writing a constitution assignment

Legislative Branch

Lesson Plans

These lesson plans are designed to assist teachers with using primary source materials to integrate Congress into history, government and civics classes. They are suitable for junior high and high school students.

Fundamental Principles of Government

Teaching Six Big Ideas in the Constitution Students engage in a study of the U.S. Constitution and the significance of six big ideas contained in it: limited government; republicanism; checks and balances; federalism; separation of powers; and popular sovereignty.
Reviewing the Preamble with Primary Sources Students review the Preamble of the United States Constitution by defining its phrases and matching them to primary source documents.
Studying the Constitution using Primary Sources Students use primary sources to analyze the plan for the structure and powers of government embodied in the Constitution.
Reviewing the Constitution’s Big Ideas with Primary Sources Students analyze clauses from the Constitution of the United States and analyze political cartoons to reinforce their understanding of the major principles of government embodied in the Constitution.
Constitution Scavenger Hunt with Political Cartoons Students analyze political cartoons to learn about the outline and structure of the Constitution, as well as the content of many of its clauses.
Inaugurating the Republic: Congress and George Washington's First Inaugural Address Students analyze excerpts from President George Washington’s First Inaugural Address, translate them into modern speech, and derive lessons from them about civic life in a republic.
Congress and Civility by Design Students study the congressional process and analyze the rules of debate from the First Congress to shows how civility played a central role in its actions.
Congress Creates the Bill of Rights: Completing the Constitution These activities present questions, lesson ideas, and supporting resources selected to facilitate learning with the app and eBook, Congress Creates the Bill of Rights .
Congress and the Bill of Rights in History and Today Students use primary sources to learn how the First Congress created the Bill of Rights, and the essential role James Madison played in that process.
Congress, the President, and the War Powers Students explore the implementation of the war-making power from the first declared war under the Constitution—the War of 1812—to the Iraq War.
Understanding Federalism Students explore five aspects of federalism by completing the activities in this lesson.
Discussing Equality: Who is Included within the Phrase “We the People” Students analyze primary sources to identify groups of Americans granted or denied equal rights and equal status in society at various points in history.

Congress in History

The constitution through the civil war (1789 - 1864).

Inside the First Congress: Debating the Bill of Rights Students contrast selected proposals from state ratifying conventions with amendments as proposed in the House by James Madison and with amendments as sent to the states for ratification to better understand the Bill of Rights and the debate that shaped it.
Congress Creates the Federal Court System Students analyze the Judiciary Act of 1789 to learn the origin of the Federal court system.
Petitions to Congress: Grassroots Democracy, 1800–1850 Students analyze 19th-century petitions to Congress to identify the issues that people petitioned about, place the petitions in the context of their time, and understand how everyday people lobbied Congress to influence action by the government and shape the course of history.
Congress and Human Trafficking in 1812 Students analyze documents reflecting how Quakers from Baltimore, Maryland, petitioned Congress for legislation combating human trafficking.
1812: Congress's First Declaration of War Under the Constitution Students examine primary sources to analyze the reasons in support of and opposed to going to war against Great Britain in 1812.
The Rise of the Two-Party System: A Revolution in American Politics, 1824-1840 Students study the emergence of the two-party system in the United States between 1824 and 1840.
Congress Debates the Fate of the Nation: Analyzing the Wilmot Proviso and President Polk's 1848 Map Students study the issue of sectionalism after the war with Mexico by studying primary sources.
In Their Own Words: Women's Petitions to Congress (1830 - 1971) Students analyze women's petitions to Congress from five different eras to identify the issues women petitioned about, place the petitions in the context of their time, and understand how women have used the First Amendment right to petition to make their voices heard.

