Each of the 27 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution were adopted within specific economic, political, social or cultural, and international contexts. As part of their Constitution Day/Week studies, seniors investigate these factors for...

Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this U.S. Constitution lesson, students examine and analyze primary sources regarding the plan for U.S. government.

Students analyze the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. In this U.S. government lesson plan, students examine books, movies, and music that influence them today and then investigate writings that influenced the framers of the...

High schoolers examine the purpose of constitutions. In this government systems lesson, students analyze the sections of the U.S. Constitution. High schoolers then compare the U.S. Constitution to the constitutions of other countries....

Students consider how the U.S. Constitution affects their daily lives. They use picture books to take part in a Constitution Scavenger Hunt. They draw a picture showing one way their life might be different if the Constitution had not...

Supreme Court justices debate the meaning of the US Constitution, but we expect teachers to explain it to scholars with far less training and experience. A daunting task for sure, but it's not insurmountable with resources that simplify...

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...

Students examine reasons for studying government. In this U.S. government lesson, students brainstorm the reasons for rules. Students draft their own class constitution in the style of the U.S. Constitution.

Young scholars investigate President Abraham Lincoln's use of the U.S. Constitution and its importance to the Civil War. In this US history lesson plan, students read text about President Lincoln and the US Constitution. Young scholars...

Students take a close look at the foundations of American government. In this U.S. Constitution lesson plan, students analyze the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution. Students participate...

Explore what the home front during WWII was like for Japanese-Americans. Learners use a worksheet and the Internet to guide their research as they consider the constitutionality of Japanese Internment. They work in pairs to create an...

Learners explore the meaning of freedom.  In this U.S. History lesson plan, students research the Declaration of Independence and how it relates to American freedom by completing activities and a mock trial.

High school student love discussing controversial issues like those brought up in this fourth amendment case study. They examine the 1928 Olmstead vs. U.S. prohibition court case, applying the fourth amendment to determine whether...

Did the United States Constitution uphold the institution of slavery, or did it help to destroy it? Young historians study Article 4, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution and evaluate the rights of slaveowners as they compared to...

Fourth graders complete a unit of lessons on the development of the U.S. government. They examine the main ideas of the Declaration of Independence, develop a class translation of the preamble to the Constitution, create a flow chart,...

How do Supreme Court justices determine which cases to consider? What happens when the Supreme Court decides not to take a case?  The lesson explores important questions and others in the field of criminology. It focuses on the...

Students study the U.S. Constitutional System and how it compares with forms of democracy that developed in ancient Greece and Rome. They list and explain the requirements it takes to form a society to be considered a nation.

Many of your class members will have heard of Executive Order 9066 and the Japanese internment camps of World War II. Some may even recognize the terms “Issei” and “Nisei,” but few will have heard of Enemy Alien Hearing Boards, of the...

Students examine the roles and responsibilites of the president of the U.S. They identify and discuss the three branches of U.S. government, view and discuss a White House Photo essay online, and create a class book entitled, 'If I Were...

Students examine American coins. For this American currency lesson, students study how American money came to be as well as the responsibilities of the U.S. Mint. Students discover details regarding American coins and design their own...

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...

Students consider the main concepts of the Preamble of the United States Constitution They research different issues explored in the Constitution which have both historic and modern connections.

Fifth graders read the preamble of the U.S. and Florida Constitutions. They discuss vocabulary definitions surrounding the concept of citizenship. They discuss and write about the rights and responsibilities of citizens and apply their...

Students examine the concept that the constitutional government guarantees that our government is not all-powerful and analyze the purposes of our government that are listed in the Preamble. They assess that equality under the law and...