Resources for Observing Constitution Week with Your Students
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Date Posted: 9/17/2021
Constitution Week celebrates the signing of the U.S. Constitution and was started by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). In 1955, DAR petitioned Congress to annually recognize September 17–23 as Constitution Week. The resolution was later adopted by the U.S. Congress and signed into public law on August 2, 1956, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
According to DAR, the goals of the Constitution Week celebration are:
- Emphasizing citizens’ responsibilities for protecting and defending the Constitution.
- Informing people the Constitution is the basis for America’s great heritage and the foundation for our way of life.
- Encouraging the study of historical events that led to the framing of the Constitution in September 1787.
Here are a few resources to get you started on celebrating Constitution Week with your students.
- The Texas Education Agency offers several useful links on its Celebrate Freedom Week page, which notes the specific relevant section of the TEKS.
- Visit the National Constitution Center’s website for a variety of live classes, virtual town halls, a media library, and other Constitution Day activities, as well as an interactive Constitution.
- Head to the National Archives’ website for a list of Constitution Day activities and resources.
- Statistics in Schools from the U.S. Census Bureau offers a plethora of activities and resources focusing on the importance of the census and other Constitution Day-related fun facts.
- Check out this article, “27 Classroom Ideas to Make Constitution Day Memorable,” from WeAreTeachers. Many of these ideas can be altered for the virtual classroom, too.
- Education World has its own list of ideas for commemorating Constitution Day.
Constitution Week is a perfect time to learn more about the document’s integral impact to the United States’ foundation and future.