September 17 is recognized in the United States as Constitution Day. The purpose of Constitution Day is to commemorate the creation and signing of the supreme law of the land and to honor and celebrate the privileges and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship for both native-born and naturalized citizens (civiced.org).
In this downloadable lesson from Commonwealth Charter Academy, you can help your students learn important facts about the Constitution and its history.
Activator: School House Rock - The Constitution
What is The Constitution? In this video, your student will learn when and why the Constitution was formed. The student will also learn what The Constitution entails and its importance.
Activity #1:
Constitution Day WebQuest: The student will work independently or with an adult, to go on a “quest”, using kid friendly websites to search for important answers about the Constitution.
1. What is the Constitution? Click here to learn more.
2. When was the Constitution written? Click here to learn more.
3. Who were two of the Founding Fathers? Click here to learn more.
Brain Break: America to Me, Jack Hartmann Song/Video
Activity #2:
Part 1: Read We the Kids By: David Catrow.
Use the illustrations in this story to create understanding of the difficult words from the Preamble to the Constitution. After the story, ask your student to describe what was happening in the story, using the illustrations.
Part 2: I Can Be a Good Citizen
• The Constitution protects us and gives us our freedom. We celebrate those freedoms every day. Ask your student to draw a picture of themselves being a good citizen and complete the following sentences:
I can be a good citizen and follow the rules at home by________________.
I can be a good citizen and follow the rules at school by________________.
Closure:
Review Activity 1 and Activity 2. Follow up with the extension question:
1. Why do you think the Constitution is important?
