September 17, 2008
Classroom Activities and Resources for Teachers
General Resources
Local Events and Resources
Other Resources
Classroom Activities and Resources for Teachers
All Grades
American Bar Association Division for Public Educationhttp://www.abanet.org/publiced/lawday/schools/lessons/
These lessons appear under the heading, “The Rule of Law.” They cover such topics as Due Process, Equal Protection, Separation of Powers, Judicial Independence, First Amendment Rights, etc. Links are also provided to other Law-Related Education websites with additional lessons and resources.
Navigate to this page, http://www.abanet.org/publiced/youth/sia/cartoons/home.html, and find at your fingertips the Cartoon Gallery for short lessons related to the cartoons.
Center for Civic Education
http://www.civiced.org/index.php?page=constitution_day
Downloadable, ready-to-use lessons for kindergarten through twelfth grade. Kindergarten and Level 1-2 lessons examine the theme of authority. Lessons for grades 3-4 and 5-6 explore ideas in the Preamble, such as “We the People.” The Level 7-8 lesson helps students understand the federal system. Level 9-10 students examine the general framework of the government created by the framers. Finally, the lessons for levels 11-12 provide exercise to improve critical thinking skills involving contemporary issues.
Selected lessons are available to download to an MP3 player. Notes for the teacher may be downloaded as audio recordings for some of the lessons.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
http://www.crf-usa.org/constitution_day/constitution_day_home.htm
Provides free online resources including lessons for K-12. The K-2 lesson title is The Tired King; Grades 3-5, A Visitor from Outer Space, Mr. Madison Needs Some Help, Trouble in Gold Flats; Grades 6-8, Rome: Republic to Empire and The Federalist Papers; and Grades 9-12, Aristotle: In Search of the Best Constitution and Diversity and Equality, and the Constitution and Governance.
Elementary
Scholastichttp://www.scholastic.com
From the home page, go to Teaching Resources. From here, you may search by grade level, choosing Pre K-K, 1-2, 3-5, or 6-8, or 1-12. In the Resource Search box, key in “Constitution.” Numerous items such as a U.S. Constitution Timeline and books for teaching about the Constitution are there available to you.
NOTE: The website also provides lessons and resources for middle and high school students.
Middle School
The Bill of Rights Institutehttp://www.billofrightsinstitute.org/constitutionday
Constitution Day 2008 materials include Celebrate Constitution Day, a 12-page tabloid packed with activities and content. The online module contains free activities for students, including Madison’s Notes are Missing, What Did the Founders Say?, and the Constitution Crossword Puzzle. Also, find Constitution Cube activities for all types of learners.
NOTE: This website also provides lessons and resources for high school students.
High School
ABA Constitution Day Website: Conversations on the Constitutionhttp://www.abaconstitution.org
This program is designed to encourage civil discussion and debate about the meaning of some of the Constitution’s concepts and clauses that have been the subject of ongoing constitutional debates. New topics include The Right to Bear Arms and an Interactive Tour of the Fourth Amendment. Other topics are the Preamble (site includes a free downloadable Preamble lesson), cruel and unusual punishment, war powers, separation of powers, the advice and consent of the Senate, an establishment of religion, and unreasonable searches and seizures. From this site, students may electronically “sign the Constitution” and see the names of all of the signers. A copy of the Constitution may be downloaded from this site.
The National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/constitution-day/
Find biographies of the 39 delegates who signed the Constitution; a lesson plan related to the ratification of the Constitution; fascinating facts about the Constitution; and information about a teaching unit from the National Archives and Records Administration. Also, check the section on Teaching with Documents: U.S. Constitution Workshop at http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/constitution-workshop/index.html .
Street Law, Inc.
http://www.streetlaw.org
From the home page, select Resources for Teachers and Educators, then select Supreme Court Summer Institute for Teachers. Click the Resources tab for Lesson Plans and Methods.
General Resources
Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE)http://www.free.ed.gov/subjects.cfm?subject_id=19
Click on “See All 27 Resources” to find a variety of documents from the Library of Congress, the National Archives and Records Administration and the National Constitution Center. Here you may find an online, searchable Constitution, The Federalist Papers, a lesson on encouraging students to vote, and much more.
National Constitution Center’s Constitution Day Website
http://www.constitutionday.us
Contains resources for Educators, Students, Government and Military, and Community Leaders. Resources for Educators are categorized as activities, classroom resources, books, audiovisual resources, Constitution Day events, and lesson plans.
Local Events & Resources
Nebraska Supreme Court and Nebraska State Bar Foundation-Connecting teachers with judges and lawyers for classroom presentations
The Supreme Court and the Bar Foundation will assist teachers in securing an attorney or judge to visit the classroom and make a presentation. If you are not acquainted with a judge to invite to your classroom, contact Janet Bancroft, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . If you need assistance finding an attorney for a classroom visit, contact Doris Huffman, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Also, check out Classroom Resources that have been prepared for recent Law Day celebrations for both elementary and secondary classes.
http://www2.nebarfnd.org/law-day-essay-contest – Secondary lessons
http://www2.nebarfnd.org/law-day-job-shadowing – Elementary lessons
The Bar Foundation will make its four-DVD set of the PBS series, The Supreme Court, available for loan to teachers. Simply send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to inquire about borrowing this resource for up to two weeks.
Nebraska State Bar Foundation’s Mock Trial Cases
http://www2.nebarfnd.org/mock-trial
2007 Mock Trial Case – A & M Records, Inc., et al vs. K.C. Jones. This civil case is a copyright infringement suit brought by several recording companies against a college student for allegedly downloading and sharing music.
2006 Mock Trial Case – State of Nebraska vs. Willie Flounder. A criminal case involving an attempted murder charge against a student for the shooting of another student. The defendant claims s/he was legally insane at the time of the incident. The case points up the problem of bullying and provides opportunities for discussing ways individuals and schools may respond.
2005 Mock Trial Case – Pat Christianson vs. William Jennings Bryan Public High School. A First Amendments rights case. It centers around the Student Council election at WJBHS where the principal, Dr. Eddie U. Cation, has told Pat that she will be allowed to participate as a candidate for student body president only if she eliminates her religious rhetoric from the campaign. Pat refuses to comply with the school’s mandate to purge her campaign message of any religious references. She maintains that her First Amendment rights have been violated and seeks a resolution by filing a lawsuit. Also posted at this site are relevant case law summaries and suggested additional readings.
The Federal Court for the District of Nebraska calls attention to the website of the Administrative Offices of the U.S. Courts, http://www.uscourts.gov/outreach/resources/constitutionday.html. Listings include:
- The 2007 37-minute taped discussion, “Inside the Supreme Court of the United States,” with Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.
- Constitution Day Discussion Topics
- Fast Facts about the Federal Courts
- Interactive Games
- Bill of Rights Case Studies and Simulations
- Legal Landmarks.
Other Resources
Nebraska Secretary of State - Electionshttp://www.sos.ne.gov/dyindex.html#boxingName
This site provides information for voters in the following categories:
- 2008 Elections
- Previous Election Years
- Voter Information FAQs
- Election Forms
- Check Voter Registration
- County Contact Information
- More Links
http://www2.nebarfnd.org/age-of-majority
Free booklet on rights and responsibilities for young people coming of age
You the Juror – Nebraska State Bar Foundation
http://www2.nebarfnd.org/you-the-juror
Free juror orientation video on VHS
