Constitution Day
September 17th
In 2004, the U.S. Congress passed legislation requiring educational
institutions that receive federal funding to present a program focused
on the U. S. Constitution each year on Constitution and Citizenship Day.
The Law, Youth and Citizenship Program offers programs and resources to
assist teachers in observing Constitution Day. The Center for Civic Education, in
collaboration with the American Association of School Administrators,
offers free lessons on the Constitution for use in celebrating
Constitution and Citizenship Day on September 17. Constitution and
Citizenship Day affords teachers the opportunity to incorporate
these special lessons at any time that during the week.
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Helpful Links for Teachers
The website presents a pre K-12 civics education
scope and sequence for New York State teachers, supervisors, and curriculum developers including the
following components: Concepts, Content Understandings, Learning
Objectives, Knowledge Goals, Learning Skills and Civic Dispositions. It
was compiled by NYSBA’s Law, Youth and Citizenship Program
consultant Dr. George Gregory, with input from our many state and
national partners. The project was funded by the New York
State Bar Association, the New York Consortium for Civic Education and
the Carnegie Foundation. It is broken down by grade
level, linked to state and national standards and offers each level of
instruction various classroom activities. We feel it is very teacher
friendly.
Lessons for grades K-12 are available for no cost from the
Center's website at constitutionday.civiced.org.
These lessons, designed to assist schools and federal agencies to meet
the requirements of the legislation, have been adapted from the Center's
We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution and Foundations of
Democracy curricular materials. Audio recordings of selected
Constitution Day lessons are also available on the Center's
website.
On this
date in 1787 delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia
signed the U.S. Constitution, a written charter for a new—and
enduring—federal government. Five years ago Congress designated
September 17 as a day “to hold educational programs for
students” on the Constitution.Access classroom lessons appropriate
for elementary, middle, and secondary students. Explore “Uncle
Sam’s Attic” to learn about voting rights and the election
process. Test your knowledge by taking interactive quizzes on
constitutional issues. Sign the U.S. Constitution manuscript, alongside
the signatures of the framers.
A resource for teachers and students
that makes connections between New York State case law and the subjects
required by the New York Social Studies
Standards.
Sponsored by the New York State Bar
Association and minority Bar associations, to commemorate the 50th
anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Helps bring the
case to middle and high school students through dynamic lesson plans
incorporating primary documents and the 2005 commemoration
testimony.
ConSource was founded in 2005 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit with the
singular goal of creating and maintaining the first, free,
fully-indexed, comprehensive online library of constitutional sources.
Towards this goal, the project launched ConSource.org on Constitution
Day, September 17, 2007 with five core founding collections containing
roughly 1,000 documents. Washington's Papers, a collection of over
10,000, was added in time for President's Day February 2008. For each
content addition, over 50,000 students were taught about the
constitution via webcast.
A 12-page Celebrate the Constitution activity book
- available in PDF format and a new online activity.
The National Constitution Center in historic Philadelphia is
America's most interactive history museum. Located just two blocks from
the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, it is the only museum devoted to
the U.S. Constitution and the story of we, the people. Beginning on
Saturday, September 12, and culminating on Constitution Day, September
17, 2009, the National Constitution Center will celebrate the 222nd
anniversary of this remarkable day in history with a wide array of
inspiring and educational activities.
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