Back-to-School Civics: Starting the Year with the Constitution
- marie917society
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
The first week of school is noisy. New schedules, new faces, new everything. Most teachers spend it on procedures and icebreakers. Here's a different idea: start with the Constitution.
Not because it's required (though Constitution Day in September technically is). Because starting with the Constitution sends a signal to your students about what kind of class this is going to be.
Why the First Week Is the Right Time
The first week of school is when students form their impressions of a class. If you spend it on logistics, they'll expect logistics. If you spend it on big ideas, they'll expect big ideas.
The Constitution is full of big ideas. Self-governance. Individual rights. The limits of power. Equal protection. These aren't just historical concepts — they're the operating principles of the country your students live in. Starting there tells students: this class is going to matter.
A First-Week Constitution Activity That Works
Try this on day one or day two: give each student a copy of the Preamble and ask them to rewrite it in their own words — individually, in 60 seconds. Then go around the room and have each student read their version aloud.
You'll get 25 different interpretations. Some will be funny. Some will be surprisingly profound. All of them will reveal something about what your students already believe about government, rights, and America.
It takes 15 minutes. It breaks the ice. And it starts a conversation that you can build on for the rest of the semester.
Set Up the Constitution Day Payoff
If you start with the Constitution in the first week, you can build toward Constitution Day (September 17) as a semester milestone. Every lesson between now and then can connect back to the document. By the time September 17 arrives, your students will have real context — and Constitution Day won't feel like a one-day interruption.
Order Your Pocket Constitutions Now
Don't wait until September to order. The 917 Society provides free pocket Constitutions — the 250th Anniversary Edition — to 8th-grade classrooms across all 50 states. Order early
and have them ready from day one.
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