Celebrating Constitution Day is fun and easy with our free toolkit, which contains a wide range of resources for families and students of all ages. Put together a Constitution Day activity at your school, library or home to celebrate the signing of the Constitution on September 17. Don’t forget to share videos and photos on Twitter with #RenewCivics #ConstitutionDay2022 #ARepublicIfYouCanTeachIt. Get started by exploring the resources below.
America’s Founders
Learn more about the signers of the Constitution with these Founding Fathers biographies from the National Constitution Center.
Activities and Lessons for Families
Join the Signers of America’s Founding DocumentsNational ArchivesGrades K-12
Add your name and become a signer of one of America’s founding documents! Get a downloadable copy for printing.
Ben’s Guide to GovernmentU.S. Government Publishing OfficeGrades K-12
Have fun with word searches, crosswords, and quizzes about our federal government and play the Place the States game and Branch-O-Mania.
Constitution Day Word SearchABOTA FoundationGrades K-12
Here’s a fun activity with vocabulary tied to Constitution Day!
Games and Interactives
Race to RatifyiCivicsGrades 6-12
It’s 1787, and the Constitution has been signed. But will it be ratified? Players learn about the different opinions, then influence others through the social media of the time – pamphlets.
Annenberg Classroom’s That’s Your RightAnnenberg ClassroomGrades 6-12
This engaging online card game with three levels of play, offers scenarios involving the 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights.
Be WashingtonGeorge Washington’s Mount VernonGrades 6-12
Be Washington is an interactive experience in which YOU take on the role of George Washington, either as commander in chief or president. Come face to face with a leadership challenge, listen to advice from his most trusted sources, and decide how to solve the same problems Washington himself faced. Learn how Washington actually handled the situation, and see how other players voted. Play as an individual or hosts a game for a group. Lesson plans are available for each scenario. The game may be played online and is also available as an app.
Podcast
Founding Documents: The Constitution PodcastCivics 101 PodcastGrades 7-12
The document that emerged after the Constitutional Convention was littered with masterful planning, strange ideas and unsavory concessions. The delegates decided they’d be pleased if this new government lasted fifty years. It has been our blueprint for over two centuries now. This is the story of how our Constitution came to be. This short episode includes a one-page Graphic Organizer for students to take notes on while listening, as well as discussion questions on the back side.
Constitution Guides
Annenberg Constitution Guide: What It Says, What It MeansAnnenberg ClassroomGrades 6-12
This interactive guide to the U.S. Constitution provides the original text of each article and amendment and the meaning of each.
Interactive ConstitutionNational Constitution CenterGrades 9-12
For each provision of the Constitution, scholars of different perspectives discuss what they agree upon, and what they disagree about.
Constitution for KidsConSourceGrades 6-12
The U.S. Constitution for Kids offers educators and students the opportunity to read the original text of the Constitution alongside unbiased translations that are easy for students to understand.
Lesson Plans
The Constitution at DocsTeachNational Archives9-12
Find primary sources related to the Constitution and the “big ideas” it contains, as well as document-based online learning activities to share with your students.
Major Debates at the Constitutional ConventionConstitutional Rights Foundation9-12
How the Articles of Confederation failed and delegates met to create a new constitution. The major debates were over representation in Congress, the powers of the president, how to elect the president (Electoral College), slave trade, and a bill of rights. Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, Washington.
Drafting the NationHistorical Society of Pennsylvania9-12
As the Framers drafted different versions of our founding documents, their ideas of what it meant to be a republic also changed. In this unit, four lessons based on the drafts of the Articles of Confederation, Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution, held at the collection at HSP, allow students to explore the language and ideas behind these pivotal documents
Constitution Day Read Aloud SpectacularRendell Center for Civics and Civic EngagementK-5
During the week of September 12, 2022, The Rendell Center and the American Board of Trial Advocates will join forces with our popular Read Aloud Program to celebrate the Constitution. ABOTA lawyers and judges join classrooms virtually with hand-selected Read Aloud Sessions focused on the Constitution. The sessions last 30-45 minutes and are ideal for grades K-5.
The Constitution and CongressU.S. Capitol Visitor Center7-12
Use this information graphic to easily understand the House of Representatives and Senate and the articles and amendments in the Constitution.
Preamble Challenge LessonNational Constitution CenterAll Grades
Students discuss three key questions about the Preamble, then identify the six functions of the Constitution as established in the Preamble and determine their meaning.
Learning About the PreambleFlorida Joint Center for Citizenship at the Lou Frey InstituteGrades 4-12
Teachers show students a short video about the Constitution, then use a viewing guide, vocabulary practice, and quiz to reinforce the information. The lesson is in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole. Free registration required.
Blogging the Bill of RightsNewseumEDGrades 6-12
Students imagine that in the 1780s, computers and internet access exist. After reviewing the Federalist and Anti-Federalist views, they design a web page and write a blog post for or against a bill of rights. Free registration required.
The Constitution as a Job Description George Washington’s Mount VernonGrades 6-8
Students use Articles I and II of the Constitution and George Washington’s notes on his personal copy of the document to create a job description for the president in 1787.
Preamble to the Constitution: How Do You Make a More Perfect Union? EDSITEmentGrades K-5
Five activities are offered with two guiding questions: How does the language of the Preamble reflect historical events and the goals the founders had for the future? What does the Preamble mean?
What Does the Preamble Mean? American Bar AssociationGrades 9-12
Students will compare the U.S. Constitution’s Preamble with preambles from two state constitutions. They will consider the relevance of the Preamble’s ideals today, then have the chance to rewrite the Preamble and provide their rationale.
The Bill of Rights: Debating the Amendments Library of CongressGrades 9-12
This lesson is an introduction to primary source analysis and is best used with students who have a basic understanding of the Bill of Rights and the amendment process.
The United States ConstitutionCore Knowledge FoundationGrades 4-8
This unit explores the creation and central ideas of the Constitution. Students learn how the Founding Fathers, confronted by the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation, worked to form a new government.
Videos
Watch these videos to learn about the three branches of government, the founders and the Constitution.
Facts of Congress: The Bill of RightsIndiana University Center on Representative GovernmentGrades 4-6
This one-minute video is part of a series of 20 quick, student-friendly videos exploring topics such as separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism
George Washington & the Making of the ConstitutionGeorge Washington’s Mount VernonGrades 6-12
This 23-minute video highlights the Constitutional Convention and Washington’s role in the formation of the new government. The video is broken into three chapters for easy navigation.
Forgotten FoundersJames Madison Memorial Fellowship FoundationGrades 9-12
This five-minute video examines why some founders, such as John Dickinson and Samuel Adams, have been “forgotten” by subsequent generations.
Court Shorts: An Impartial Federal JudiciaryU.S. CourtsGrades 9-12
This five-minute video focuses on the importance of a fair and impartial judiciary. What does this concept mean to you? Students question federal judges on these principles.
Key Constitutional Concepts: Creating the ConstitutionAnnenberg ClassroomGrades 7-12
This 20-minute video explores why and how the Constitution was created at the Constitutional Convention, identifies the conflicts and issues, such as adding a bill of rights.
Let Me BelieveConstituting AmericaGrades 9-12
This rap about our freedoms in the First Amendment, written and performed by three students, provides a unique teaching tool.