Reconstruction through the Great Depression (1864 - 1933)

Reviewing the Civil War and Reconstruction Students analyze primary sources to review major issues related to the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Civil Rights.
Was Reconstruction a Revolution? Students examine primary sources from the Reconstruction era to determine whether the Reconstruction period of American history should or should not be viewed as a revolution.
Congress and Harriet Tubman's Claim for a Pension Students explore records from the U.S. House of Representatives to discover the story of Harriet Tubman’s Civil War service to the government and her petition to Congress for compensation.
Congress Celebrates the Industrial Revolution Students study the impact of the Industrial Revolution by analyzing nineteenth-century depictions of technological innovation.
Exploring the Western Frontier with the Records of Congress Students use primary sources to investigate whether the frontier shaped America or if America—through Congress—shaped the Western frontier.
Hetch Hetchy: Congress and the Environment Students use primary sources to study the Hetch Hetchy Valley environmental debate in Congress, and analyze how those positions inform today’s environmental debates.
Kids at Work: Congress and Child Labor Students analyze petitions and letters sent to Congress to discuss whether Congress should change regulating child labor from a state to a Federal responsibility.
Woman’s Place in America: Congress and Woman Suffrage Students explore petitions, correspondence, and legislative records sent to Congress as it debated suffrage prior to passage of the 19th Amendment.
Studying U.S. Foreign Policy through Political Cartoons, 1898 - 1940 Students analyze political cartoons drawn by Clifford K. Berryman between 1898 and 1948 to learn about topics and major events in U.S. foreign policy.
Studying 4 Major Issues of the Post-World War I and 1920s Era with Primary Sources Students analyze primary source documents from the National Archives and political cartoons drawn by Clifford K. Berryman to learn about topics and major events in U.S. History from 1919 - 1930.
Congress and the Money Trust Students study key evidence from the Progressive Era's Pujo Committee investigation of the Money Trust that led Congress to pass the Clayton Anti-trust Act, the Federal Trade Commission Act, and the Federal Reserve Act.
Congress Investigates: The Senate Investigation of the Stock Exchange during the Great Depression (Pecora Investigation) Students learn about Congress’ power to investigate by reading a brief summary of the Pecora Investigation. They will also learn about Great-Depression-era public opinion of Wall Street abuses and increased government regulation by analyzing examples of correspondence received by the Committee.

The New Deal to Today (1933 - Present)

Seeing the Big Picture: U.S. Foreign Policy 1920-2020 Students analyze primary source documents and a timeline of foreign affairs and domestic events to understand the role of U.S. foreign policy in world events and its impact on events in the U.S.
Launching the New Deal: FDR and Congress Respond to the Great Depression Students use primary sources to examining how President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Congress responded to the Great Depression, and how the role of the Federal government changed as a result of the New Deal.
Reviewing Major Topics in U.S. History from 1940 – 1963 with Political Cartoons Students analyze political cartoons by Clifford and Jim Berryman to review seven major topics in U.S. History from 1940 to 1963.
The Impact of Racial Discrimination on Black American Lives in the Jim Crow Era (1944 – 1960) Students analyze primary source documents to assess the impact of legalized racial segregation on the lives of Black Americans from 1944 – 1960.
The Cold War in Political Cartoons, 1946 - 1963 Students analyze political cartoons from the Cold War Era to learn about five important issues and to understand the relationship of the United States to the world in this era of fundamental changes in foreign policy.
From the Cold War to Camp David: Reviewing U.S. Foreign Policy in Post-World War II Era (1948 – 1979) Students analyze primary source documents to review four major topics in U.S. History from 1948 - 1979.
Congress Investigates: The Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency Investigates Comic Books in the 1950s Students learn about 1950s fears of juvenile delinquency and Congress’s power to investigate by reviewing evidence considered by the subcommittee and analyzing a summary of the investigation.
Congress Protects the Right to Vote: The Voting Rights Act of 1965 Students use primary sources from the House Committee on the Judiciary to explore the constitutional issues that the committee encountered as it deliberated the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The Great Society: Extending the New Deal? Students analyze historical information to compare and contrast the New Deal and the Great Society.
Congress, the Great Society, and Today Students use primary sources from an online exhibit to study legislation passed in response to President Lyndon Baines Johnson's call for America to become a "Great Society."

