Education, Inc.
The Law Focused Education, Inc. web site has activities for students, lesson plans and other
materials for teachers to use in planning for Constitution Day. There is a weekly Constitution
quiz, a Constitution game, Preamble Scramble and Branches of the Federal Government among
several interactive activities.
http://texaslre.org/
Liberty Day
Liberty Day is a nonprofit organization dedicated to education youth about the basics of the U.S.
Constitution and Declaration of Independence and to distributing copies of those document to the
country’s fifth graders. They also provide a Complete Education Resource for teachers on the
Constitution. The Resource includes a Teacher’s Packet containing a lesson plan, two evaluation
forms, and multiple-choice pre- and post-tests. Also included are copies of the documents and a
set of 24 Q&A flashcards on the contents of the Constitution. For more information, go to the web
site
www.LibertyDay.org, or contact Andy McKean at Andy@LibertyDay.org.
National Archives
The National Archives Building in Washington, D. C. houses the handwritten copy of the U.S.
Constitution. An article included on the web site entitled "A More Perfect Union" provides details
of the Constitutional Convention and the process for ratifying the U.S. Constitution. Interesting
facts about the U.S. Constitution are included in "Questions and Answers Pertaining to the
Constitution." These resources are available on the Constitution web page.
http://www.archives.gov/
National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center is dedicated to increasing public understanding of the U.S.
Constitution. Their resources include a toolkit for a group of people to read the Constitution aloud
and lesson plans and other resources. The first web address is for the home page for the
National Constitution Center. The second web address is for Constitution Day activities. The
third web address links to the "America Reads the Constitution" tool kit.
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) web site has at least thirty-five lessons and other
activities relating to the U.S. Constitution. One lesson for high school is entitled "Why Celebrate
Constitution Day?" Most of the lessons appear to be for high school and middle school classes.
http://www.pbs.org/
U.S. Courts
The U.S. Courts web site has discussion topics in one-page handouts, fast facts, interactive
games, sixth amendment activities and court simulations.
http://www.uscourts.gov/
Constitution Day, Inc.
http://www.constitutionday.com/