Need some ideas for Constitution Day?
September 17 is federally-mandated Constitution Day. Below are 17 lessons and lesson ideas to help you celebrate! Down load the PDF here.
The Constitution in a Nutshell: This lesson contains a fillable outline of the U.S. Constitution and the Amendments. Its easy-to-follow, step-by-step walk through the Constitution will give your and your students a thorough grounding in our founding document and the amendments.
For other lessons on the Constitution, see our store on Teachers Pay Teachers. Here is the link
Teachers Pay Teacher (TpT) is a fantastic resource where teachers write lessons for other teachers to buy at very reasonable prices (there are also many free ones.), click here for their website.
If you want to view or purchase my other Constitution lessons click here for a link to my store on TpT).
Amendments Go Improv (acting out the amendments) Click here
I’ve Got the Check, You’ve Got the Balance (checks and balances lesson) Click here
It’s in the Constitution … Somewhere (finding Constitution provisions–team competition)
| Name of Project | Description |
|---|---|
| Ode to the Constitution | Students create poems or drawings to show what the Constitution means in their lives |
| Illustrating the Constitution | Students draw some aspect of the Constitution or amendment that speaks to them. |
| Do We Need a 28th Amendment? | What, if anything would you add to the Constitution? |
| Bill of Rights Skits | Students will act out, sing, dance or otherwise perform some aspect of the Bill of Rights or other amendment that is important to them. |
| Violation | The Constitution forbids certain things, e.g., ex post facto laws. Can you think of other and explain why/how they violate the Constitution. |
| Guess Who? | Students dress up as a Founding Father (or Mother) and present information about their person. |
| Federalism – You May Be Out of Luck | When are powers shared between the feds and the states and when can the federal government preempt the field? |
| Is That Right? – Let’s Debate | Did the Founding Fathers Make the right choices about such things as two houses of congress? |
| Fair Taxation?—Yes, But How? | Which is more fair a flat or graduated tax system? |
| But Can I Get a Patent for It? | Create something that you think can be patented. |
| Immigration to the Planet Hoth | What rules would you make for immigration to a distant planet |
| The Flap About Mud Flaps | Regulating Interstate Commerce |
| Debate on Privacy | How does/can the Constitution protect it? Is it enough? |
| Consensus – No Political Parties | Have students pick some problem or important issue and see if they can come to a consensus on what to do about it. |
| Taking a Knee During the National Anthem – Symbolic Speech | What is speech? Is is just talking? If not, what else does it include? |
| Free Speech or Outrage? – Military Funeral Protests | Exploration of the case Snyder v. Phelps. |