Constitution Day is September 17!
On September 17, 1787, the United States Constitution was signed by the 39 delegates to the Constitutional Convention.
In honor of their work, a new federal law, signed by President George W. Bush on December 8, 2004, has named each September 17 “Constitution Day.” All educational institutions that receive federal funding are now being asked to hold educational program focused on the United States Constitution for their students on Constitution Day.
U.S. History was our Social Studies content when I taught 5th grade, and I especially enjoyed when we focused on the American Revolution and the development of our government.
Here are some resources and ideas for honoring Constitution Day in our classrooms:
1. Preamble Rewrite Activity
Learn the meaning of the Constitution’s Preamble by rewriting each line using today’s language to make it easier to understand. (Bonus: Summarization Practice)
To help kids get more comfortable with the words and phrasing, we’d read the Preamble out loud several times. To make it more interesting, we’d do this outside, and each time we read it we’d use a different voice. We’d try it with a Southern accent, like an opera singer, like a whiny baby, and – everyone’s favorite – we’d read in as loudly as we possibly could.
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2. U.S. Constitution Outline
List of topics covered in the Constitution
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3. U.S. Constitution Crossword Puzzle
12 clues and words/phrases to find
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4. Branches of the U.S. Government – Summary
Summary of the three branches of government and the system of checks and balances
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5. Branches of the U.S. Government – Chart
Help students visualize how the branches of the U.S. government are designed to work together