How Congress Works

Introducing the Legislative Branch with Political Cartoons Students analyze political cartoons drawn by Clifford K. Berryman to learn about Congress and its constitutional role.
The Presidential Veto and Congressional Veto Override Process Students use primary sources to illustrate the veto and veto override process.
The Legislative Process Students analyze primary sources to learn the process of a bill becoming a law.
The Legislative Race Students explore a simplified version of the legislative process in the U.S. Congress
What Congress Does and Why it Matters Students use primary sources to learn the concepts of representation, separation of powers, and the constitutional role of Congress.
Congress Represented in Political Cartoons Students analyze political cartoons drawn between 1898 and 1948 to learn about Congress and its constitutional role in government.
Reviewing Big Civics Ideas through Political Cartoons Students analyze political cartoons drawn by Clifford K. Berryman between 1898 and 1948 to learn about the Constitution and constitutional institutions of government and politics.
Studying U.S. Elections with Political Cartoons Students analyze historic political cartoons to learn about timeless features of elections within the two-party system.

Visit the National Archives without leaving your classroom! Our free, interactive programs feature primary sources from our holdings. Each program aligns with National Social Studies Standards and Common Core State Standards. We also provide teacher guides with pre- and post-program lessons.

We Rule: Civics for All of US is a new education initiative from the National Archives that promotes civic literacy and engagement. Learn more about these K-5 civics distance learning programs available by request .

The Clever Teacher

November 6, 2020 By Becca Leave a Comment

The Ultimate Guide to Teaching the US Constitution

Filed Under: US Constitution Tagged With: US History Teaching Guides

Teaching the US Constitution

With so much focus on math and ELA, it can be hard to find time to prepare history lessons. However, I think that most teachers would agree that teaching history is extremely important! Especially, when you’re teaching about US history topics like the Constitution.

I want to save you time and help you fall in love with teaching history. In this blog post, you will learn the most important things you need to know when teaching the US Constitution.

Below is a list of the topics covered in this guide. You can click on any of the links below to be taken to a specific section.

US Constitution Overview

Us constitution timeline, teacher resources for learning about the us constitution, us constitution pacing guide, free us constitution lesson plans, us constitution primary sources, us constitution videos, us constitution interactive lesson plans.

This overview will explain the following:

What is the US Constitution?

The articles of confederation, framers of the constitution.

Key Concepts of the Constitution

Three Branches of Government

Parts of the Constitution

The Constitution and Slavery

Ratification, amendments & the bill of rights.

A constitution is a set of rules outlining what a government can and cannot do. The Constitution of the United States was created in 1787 and ratified in 1788. However, this was not the country’s first constitution.

Constitution, 4Th Of July, July 4Th, Independence

As soon as the Thirteen Colonies decided to declare independence from Great Britain, they began working on a constitution called the Articles of Confederation (also called the Articles).

The word confederation means alliance or union. The Articles of Confederation united the states together in a “firm league of friendship.” They had the responsibility to help each other if they were attacked. Each state governed itself and had a great deal of freedom, power, and independence. In some ways, the states acted more like independent countries than states.

The national government consisted only of Congress, a one-house body of delegates with the power to make laws. Each state had one vote. Congress needed at least nine of the thirteen states to vote yes in order to pass a law. In order to amend the Articles of Confederation, every state had to agree.

There was no executive leader, like a president, to enforce laws. There was also no system of courts to interpret and apply laws.

The Founding Fathers purposefully made the national government very weak. They wanted their new government to be totally different from King George III’s oppressive monarchy. The Articles of Confederation lasted for about ten years. They were revised by the Continental Congress in 1787 and replaced by the Constitution that we still use today.

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

In some ways, the Articles of Confederation were very effective. They included the basics needed to go to war with Great Britain. Congress could declare war, conduct foreign affairs, and make treaties.

However, the Articles of Confederation had many weaknesses. First, the national government held little power. The national government was made up of only one house called Congress. Although Congress had the power to make laws, it could not enforce them. If states chose not to obey the laws, there was nothing the government could do. There was no executive leader, like a president, to hold states accountable. Furthermore, there was no judicial branch to resolve fights between states. As a result, states would pick and choose which laws they wanted to obey.

Another major problem was Congress’ inability to collect taxes. Under the Articles of Confederation, only states were allowed to tax the people. All Congress could do was ask the states for money and hope they obeyed. Because of this, Congress struggled to pay and feed the Continental Army.

