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Constitution Day & Citizenship Day

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, celebrated on September 17, was established by Congress to honor the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution. It is a day to celebrate the vision that unites us as a nation and acknowledge that citizenship is an action. Keep reading for more ways to celebrate in your classroom and at home!


Celebrate Constitution Day in the Classroom


Lesson Plans & Ideas

Choice Boards

Choice boards are a student-centered way to encourage exploration about the Constitution. These choice boards are Google Slides that contain links to external learning options. The boards are designed in a grid format: Explore, Engage, Express. Column 1 offers opportunities for exploration, column 2 provides for deeper engagement with the material, and column 3 allows students different ways to express what they have learned. Instructions for Use:
  • Before assigning the slides, you will need to check each external link to be sure that the students will have access.
  • There are two links for each level: the first link will allow you to make a copy of the Slide presentation that you can edit to customize for your class. NOTE: You must be signed into your Google Account to make a copy. If you do not have a Google account, you can download the presentation as a PowerPoint and make changes. Most of the elements in the slide are editable. If you made edits to the presentation and are ready to assign to your class, you will need to alter the link so that it opens in present mode for the students. If you do not know how to change the link, check out this easy tutorial.
  • If you are comfortable with the slides as they are, use the second link to assign the slides in “Present” mode for student use.
 


Naturalization Ceremonies

View or attend a Naturalization Ceremony! Naturalization ceremonies are real-life celebrations of citizenship. Check with your federal court to inquire about observing a ceremony or watch this ceremony recorded Constitution Day 2019.


Celebrate Constitution Day at Home

By the time Constitution Day arrives on September 17, most students have been in school for about one month. This is an ideal moment to work with your children at home to reinforce the lessons that they are learning in school about rules and responsibilities. (Their teachers will love you for it!)

Discussion:

Ask your child to think about the rules they must follow in their classroom. Do they have jobs in their classrooms? How does everyone in the classroom know whose job is whose? If you have multiple children, make sure that everyone gets a chance to talk about their classroom’s rules and responsibilities. What does the classroom look and sound like when everyone follows the rules and does their job? What happens if someone doesn’t follow the rules, or doesn’t do their job? What school rules also make sense as rules for home? What classroom jobs also make sense as jobs at home? What rules or jobs would be silly to have at home?

Activity:

Create a Home Constitution!
  1. Take a look at the U.S. Constitution online or print one out. The first part is called the Preamble. It is a vision for what the Framers wanted our country to look like when everyone follows the rules and does their jobs. The second part sets up our government and explains what job means and who will do it. The third part is the Amendments. These are the ways that we have fixed our Constitution to make sure that important rights are protected. In the past 239 years, we’ve only fixed it 27 times!
  2. As a family, discuss what you each hope that your home looks like when everyone follows the rules and does their job. Write a sentence to describe your vision. This will be your preamble.
  3. Write down the important rules and responsibilities to help your family achieve this vision. This might take some negotiation. That’s ok! It took about four months for 39 out of 55 men to finally agree to our constitution… but then it took 2 more years for the rest of the country to ratify it!
  4. Act the part! Once your Constitution is ready, everyone must sign it. This is especially fun using a “quill” (craft feathers or decorative toothpicks work just fine) and ink (if you’re feeling adventurous, click here for a berry ink recipe).
  5. Look the part! No party is complete without a great hat. Here is a template for crafting your very own tricorn hat.

What to Read

  • Ages 3 - 7

    • What if Everybody Did That? By Ellen Javernick
    • David Gets in Trouble By David Shannon
    • A Little Spot of Responsibility By Diane Alber
    • The Pigeon Wants a Puppy By Mo Willems
    • If You Were a Kid at the Signing of the Constitution By Janel Rodriguez

  • Ages 6 - 11

    • We the Kids By David Catrow
    • My Mouth is a Volcano By Julia Cook
    • Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution By Jean Fritz
    • A More Perfect Union By Betsy Maestro
    • What Was the Constitution By Patricia Brennan Demuth

  • Ages 10 - 15

    • What Does the Constitution Say?: A Kid’s Guide to How Our Democracy Works By Ben Sheehan
    • The Constitution Decoded: A Guide to the Document That Shapes Our Nation By Katie Kennedy
    • The United States Constitution
    • Alexander Hamilton: The Graphic History of an American Founding Father by Jonathan Hennessey

  • Ages 16 +

    • The Federalist Papers #51
    • The 14th Amendment

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