September 17, 2009
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.abaconstitution.org
Here you will find lesson plans on Voting Rights and Election Law Under the Constitution; First Amendment; Separation of Powers; Student Privacy Rights; Teaching About Guns and Gun Control; and other discussion topics. These lessons are identified by grade level. For high school groups, Conversations on the Constitution are available. Seven separate discussion , including a new one on The Right to Bear Arms, are presented. Other resources and links to websites are also accessible from this page.
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. There is also a new matching game and a Constitution Day Rap! 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. There is also a new lesson on “Responsibility.”
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/
Provides free online resources including lessons for K-12. The K-2 lesson title is The Tired King. Grades 3-5 titles: A Visitor from Outer Space, Mr. Madison Needs Some Help, and Trouble in Gold Flats; Grades 6-8 titles: Rome: Republic to Empire; The Federalist Papers. Grades 9-12 titles: Aristotle: In Search of the Best Constitution; Diversity and Equality; Constitution and Governance; Foundations of Our Constitution; and Bill of Rights in Action Archive.
The new resource, Judges, Courts, and the Law, with a downloadable teacher’s guide for interactive student involvement, is available at www.courtsed.org with a click on Constitution Day.
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, or 3-5. In the Resource Search box, key in “Constitution.” Items such as Resources and Activities, Book Information and Articles are displayed.
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 materials new for 2009 include a Facebook Student Activity, Which Founder Are You? On online quiz helps the student determine which founder he/she is most like, then locate more information and engage in conversation with other student on their Founders’ pages. The website also includes 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. The Current Events Briefing Sheet will debut on Monday, September 14. It will provide a framework for discussing current events and the Constitution.
Another activity on this website is the Do you know your Constitution? Quiz. The Being an American Essay Contest is also open this year at www.BeingAnAmerican.org. The first submissions to the contest may be made on September 17.
NOTE: This website also provides lessons and resources for high school students.
High School
The National Archiveshttp://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. New: 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, then click Resources again. Click the Resources tab for free lesson plans and links to other publications and research.
General Resources
Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE)http://free.ed.gov/subjects.cfm?subject_id=19
Click on “See All 29 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.
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://www.nebarfnd.org/law-day-essay-contest - Secondary lessons
http://www.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://www.nebarfnd.org/mock-trial
2009 Mock Trial Case - IN THE MATTER OF Kev Inruser A23 571 113
In removal proceedings
This civil case involves a foreign citizen in a removal proceeding. The process for the asylum seeker is complicated by evidence that he/she was involved in persecuting others under the now deposed government of his/her home country.
2008 Mock Trial Case – State of Nebraska vs. Chris Byrd
This criminal case involves procurement of alcohol for a minor.
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:
- A 37-minute taped discussion, “A Conversation on the Constitution: Judicial Interpretation” with Justices Scalia and Breyer
- Constitution Day Discussion Topics
- Fast Facts about the Federal Courts
- Interactive Games
Other Resources
Nebraska Secretary of State - Electionshttp://www.sos.ne.gov/dyindex.html#boxingName
This site provides information for voters in the following categories:
- 2010 Elections
- Previous Election Years
- Voter Information FAQs
- Election Forms
- Check Voter Registration
- County Election Officials
- More Links
http://www.nebarfnd.org/age-of-majority
Online booklet on rights and responsibilities for young people coming of age
You the Juror – Nebraska State Bar Foundation
http://www.nebarfnd.org/you-the-juror
Free juror orientation video on VHS
