Happy Constitution Day!

by Mary Ellen Daneels, Lead Teacher Mentor

On September 17, 1789, thirty-nine delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the completed U.S. Constitution. This momentous occasion has been marked by various holidays throughout the years. While many previously celebrated this anniversary as “Citizenship Day”, an amendment to an omnibus bill in 2004 by Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, officially designated September 17th as Constitution Day. As September 17th falls on a Sunday in 2017, according to the National Constitution Center, September 18th is the official day schools and federal institutions are to dedicate to learning more about this foundational document of the United States.



One of the proven practices of civic education mandated by the Illinois Civics requirement is direct instruction on government institutions. Knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and the framework it established to protect the rights and freedoms that “We the People” enjoy today is key to civic education. There are numerous resources that can help classroom teachers in this very important work on Constitution Day and throughout the year.

• The National Constitution Center has a wealth of resources ranging from an Interactive Constitution, access to rare primary sources and to lesson plans that engage students in understanding core principles of the Constitution.
• George Washington’s Mt. Vernon has even more primary documents, Constitutional Timelines and online quizzes to engage students in civic learning.
• TeachingAmericanHistory.org has a wealth of interactive tools focusing on the Constitutional Convention including an interactive map, artwork and detailed information about the delegates.
• The Center for Civic Education has curated lesson plans and activities, many of which are ready for use on Google Classroom.
• The Library of Congress has not only founding documents ready for examination, but also free e books and tools for classroom use.
• The PBS NewsHour has created a lesson using the proven practice of simulations to help students understand the challenges of building a government to better understand the crafting of the U.S. Constitution.
• The Constitutional Rights Foundation has resources that range from Kindergarten to High School to support understanding of this foundational document in United States History.

How do you celebrate Constitution Day? We would welcome your best practices in the comment section of the blog to help others with ideas to prepare students for civic life.