These problems, among others, led delegates to meet in 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation.

In May 1787, fifty-five delegates gathered in the Pennsylvania State House to participate in the Constitutional Convention. In just four months, they managed to create an entirely new system of government by writing the Constitution of the United States. Who were these men?

Fast Facts about the Delegates:

They represented all the original thirteen states except for Rhode Island.
Many had fought in the American Revolution.
Three-fourths had served in Congress under the Articles of Confederation.
The average age was 42 years old (the youngest was Jonathan Dayton at 26, and the oldest was Benjamin Franklin at 81).
Fifty-five attended the Constitutional Convention, but only thirty-nine signed the Constitution.

George Washington was one of the most famous delegates. He was selected to be the president of the convention. Later, he became the first president of the United States.

Other notable delegates included James Madison, George Mason, and Alexander Hamilton.

Key Concepts of the US Constitution

The Framers of the Constitution wanted to set up a government that would last. Their experience with Great Britain made them wary of a strong, powerful government. They wanted to protect people against tyranny. At the same time, many Founders were wary of giving people too much power. So, they also wanted to protect against too much democracy.

The founders understood some key concepts about government. The following are six key principles in the United States Constitution:

1. Popular sovereignty – The government’s power comes from the consent of the people. If the government goes against the will of the people, then they have the right to change the government.

2. Limited government – A government’s power is restricted by laws in order to protect individual rights and liberties. These laws are often written in a constitution.

3. Republicanism – A form of government where citizens are represented by elected officials.

4. Federalism – Power is shared by the national and state governments.

5. Separation of powers – The government is divided into branches. Each branch has separate and independent powers.

6. Checks and balances – Each branch of government can “check,” or limit, the power of the other branches.

The United States Constitution divides the government into three branches: the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, and the Judicial Branch.

Each branch has separate and independent powers that “check” and limit the powers of the other two branches. This prevents any one branch from becoming too powerful.

The Executive Branch enforces laws. It is comprised of the president, vice president, and the cabinet.
The Legislative Branch makes laws. It is called Congress, which is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The Judicial branch interprets laws. It is made up of the Supreme Court as well as other Federal Courts.

Parts of the US Constitution

The US Constitution can be divided into 9 parts: The preamble, the 7 articles, and the amendments.

The preamble serves as an introduction to the Constitution. It describes who established the Constitution as well as its purpose. The preamble explains six reasons why the constitution was established.

The Constitution is made up of seven articles. Each article discusses a different topic:

Article 1 – Legislative Branch
Article 2 – Executive Branch
Article 3 – Judicial Branch
Article 4 – States
Article 5 – Amendment Process
Article 6 – Debts, Supremacy, Oaths, Religious Test
Article 7 – Ratification Process

The Constitution currently has 27 amendments. These are changes that have been made to the Constitution over time. More information about the amendments can be found below.

You can grab a free lesson about the parts of the Constitution here!

The words “slave” or “slavery” are never mentioned in the Constitution. However, the decisions made by the framers allowed slavery to exist in the United States. This affected the lives of millions of enslaved people as well as their descendants.

The delegates of the Constitutional Convention debated three essential questions regarding slavery:

1. Should enslaved people be counted as part of the population?

Northern and Southern states disagreed on if enslaved people should be counted as part of a state’s population. After much debate, the delegates came up with the Three-Fifths Compromise. Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution says that when calculating a state’s population, three out of every five slaves would be counted as people.

This decision increased the South’s representation and power in Congress and the Electoral College. The three-fifths compromise was repealed by the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868.

Slave auction block Green Hill Plantation.jpg

2. What should be done about the slave trade?

The delegates also disagreed about the slave trade. Some wanted the slave trade to continue while others wanted it to be outlawed. Eventually, the Framers of the Constitution decided to put off making a decision about the slave trade. Article 1, Section 9 says that no law could be passed to ban the slave trade until 1808.

Extending the slave trade into the 1800s brought many more captive Africans to the United States. Congress overwhelmingly voted to end the slave trade in 1808. This stopped the practice of bringing more enslaved people to the United States but did not free enslaved people already living in the country. Slavery was not outlawed until the Thirteenth Amendment was passed in 1865.

