Constitution Day - Resources for Educators, Federal Employees, Parents, and Individuals

Partners Beta Launch
June 15^th, 2006

The new website will feature four portals -- for teachers, students, federal and military personnel, and civic leaders -- to reach an ever widening audience. It will offer a "home page" for each partner, where you can highlight new products and programs, and then link directly to your own websites. You will be able to modify your "home page" throughout the year.

Contact Marc Siegel (msiegel@constitutioncenter.org) with comments or questions, or to sign up to be a partner.

Public Beta Launch
Week of July 17^th, 2006

The new ConstitutionDay.us will be an interactive community of resources, so a teacher, student, governement employee, or community leader can rate resources and offer comments and ideas to other users. Easy search tools will help visitors find and download resources from multiple partners. Visitors will develop a sense of national community and support each other's efforts to celebrate Constitution Day.

Sign up to be a beta tester of the new ConstitutionDay.us community:

The ideas on which America was founded--commitments to the rule of law, limited government and the ideals of liberty, equality and justice--are embodied in the Constitution, the oldest written constitution of any nation on Earth. Constitution Day is intended to celebrate not only the birthday of our government, but the ideas that make us Americans.

Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia accomplished a long-standing goal, passing a law designating September 17^th as Constitution Day. Schools and federal agencies are required to hold educational programs on the Constitution on Constitution Day.

The National Constitution Center, with a rich and devoted group of partners (left), is committed to helping you create a meaningful program for Constitution Day. This website is a marketplace of educational materials and programming tools for use on Constitution Day. Our hope is that a deeper appreciation and understanding of our nation's founding document will spread through families, organizations and communities.

I Signed the Constitution

National Constitution Center - A tool kit which enables a school, federal agency or any organization to set up a kiosk for Constitution Day where citizens can sign the Constitution or decide to abstain. The tool kit is accompanied by education materials and easy to follow how-to instructions.

Homicide: Life of the Street: Lessons in Law

Lesson 3 Lesson 4
Court TV - In this lesson, students learn about the Sixth Amendment's speedy trial clause in order to help them better understand due process protections. The video clip serves as a catalyst for a discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of Constitutional rights.

Foundations of Freedom DVD

Center for Educational Technologies - In this DVD curriculum supplement ,students study fundamental issues arising from the 200-plus year history of the U.S. Constitution. The DVD uses case studies to immerse learners in various constitutional challenges and themes. Through multimedia, learners tackle such fundamental issues as popular sovereignty, freedom of speech, and judicial review.

Justice Learning Constitution Day Resources

Annenberg Center for Public Policy: Justice Learning - To help schools comply with a new federal requirement to offer an educational program on Constitution Day, a prestigious group of educators and media organizations has joined together to create a unique initiative. Justice Talking, NPR's award-winning radio series—in cooperation with the National Archives and Records Administration, the New York Times Knowledge Network, and other partners—will broadcast two programs online and via satellite. Any school or group may show the programs—and build their own educational events around them—without charge.

Federalism - Electoral College Flash Cards

C-SPAN - Students will enjoy getting "hands on" with these "cards" that show the states and their assigned number of electors and complement the Electoral College Map.

Bill of Rights Institute

Constitution Day Page - Founded in 1999, The Bill of Rights Institute is a non-profit organization with a mission to develop programs and curriculum that teach students about the founding of our nation and what it means to be an American citizen. The Bill of Rights Institute is dedicated to creating educational materials for teachers like you, in order to help young Americans appreciate constitutional principles that define us as a nation.

I Signed the Constitution

Federal Employees Toolkit

National Constitution Center - A packet of information designed to inform federal employees on the U.S. Constitution and Constitution Day. Includes "Top 10 Ways to Grow as a Citizen", "How to Get Action from Your Leaders", "Founding Father's Dictionary", "Constitution Fast Facts", and selected readings in a "Constitutional Reader".

Justice Learning Constitution Day Resources

Centuries of Citizenship: A Constitutional Timeline

National Constitution Center - Centuries of Citizenship: A Constitutional Timeline is an online experience highlighting some of the key dates and events that mark more than 200 years of our constitutional history. These timeline entries tell the evolving story of the U.S. Constitution and the continuing role that it plays in our lives.

Interactive Constitution

National Constitution Center - This interactive constitution is based on The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution by Linda R. Monk.

Excellence in Government Fellows Program

Council for Excellence in Government - Originally funded by the Henry Jackson Foundation, the program focuses on leadership development for mid-level federal executives. Since 1988, the program has included over 1800 participants from all the Cabinet Departments and major agencies.