OS Educational Technology News
Special Edition - Constitution Day
Constitution Day
Constitution Day is observed each year on September 17, the day in 1787 that delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution in Philadelphia.
In 2004, a law was passed by the U.S. Congress requiring that educational programming on the history of the American Constitution be provided on Constitution Day at all schools that receive federal funding. In May 2005, the United States Department of Education announced the enactment of this law and that it would apply to any school receiving federal funds of any kind.
Constitution Day 2015 will be observed on Thursday, September 17. This newsletter contains a variety of resources that can be used to provide the required programming on Constitution Day as well as to enhance entire units of study on the history and workings of the United States government.
~Laura
Resources from the National Constitution Center
- Interactive Constitution
Students in grades 8-12 can explore and better understand the Constitution via the explanatory information contained in this interactive version of the Constitution. - Constitution Hall Pass Videos
Looking for fun, instructional videos about the Constitution to use in your classroom? Check out the archived Constitution Hall Pass videos to learn more about The Presidency, The Legislative Branch, Freedom of Expression and the Judicial Branch. Note: Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find these archived videos. - Preamble Kit
To Sign or Not to Sign? Download a classroom poster of the United States Constitution to hang in your classroom. Use the lesson plan and have a classroom Signing (or not) party. - Additional Resources
Many additional resources organized by grade level and topic can be found on the site's Resources page.
Live Virtual Field Trip from Discovery Education
Discovery Education will host two exclusive events from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Both events are appropriate for upper elementary, middle, and high school students. Simply register your classroom once to attend one or both events.
There is still time to register your classroom!
Event 1: Student Town Hall with Justice Breyer
12:00 PM EST
Students will meet Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer who will speak about the ins and outs of his job and answer students' questions.
Event 2: A Tour of the National Constitution Center and Conversation with Judge Marjorie O. Rendell
1:30 - 2:00 PM EST
Take a virtual tour inside this cutting-edge museum, the first and only one of its kind devoted to the U.S. Constitution.
Highlights of the 30-minute tour will include:
- Signers' Hall which includes 42 life-sized bronze statues of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention
- Exhibits that focus on the 13th Amendment, women's rights, civil rights, and more
- American National Tree that gives an interactive glimpse of the lives of 100 citizens
Classroom Activities
Check out these suggested lessons/activities to enhance your students' experience:
TeachersFirst Constitution Day Resources
- Sunnylands Civics Games - Topics include Constitutional Convention, Branches of Power, The First Amendment, Bill of Rights, and more.
- Scene at the Signing of the Constitution - Interactive additions to a painting of the Constitution signers. Mousing over a delegate shows his name and state. Clicking on a delegate takes students to biographical information.
- Constitution Facts - At first glance you might not see the potential of this site, but the TeachersFirst staff have taken an in depth look at the site and make the following suggestions: "This is a great site for both introducing and reinforcing topics about the Constitution. Teachers can print out crosswords puzzles for a "What Do I Know" activity. Students could find out which founding father they are in the interactive activity and create a multimedia project on the result. Challenge students to use ThingLink, reviewed here. This site allows users to narrate a picture. Challenge students to find a photo (legally permitted to be reproduced), and then narrate the photo. What a new twist to an oral report! For fun, teachers can present the Real or Fake Quiz on the projector or interactive whiteboard as whole class instruction or have discussions after each answer."
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Using the hashtag will help all of us Oakland County educators, who are interested in the effective use of educational technology, to connect and better collaborate with each other.
Oakland Schools Educational Technology Consultants
Laura.Cummings@oakland.k12.mi.us
248-209-2283
Judy Nichols
Judith.Nichols@oakland.k12.mi.us
248-209-2080