Why is Constitution Day important to teach? Constitution Day, September 17, 2021, is an opportunity to engage students in the U.S. Constitution’s continued relevance. Use this day and the weeks leading up to teach students about the Constitution’s history, the rights students have, how those rights are protected, and how understanding their rights can help them make their voices heard.
Build your Constitution Day lesson plans with our most popular and highly recommended resources below.
Meet education requirements with our Constitution Day lesson plan
Don’t have much time to plan? This interactive lesson plan gives students a quick snapshot of the Constitution, including the purpose of each article, the powers of the three branches, how a bill becomes a law, and the concepts of separation of powers and checks and balances.
See samples of what is included in the Teacher’s Guide and Student Documents below. Click “Use the Lesson” to get access to the complete lesson plan.
Step-By-Step Teacher’s Guide
Ready-To-Use Student Documents
Our most popular Constitution Day activities
These Constitution Day games and resources will help you highlight the ways in which the Constitution still guides our government institutions and processes today, including the roles and responsibilities of citizens.
Lesson: Anatomy of the Constitution
Help students learn about the duties and powers of the three branches, the amendment process, and the role of the Constitution as the supreme law of the land.
Game: Do I Have a Right?
Test students’ knowledge of constitutional rights with one of our most popular games, Do I Have a Right? Students will run their own firm specializing in constitutional law. This game is available in Spanish!
DBQuest: America’s Founding Preambles
Task students with digging into the preambles and introductory text of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution.
Game: Race to Ratify
Take students back to 1787 with our immersive game, Race to Ratify. The debate over the Constitution comes to life as students have their say over whether it gets ratified.
WebQuest: Constitutional Influencers
Magna Carta, Montesquieu, the Mayflower, and more! This WebQuest takes students through history to the events, people, and documents that inspired the writers of the Constitution.
Find more resources in these Curriculum units
Explore how the Constitution came to exist.
Explore key components of the Constitution.
Explore what it means to be a U.S. citizen.
Read reviews of our game, Race to Ratify
Race to Ratify was recognized with an official seal for quality and impact by Common Sense Education 2020 Selections for Learning. Reviewers noted:
“Immersing students in the human side of history — allowing them to see what it was like to live during this time and why people formed the opinions and stances they did — brings history to life and helps students realize that these people weren’t all that different from people today. Their debates may have been on different topics and their methods of communication were different, but they still fought for many of the same issues relevant today…”
Free Virtual Events
iCivics’ Executive Director, Louise Dubé, will join the National Constitution Center, on September 17 at 12 p.m. ET to discuss the State of the Union: Civics
iCivics’ Executive Director Louise Dubé will join other leaders from government, education, and cultural institutions in a panel moderated by National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen to discuss the state of civics education in the United States. The panel will explore the essential skills needed for a robust republic and the tools necessary to promote active and healthy civil discourse in our country today. Panelists will share what their organizations are doing at every level to build guardrails of democracy and support students nationwide. Other guests include Dr. William R. Hite, superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia, and Sal Khan, founder and CEO of Khan Academy.
This event is open to educators and students. See full details & register.