Teaching Tools

Five Turnkey Events To Help Your School Observe Constitution Day on September 17

#1: Hold a School-Wide Signing Ceremony
I Signed the Constitution is a program sponsored by the National Constitution Center that encourages young people to deepen their understanding of our nation's founding document. Let them experience firsthand what it feels like to sign such an important document that changed so many lives forever. Empower them to publicly acknowledge their dedication to the ideals of American governance by standing up and signing their name the framework that started it all.

#2: Bring "We the People" to Life
Encourage your drama club to hold a series of special readings centered around U. S. Constitution ideals. To help you do this, we've included the five following one-act plays.

• Vignette 1: "Created Equal" [PDF]
  A fictionalized dialogue between Frederick Douglass and Thomas Jefferson about slavery.
• Vignette 2: "Free Press" [PDF]
  A monologue; in the character of Elias Boudinot, founding editor, Cherokee Phoenix
• Vignette 3: "Lynch Lie" [PDF]
  A Monologue; in the character of Ida B. Wells, newspaper editor and activist
• Vignette 4: "Decisions" [PDF]
  A fictionalized dialogue between reporter Earl Caldwell and a Supreme Court justice
• Vignette 5: "Lost Liberty" [PDF]
  A fictionalized dialogue between Mr. Hokosawa, Japanese interment camp detainee, and Ms. Ahmed, a 20-something Arab-American woman

#3: Organize a Community-wide Conversation
A fair and open-minded discussion of the issues facing a community or nation is at the very heart of the democratic process. Thanks to the work of the National Paideia Center, you can use Paideia Community Seminar frame work to explore the Preamble to the Constitution, bring school and community together, and spark inspiring dialogue about the ideas that are the foundation of our way of life. To gain access to this resource, visit www.paideia.org.

#4: Utilize Constitution Resources Created by Foremost Experts
It's one thing to make September 17 a national holiday. It's another to ensure that every school is prepared to engage young people in a thoughtful consideration of what Constitution Day really means. We believe the following resources are among the most substantive and relevant available on the world-wide web:

• www.hsbj.org assists schools in developing new scholastic broadcast journalism programs, and strengthen existing projects, through collaborations with their stable of professional journalists.
• www.jideas.org brings teachers, students, principals and professional editors together to develop the best and brightest young talent for the journalism profession.
• www.firstamendmentschools.org is an online national reform initiative designed to transform how schools teach and practice the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
• www.constitutioncenter.org has established a clearinghouse of resources to help you celebrate the birthday of your government - featuring activities, lessons, books, DVDs and more.

#5: Watch out for the "1Voice" Icon on Channel One News
1Voice is an exciting new segment on Channel One News created in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The "1Voice" icon's appearance on Channel One News indicates the upcoming news segment covers a breaking news story with First Amendment implications and a Constitution "teachable moment" is on the horizon.

Related Links

• More lesson plans »
• Bill of Rights Institute »