Close Up Foundation
Rights Auction
In an engaging activity on universal and unalienable rights, learners work in groups to establish a democratic nation and determine what principles they want to protect to ensure a democratic society. They conduct a "rights auction" in...
Humanities Texas
A President's Vision: George Washington
Who knew that one poster about George Washington could have so many learning possibilities attached to it? Here you'll find an attractive learning display on the first president of the United States, as well as worksheets and...
Advocates for Human Rights
Human Rights Defined
Class members continue their investigation of the factors that influence migration with a instructional activity on human rights. As they examine the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and selected US Constitutional Amendments,...
Curated OER
The Preamble to the Constitution
Students discuss key phrases from the Preamble of the Constitution, find ways to relate the values stated in the Preamble to their daily lives, and explore possible changes needed in the Constitution by future generations of citizens.
Curated OER
Benjamin Franklin and the U.S. Constitution
Students explore U.S. history by completing a quiz about civics. In this Benjamin Franklin lesson, students read assigned text about Franklin's role in the development of the Constitution and the creation of a new society. Students...
Curated OER
United States Constitution Framers
Eighth graders discover details about delegates to the American Constitutional Convention. In this U.S. Constitution lesson, 8th graders research information about 9 delegates to the convention and then write paragraphs about the most...
National Constitution Center
To Sign or Not to Sign: The Ultimate Constitution Day Lesson Plan
Students examine the ratification process. In this U.S. Constitution lesson plan, students discuss the ratification process and read a play based on the process. Students debate the ratification process and determine whether they...
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
Decisions, Decisions: The Constitution
Eighth graders, after working with the software Decisions, Decisions: The Constitution, become face to face with the dilemmas, compromises, and struggles of writing the American Constitution. Each student is evaluated on how well they...
Curated OER
Celebrate the Constitution
Students explore the process of writing our Constitution through an interactive program. They are to put themselves in the place of the statesmen and predict how they felt at the time. They compare the founding fathers.
Curated OER
Constitutional Convention
Students engage in a role-playing situation to illustrate the kinds of compromised that were made a teh Constitutional Convention. They write three short 1-2 paragraph arguments and then present their arguments to the class at the...
Curated OER
Interview With the Signers of the Constitution
Students work in small groups to develop three questions that a newspaper reporter assigned to cover the signing of the Constitution might have asked each of the following signers of the Constitution: George Washington, Benjamin...
Curated OER
European Union Constitution
Students explore the European Union Constitution and the impact on the various countries involved. They discuss the countries that have rejected the rules and the countries that have accepted them. They imagine they are the head of a...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Tooning into Constitution Day 2010
For this current events worksheet, students analyze a political cartoon about Constitution Day 2010 and respond to 3 talking point questions.
Curated OER
The Constitutional Convention: What the Founding Fathers Said
Students list some ideas proposed and debated during the Constitutional Convention, and discuss the important issues requiring compromise during the Constitutional Convention.
Constitution Facts
U.S. Constitution Crossword Puzzles: Intermediate #1
All of the details of American history fall into place with a clever crossword puzzle. Nearly 100 clues prompt middle and high schoolers to fit the correct answers to topics including the American Revolution, the Civil War, and...
Curated OER
Slavery in the U.S. Constitution
Students examine five sections of the U.S. Constitution to see what the Federal Government has said about slavery, past and present. Then, class members research individuals and interest groups who directly impacted slavery compromises.
Curated OER
The Founders’ Library: Thinking as a Founding Father
Young scholars analyze the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. In this U.S. government lesson, students examine books, movies, and music that influence them today and then investigate writings that influenced the framers of the...
Curated OER
Presidential Powers
Students study and discuss the section of the Constitution that refers to the executive branch. They write a new section or clause describing a new duty for the president of the United States. Students define the word power and proposal.
Curated OER
Why A Bill of Rights?
Examine conflicting viewpoints in this lesson, in which middle schoolers write their own proposal for including a Bill of Rights in the Constitution. As a class, they discover how the Bill of Rights was not a planned document to be...
Curated OER
The Bill of Rights is for US Today
The first ten Amendments of the U.S. Constitution are vital for young people to understand. Provide the foundation of the laws that govern our country with this junior high school lesson. Groups use the newspaper to identify rights...
Curated OER
Alexander Hamilton and the Roots of Federalism
Explore the origin of political parties in the United States. Learners work in groups to read and analyze copies of the "Report on Manufactures" written by Alexander Hamilton. Then, they complete a worksheet comparing the Federalists to...
Curated OER
What Constitutes a State?
Students examine the differences between various state constitutions in the United States. Then, using their own
Constitutional Rights Foundation
If Men Were Angels: Teaching the Constitution With the Federalist Papers
Much like the methods of group work, the writers of the Federalist Papers worked together to advocate for their viewpoints against the anti-federalists. The resource enables learners to break into small groups and conduct research before...