Constitution Day Resources

I always struggle with Constitution Day. In fact, I didn't even know the day existed until a few years ago. Since then, I've learned about the day and want to share some resources to help you.

My thoughts of Constitution Day run along the gamut of:

* Hey, what a great idea! We NEED to celebrate our Constitution!
* Don't we do that on July 4th?
* Has this always been a recognized day? Did I just not learn about it in school?
* What do I even know about Constitution Day?
* I'm supposed to teach Constitution Day?
* How am I supposed to teach Constitution Day in speech & language therapy when my kindergarteners are still learning how to line up, much less say multisyllabic words?

Here's a quick rundown. Constitution Day is a federal observance (not a holiday) on September 17. Except when September 17 is on a weekend, like this year, when we'll observe it on September 16. On September 17, 1787, delegates signed the Constitution at State Hall in Philadelphia. The day's purpose is to remember this event and to recognize people who are U.S. citizens. The law recognizing Constitution Day was passed in 2004. Every school that receives federal funds must teach about Constitution Day.

You can find out more at:
* National Constitution Center. This website has a resource center just for educators, as well as a countdown clock.
* Constitution Day has biographies of the 39 Founding Fathers who signed the Constitution.

The websites are helpful but still contain difficult concepts for many of my students. These kids are the reason I created Constitution Day - A Wh- Game. The questions focus on what, who, where, and when concepts, and the answers are within the prompt. Students listen and answer.

It also comes with data pages to help you (and me!) out. There are two pre-made pages so you can just print it out and mark data. There's also one blank data page that has fillable boxes so that you can put in your own goals. The game has simplified language to help my students learn about this not-as-well-known-holiday, and they get a model before answering. If they need more help, vary the game using the techniques I outline for playing card games. And, it has a homework page to help students stay on task between turns for home practice!

Since we can't play the same game every year, I also use Constitution Day Write & Say the Room. I hang cards of the day's vocabulary around the room with sticky-tack, give each student a clipboard and pencil, and have them hunt for words with their speech sounds. They love it, especially when cards are in unusual places like under the table or covering a person's face on a poster!

Amy included Constitution Day as part of her wonderful Informative Reader's Theaters. Because they are laminated, students can highlight words with artic sounds or vocabulary. We discuss the day and the lines and then act it out!

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Have a happy Constitution Day!