3. Do states have a responsibility to return “escaped slaves?”

Enslaved people resisted their treatment in many ways, including escaping to the North. Those who ran away were called “fugitive slaves.” Some Southern delegates thought that states should help catch and return “fugitive slaves.” Others felt that this would infringe on states’ rights. The Southern states won out. Article 4, Section 2 contains a Fugitive Slave Clause that says “escaped slaves” must be returned to their enslavers.

As a result of this clause, many people made a living as fugitive slave catchers. They not only captured “runaway slaves,” but also illegally kidnapped and enslaved thousands of free Blacks. The Fugitive Slave Clause was repealed by the Thirteenth Amendment which prohibited slavery.

On September 17, 1787, the delegates finished drafting the Constitution. Nine of the thirteen states had to ratify, or approve, the Constitution for it to be accepted. Those who supported ratification were called Federalists while those who opposed ratification were called Antifederalists.

Federalists favored a strong central government. Antifederalists wanted power to stay with state governments. They also criticized the Constitution for not containing a bill of rights.

Eventually, nine of the 13 states ratified the Constitution. Itbecame the official framework for the United States on June 21, 1788.

Dates US Constitution ratified by the 13 States.png

An amendment is an official change to the US Constitution. There have only been twenty-seven changes to the Constitution because amendments are difficult to pass.

First, an amendment is proposed by Congress. It must pass with at least a two-thirds majority in both houses. Amendments can also be proposed by a convention called by two-thirds of the states; however, this has never happened. After being passed by Congress, an amendment must be ratified, or approved, by at least three-fourths of the states.

The first 10 Amendments are called the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is a specific list of citizens’ rights and limits on the government’s power.

First Amendment – Freedoms of speech, religion, the press, assembly, and to petition the government
Second Amendment – Right to own and carry guns
Third Amendment – No quartering (housing) of soldiers during wartime
Fourth Amendment – Freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures
Fifth Amendment – Right to due process; the government can’t take a person’s land without paying for it
Sixth Amendment – Right to a speedy and public trial
Seventh Amendment – Right to trial by jury in federal civil cases
Eighth Amendment – Freedom from excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishments
Ninth Amendment – Citizens have other rights besides the ones listed in the Bill of Rights
Tenth Amendment – Powers not given to the federal government are reserved for the states.

These amendments would be the first of many. Since it’s creation, the Constitution has been amended 27 times. Some notable amendments include:

Thirteenth amendment – Outlaws slavery
Fifteenth amendment – States that the government cannot stop people from voting based on their race
Nineteenth amendment – Extends the right to vote to women

If you need help teaching about the Bill of Rights, check out my free lesson.

When teaching the US Constitution, or any historical period, it can be helpful for students to have a general timeline of important events and when they occurred.

March 1, 1781 – Articles of Confederation are ratified
February 21, 1787 – Convention to discuss Articles of Confederation revision called
May 14, 1787 – Constitutional Convention Begins in Philadelphia, but only a few delegates arrive, so quorum is postponed
May 25, 1787 – Enough delegates arrive, and the convention is called to order
May 29, 1787 – Edmund Randolph proposes the Virginia Plan
June 15, 1787 – New Jersey Plan is presented by William Patterson
July 12, 1787 – Three-Fifths Compromise is adopted, deciding how slaves would be counted
July 16, 1787 – Connecticut Compromise is adopted, deciding representation in the House and Senate
September 17,1787 – Delegates finish drafting the constitution, convention adjourns
December 7, 1787 – Delaware is the first state to ratify the constitution
June 21, 1788 – New Hampshire is the ninth state to ratify; The Constitution is officially established
February 4, 1789 – George Washington is elected the first president of the United States
December 15, 1791 – The Bill of Rights is added to the Constitution

Now that you know the basics, here are a few excellent resources to help you learn more. These resources will help you better understand the US Constitution:

The Constitution, the Articles, and Federalism: Crash Course US History – John Green’s fast-paced and informative video gives a helpful and engaging overview of the US Constitution’s origins and history
Free Online US History Textbook – Chapters 7 and 8 of this online textbook discusses more details that are helpful when teaching about the US Constitution and early American government.
Britannica Online – Britannica’s Constitution of the United States of America article is a simple but great resource, including a helpful list of all constitutional amendments.

