Constitution Day Classroom Ideas That Work for Any Budget

Great civics teaching doesn't require a budget. It requires a Constitution and a classroom full of curious students. Here are twelve Constitution Day ideas organized by cost — from completely free to a modest splurge.

Completely Free

1. Preamble memorization challenge. Give students 10 minutes to memorize the Preamble. Then have a contest. The student who recites it most accurately wins bragging rights. Most students are surprised they can actually do it.

2. Constitutional scavenger hunt. Give students 10 questions that require them to look up specific clauses, articles, or amendments. First to finish wins. It forces close reading of the actual text.

3. "Is this constitutional?" debate. Present five hypothetical laws. Students vote and argue whether each one would pass constitutional muster. Prepare for heated discussion.

4. Amendment ranking. Students rank the 27 amendments from most to least important — individually, then in small groups. The disagreements are the lesson.

5. Write your own amendment. Students draft a 28th Amendment. They must write it in constitutional language and be prepared to defend it. Some of the proposals are genuinely interesting.

6. Founders' Twitter feed. Students write five "tweets" from a Founding Father of their choice, based on what they actually believed and wrote. Yes, it's fun. It also requires real research.

   
   

Low Cost (under $20)

1. Constitutional convention simulation. Divide the class into state delegations. Give each delegation a set of interests to protect. Run a mini-convention. It's chaotic and illuminating.

2. Primary source analysis. Print excerpts from the Federalist Papers alongside the relevant constitutional provisions. Have students connect the argument to the text.

3. Bill of Rights newspaper. Students create a one-page newspaper from 1791, reporting on the ratification of the Bill of Rights. Headlines, editorials, letters to the editor.

4. Amendment timeline wall. Create a physical timeline on butcher paper across one wall of your classroom. Students add cards for each amendment with a one-sentence summary and an illustration.

   
   

Worth the Splurge

1. Guest speaker. Invite a local attorney, judge, or elected official to speak to your class about how the Constitution affects their work. The personal connection is powerful.

2. Pocket Constitutions for every student.* The 917 Society provides these free — so this one costs you nothing. Order the 250th Anniversary Edition at

www.917society.org

Free Constitutions for Teachers | 917society

and put the actual document in every student's hands on Constitution Day.