iCivics and BrainPOP: Constitution Day Resources
Posted by jglassman on
Constitution Day is September 17. Turn this historic day into a teachable moment by inviting students to explore how the Constitution came to be and identify what it means to them today.
To help you plan for Constitution Day, we’ve compiled the following resources with our partner, iCivics:
U.S. Constitution
Set the stage for your class by providing background information on how the U.S. Constitution came into existence using the resources below.
Explore BrainPOP’s U.S. Constitution topic
*Students learn about the Constitution’s seven key principles, its amendments, and the checks and balances built right into our system of government.
*Teaching Support: U.S. Constitution Lesson Ideas
Play iCivic’s Race to Ratify game
*Send your students back to 1787 to explore big ideas at the core of the ratification debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists.
*Teaching Support: Race to Ratify Lesson Plan; Race to Ratify Game Guide
The Bill of Rights
Do your students understand the impact that the Bill of Rights has on their daily lives? As a key component of the Constitution, the resources below will help you dive into its creation and importance.
Explore BrainPOP’s Bill of Rights topic
*Students understand why the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution, why some states wouldn’t approve the Constitution immediately, and who wrote the amendments.
*Teaching Support: Bill of Rights Lesson Ideas
Play iCivic’s Do I Have a Right? game
Students run their own team of lawyers who specialize in constitutional law, and learn to identify whether a constitutional right is being violated. *Then they match a legal right to the constitutional amendment that protects it.
*Teaching Support: Do I Have a Right? Lesson Plan; Do I Have a Right? Game Guide
The Constitutional Convention
Explore the major debates that occurred at the Convention, as well as the outcomes that created the U.S.’s system of government.
Explore BrainPOP’s Constitutional Convention topic
*Students get a behind-the-scenes tour at how the Framers hammered out the details of our founding document.
*Teaching Support: Constitutional Convention Lesson Ideas
Play Supreme Decision game
*Students take a peek into the inner workings of the Supreme Court, exploring the powers of government set forth in the Constitution.
*Teaching Support: Supreme Decision Game Guide
We hope these resources help you with your planning and make learning about the U.S. Constitution fun and easy. If you use some of our resources, let us know by tagging @BrainPOP and @iCivics on Twitter.