US Constitution Simulation

Have you ever considered bringing the US Constitution to life with a simulation? Here’s what I did with my students:

After learning about the Framers of the Constitution, students have a chance to participate in their own Constitutional Convention. Each student is given a delegate identity. They are also assigned a state and two opinions they have about government.

Next, students are grouped by state. They get to pick a new name (they love this!) and complete a delegate character sketch about their new identity.

As the unit continues, students learn about important debates from the Constitutional Convention. Each day they debate topics the Founders discussed, including choosing representatives, representation in Congress, and presidential terms.

Just like in the real convention, my students present plans and vote on proposals. This is such a great way to get your students excited and engaged in learning about the Constitution. I know you and your students will love it!

If you are interested in doing something similar, here is the pacing guide I used:

3-Week Pacing Guide

Note: Each lesson is 45-60 minutes long.

This pacing guide is the same one I use in my US Constitution Unit.

If the idea of planning and prepping everything for your Constitution unit overwhelms you, then this resource is for you! It has everything you need!

Included is a helpful teacher resources, engaging simulations, ready-to-print student worksheets, and an easy-to-use study guide and assessment.

For those of you who are teaching remotely, I’ve added Google Slides to all the lessons. I created this unit to help you and your students love learning about the US Constitution!

Parts of the US Constitution Lesson

Do your students struggle to understand how the US Constitution is organized? It’s a difficult concept, so I’ve created this “Parts of the US Constitution” lesson plan with a foldable graphic organizer. This lesson will help upper elementary and middle school students understand:

the parts of the Constitution
the purpose/function of each part

In this lesson, students research the parts of the US Constitution and fill out a helpful graphic organizer to show what they’ve learned. I’ve created the graphic organizer for you and listed some helpful research resources.

Bill of Rights Lesson

In this lesson, students match picture cards to descriptions of each amendment in the Bill of Rights. Then they evaluate scenarios in which the Bill of Rights are violated by reading task cards around the room. Finally, they write a classroom Bill of Rights.

This lesson includes picture cards, task cards, a writing prompt, and student worksheets and answer keys.

Enter your email below to grab your free Bill of Rights Lesson.

If you aren’t using primary sources to teach about the US Constitution, you’re missing out! No matter what historical period you’re teaching about, primary sources help history come to life for your students.

The main difficulty with primary sources is finding the time to search for them when you already have a million things to do.

To help save you time, I’ve created a list of teacher-approved US Constitution Primary Sources .

One of my favorite US Constitution primary sources is this note from the constitutional convention.

Memorandum Regarding Population Estimates for Purposes of Apportioning Delegates (1785)

Description of Primary Source:

This note lists population and delegate estimates for each of the thirteen states. The memorandum was part of a collection of notes from the Confederation Congress. The author was trying to figure out how many delegates each state would receive if representation was based on population.

Later this issue became an important debate at the Continental Congress in 1787, and was resolved by the Great Compromise. The Great Compromise created a bicameral legislature with equal representation in the Senate and proportional representation in the House of Representatives.

Class Discussion Questions:

What is the date of the document?

Which state had the largest population in 1785?

Which state had the smallest population in 1785?

What was the estimated population of the United States in 1785?

Which states would benefit the most from proportional representation and which states would benefit the least?

Who do you think wrote this document?

Why do you think this document was written?

Resources for this Primary Source:

View the memorandum online (includes a transcript) (National Archives)

Student worksheet for analyzing a written document (National Archives)

Need more US Constitution Primary Sources? Click here to read the blog post

Another great way to engage students is through high-quality history videos. Videos can teach a lot of information in a short period of time. They are also engaging and fun!

However, most teachers know that not all history videos are created equal. It’s hard to find accurate, appropriate videos. To help provide you with awesome, informative videos, I’ve created this list of 5 US Constitution Videos for Kids .

One excellent US Constitution video is The Constitution Song (Despacito Parody) by MrBettsClass.

