2017 Constitution Day Poster Contest now underway!

 

Please go to http://www.constitutionfacts.com/constitution-poster-design-contest/ to download an entry form and for additional details.

 

 

Press Kit - Gov Doc Kids Group - Press Kit.zip

Bookmark - bookmarkBACK_fed_register_FINAL_2009_version2.pdf

 

Grab your colored pencils, markers, crayons, fingerpaints or watercolors and design a handmade poster

showing how you and your family benefit from the freedoms embodied in the U.S. Constitution.

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Use an 8 1/2" x 11" paper to create your design . Your poster can feature any aspect of the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights & Amendments . Make it colorful! Be creative!

Questions about the Constitution?

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The National Archives www.archives.gov 

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The National Constitution Center www.constitutioncenter.org 

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ABA Conversations on the Constitution www.abanet.org/publiced/conversations/constitution/home.html

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The Constitution:  See It, Read It

 

  Featured site: http://www.ConstitutionFacts.com

This site, sponsored by Oak Hill Publishing Company, provides the most complete source of U.S. Constitution-related resources available, including activities and information on the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, the founding fathers, and the Supreme Court. In addition, word finds, pocket Constitution guides, crossword puzzle, treasure hunts, and and test-your-knowledge quizzes are available.

1. Constitution of the United States  www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution.html

 

The National Archives displays and cares for the original constitution. This site will take you to images of the document and an easy-to-read transcription of the text. Links to the Bill of Rights and other amendments are provided.

 

 

Learn about Constitution Day

 

1. Text of Constitution Day bill http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/2005-2/052405b.html

 

 

Looking for Ideas?  Try these sites!

 

1.     Votes for Women: Selections from the National American Woman Suffrage Collection, 1848-1920

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/vfwhtml/vfwhome.html

 

The Library of Congress has extensive and varied resources related to the campaing for woman suffrage (voting rights) in the United States.  This selection of 38 pictures includes portraits of many individuals, photographs of suffrage parades, picketing suffragists, and an anti-suffrage display, as well as cartoons commenting on the movement.

 

 2.     Charters of Freedom: A New World is at Hand

http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution.html

 

This colorful site from the National Archives tells how history unfolded leading to the constitution and goes further by portraying developments after its ratification.

 

3.     U.S. Civil Rights Commission

http://www.usccr.gov/

 

The mission of the Commission is “to investigate complaints alleging that citizens are being deprived of their right to vote by reason of their race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin, or by reason of fraudulent practices.”

 

 

4.     The Avalon Project: Treaties between the United States and Native Americans

http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/ntreaty/ntreaty.htm

 

From the Yale University Avalon Project, search the treaties signed between the United States and Native American nations.

 

 

Our Constitution Day Resource List

 

1. GovDoc Kids Group Resource List  Constitution Day Resources.doc

 

Activities and Best Practices

 

1. The National Archives www.archives.gov

 

The National Archives preserves important government documents that are needed for legal or historical reasons. These valuable records are available to you. Some, including images of the Constitution, can be accessed through the website.

 

 

2. Celebrate Constitution Day!  http://tinyurl.com/ddqhy

 

The National Archives in Washington, D.C. celebrates Constitution Day with a variety of activities. This site links to other sources of inspiration for those far from the capitol.

 

3. Teaching with documents from National Archives and Records Administration  www.archives.gov/education/lessons

 

This link goes to lesson plans arranged by historic subject date from the National Archives.

 

4. National Constitution Center  www.constitutioncenter.org

 

The National Constitution Center, located in Philadelphia, was established by the Constitution Heritage Act of 1988. This site provides a wealth of information about the constitution, and includes educational resources for teachers and students.

 

5. ABA Conversations on the Constitution www.abanet.org/publiced/conversations/constitution/home.html

 

The American Bar Association’s Conversations on the Constitution is designed to further dialogue about constitutional values and principles. Lesson plans, ideas for classroom conversations, and more are available on this site.

 

6. Back to School for Constitution Day  http://www.llrx.com/columns/govdomain8.htm

 

Peggy Garvin compiled excellent resources, including government documents and related historical materials, sample speeches, and teaching aids.

