Welcome to our new friends from the NCSS Conference in Austin! We hope you discover new resources and civics education organizations through this monthly newsletter as well as information about professional development, student programs, and more.

Why Do People Form Governments?

This short lesson from the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship, targeting early elementary, is intended to introduce students to the concept of government and how one of the most important purposes of government is to keep us safe. Students will also be introduced to the Constitution and the three branches of government.

For more resources from the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship, go here.

Race to Ratify

The iCivics game Race to Ratify drops you into 1787, where the ink is still drying on the new Constitution. Will it become the law of the land or will it fall into the dustbin of history? The fate of the young nation is in your hands! Dive deep into the heated national debate over the future of a radical new plan for American government.

For more resources from iCivics, go here.

Constitutional Principles Videos

The Constitutional Principles Videos from the Bill of Rights Institute are engaging presentations that detail the principles upon which the Constitution of the United States was founded and how each principle is important and relative to our understanding of the Constitution today. Presentations address the principles of Separation of Powers, Consent of the Governed, Rule of Law, and Representative Government in a Republic.
For more resources from the Bill of Rights Institute, go here.

  • For a roundup of information about summer teacher institutes from Civics Renewal Network organizations, go here. The institutes include:
    • American Bar Association: Federal Trials and Great Debates Summer Institute
    • George Washington’s Mount Vernon: Program connects Washington and his 18th-century world to students’ lives today.
    • Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History: 6-day and 3-day seminars, plus a new summit at Gettysburg College.
    • National Constitution Center: Institutes on Federalism, First Amendment, and Battles for Freedom and Equality.
    • Street Law: An immersive six days in D.C. learning about the U.S. Supreme Court.
  • James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation: Apply for $24,000 fellowship to become an outstanding teacher of the U.S. Constitution. Learn more.