The Constitution Song (“Despacito” Parody)

Mr. Bett’s overview of the US Constitution including its purpose, Preamble, articles, and amendments

3.5 minutes

My Rating: age 8+

Notes: Like all of Mr. Bett’s song parodies, it’s cringy in the best way. I recommend watching it twice: first, let the kids get all of their giggles out. Then, watch it again so kids can focus on the content. Provide students with some guiding questions (ex: What are the main parts of the Constitution? What is the purpose of the Preamble? etc.).

I hope that these resources help you while you are teaching the US Constitution. If you need more help, consider checking out my 3-week US Constitution Unit .

Feeling stressed about teaching the US Constitution? This unit will help you feel prepared and excited to teach by providing you with 15 complete lessons, worksheets, and answers keys.

Sounds amazing, right?

As teachers, we want to create meaningful lessons for our students. But with so many subjects to cover, it can be difficult to find the time. This is especially true for subjects like history that require a lot of prior knowledge.

I created this unit to provide you with high-quality lessons that will save you time and help you fall in love with teaching history! Keep reading to see what makes this US Constitution Unit so awesome!

What’s included?

15 complete US Constitution lesson plans for 5th grade and middle school aged students

15 days of activities

Pacing guide

Answer keys

150+ pages with a variety of activities (simulation, writing activities, task cards, and more)

Table of Contents for US Constitution Unit

Part 1: context for the constitutional convention.

The Articles of Confederation— identify the strengths and weaknesses. Includes informative article, task cards, classifying worksheet.
6 Key Concepts— describe key concepts: popular sovereignty, limited government, republicanism, federalism, separation of powers, checks & balances. Includes student booklet, sorting cards, game.

Part 2: Events of the Constitutional Convention

Become a Delegate Simulation— assume a fictional identity as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. Includes article, identity cards, delegate character sketch, and more.
Choosing Representatives Simulation— in a simulated Constitutional Convention, debate and vote on how congressional representations should be chosen (arguments for both sides, student worksheets, informative article)
Representation in Congress Simulation— in a simulated Constitutional Convention, debate and vote on how states should be represented in Congress. Includes arguments for both sides, student worksheets, informative article.
Presidential Terms Simulation— in a simulated Constitutional Convention, debate and vote on how long presidential terms should be. Includes arguments for both sides, student worksheets, informative article.
The US Constitution and Slavery— identify sections of the Constitution which permitted slavery and how these sections affected the nation. Includes informative article, graphic organizer, opinion writing.
Ratification of the Constitution— identify primary source quotes as Federalist or Antifederalist arguments. Includes informative article, primary sources, student posters, reflection sheet).

Part 3: The Constitution and the US Government

Be a Constitution Detective— use the Constitution to summarize the main idea of each section and answer questions about the US government. Includes puzzle pieces, student worksheet.
The Preamble— translate and illustrate the Preamble. Includes task cards & recording sheet, student-created posters, preamble cut apart for memorizing.
Three Branches of Government— explain how power is separated between the three branches of government. Includes posters/anchor charts, matching worksheet, card game.
Federal, State, and Local Governments— list and analyze the powers of the federal and state governments, as well as research elected officials. Includes graphic organizers game, research elected leaders worksheet.
The Bill of Rights— interpret and teach about the Bill of Rights. Includes worksheet for analyzing each Bill of Right, amendment rap, main idea worksheets, cards for acting out the Bill of Rights.
Amendments— categorize the amendments and create my own amendment. Includes amendments timeline, amendments chart, create my own amendment worksheet.
The Constitution in Your Daily Life— explain how the Constitution affects me in my daily life as well as analyze The American’s Creed. Includes teacher guide, situations worksheet, writing about The American’s Creed.

The US Constitution Unit Help For The Teacher

Table of contents (also available in the preview)
Suggested pacing guide
15 lesson plans
Answer Keys (Of course!)
Editable end-of-unit test and study guide
Easy printing file with all student worksheets and articles

Grab a free Civil War Battles lesson

Enter your email now to get access to the lesson and receive free resources and strategies for teaching about the Civil War!

No spam. Unsubscribe at any time.