 

7. Teaching with documents: Lesson plans  www.archives.gov/education/lessons

 

“Contains reproducible copies of primary documents from the holdings of the National Archives of the United States, teaching activities correlated to the National History Standards and National Standards for Civics and Government, and cross-curricular connections.”

 

8. Constitution Day  http://edsitement.neh.gov/constitutionday/constitution_index2.html

 

The National Endowment for the Humanities provides here Constitution Day ideas for teachers and families.

 

9. Constitution Day Resources for Educators  http://www.gmc.edu/library/Constitution_Day.htm

 

Lianne Hartman, Reference/Instruction Librarian, Lourdes Library, Gwynedd-Mercy College, has compiled here a rich collection of documents, Constitution Day activities, and lesson plans.

 

10. Constitution Day Implementation guide  http://www.naspa.org/policy/guide.pdf

 

The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators has prepared here a thorough, attractive document including statistics on constitutional knowledge, programming ideas, and constitutional links and resources.

 

11. Bill of Rights Institute  http://www.billofrightsinstitute.org/

 

“The mission of the Bill of Rights Institute is to educate young people about the words and ideas of America's Founders, the liberties guaranteed in our Founding documents, and how our Founding principles continue to affect and shape a free society.” Visit this site for instructional materials, lesson plans, and more.

 

12. Constitution Day Resources from the Library of Congress  http://thomas.loc.gov/teachers/constitution.html

 

Visit this Library of Congress site for primary source documents, lesson plans, American Memory Collections a list of books, and more.

 

13. Federal Resources for Educational Excellence—U.S. Constitution  http://free.ed.gov/subjects.cfm?subject_id=19&res_feature_request=1

 

Check out US. Constitution resources from a variety of federal agencies.

 

 

Field Trip Ideas

 

General

1. Presidential Libraries  http://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/ 

 

Find a presidential library and museum near you. Visit the museum. For advanced research, contact the library for access.

 

2. National Register of Historic Places  http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/

 

Visit an historic place near you. Find them on this site.

 

Kansas City metro area

1.  Eisenhower Library and Museum  http://www.eisenhower.utexas.edu/

 

Visit this site for the Eisenhower Library, a national repository for the preservation of historical papers, audiovisual materials and the artifacts relating to Dwight D. Eisenhower and his times.

 

2.  Harry S Truman National Historic Site  www.nps.gov/archive/hstr/home.htm

 

Harry S Truman National Historic Site includes the Truman Home in Independence, Missouri, and the Truman Farm Home in Grandview, Missouri.

 

3.  Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site  www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/ka1.htm

 

The Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Site is located at the Monroe School in Topeka, KS.  This site commemorates the landmark case in which the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of black and white students in public schools violated the Constitutional rights of students.

 

Important Government Documents

 

1. Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention  http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/continental

 

This site by the Library of Congress, provides bibliographies for all ages and links to the historic Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789. Click on “Collection Connection” for Classroom resources for teachers from the Learning Page

 

2. Public Papers of the Presidents  http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/

 

Search the presidential papers from Hoover to Bush. Listen to significant speeches.

References

1. Sources for the study of the constitutional era: a bibliographical and historiographical essay.  81 Law Library Journal 47-67 (1989)

 

This survey of primary sources and historians’ interpretations is an aid for librarians to select historical literature for their collections and to help patrons find other research libraries.

 

2. Analysis and Interpretation of the Constitution: Annotations of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States: Senate Document No. 108-17: 2002 Edition: Cases Decided to June 28, 2002 ; with 2004 supplements  http://www.gpoaccess.gov/constitution/browse.html

 

For serious research on the Constitution and how the Supreme Court has interpreted the document, this resource is essential.

 

3. Federal Register: May 24, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 99  www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/2005-2/052405b.html

 

This regulation states, “Pursuant to legislation passed by Congress, educational

institutions receiving Federal funding are required to hold an educational program pertaining to the United States Constitution on September 17 of each year. This notice implements this provision as it applies to educational institutions receiving Federal funding from the Department.”